The Kaurna People of the Adelaide Plains
South Australia
World-class yet entirely local, the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) is a high-performance training environment, workplace and tertiary education facility that inspires South Australia’s elite athletes while advancing innovative research and sports science education across diverse programs.
Grounded in precision and performance, the architecture fosters development through openness and collaboration, offering curated civic glimpses into professional sport while balancing public engagement with athlete privacy.
Behind its refined façade, the building is designed to perform. Throughout, environmental chambers, simulation studios, an ergometer centre, recovery suites and dynamic teaching facilities are organised around a light-filled atrium and activated ground plane to bring together athletes, staff and students. This interplay cultivates shared community, celebrating human movement and wellbeing.
An $88 million co-funded investment by the South Australian Government and Adelaide University, the building realises the state’s long-held ambition to provide facilities worthy of the world-class talent that has always called South Australia home.
Award for Commercial Architecture
Consultation with building users, as well as collaboration with the broader project consultant team, have been significant factors in the success of the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) at Mile End.
The brief combined technical sports science functions with learning and working spaces; the Cox Architecture team has skilfully translated these requirements into a cohesive outcome while also incorporating a number of environmentally sustainable design initiatives.
The project is anchored by a light-filled, generous central atrium that forms the building’s ‘heart’, providing clear, legible connections across all three floor levels and encouraging interaction between the building users.
The building and surrounding landscape are well integrated within the existing precinct, including interfaces with an established bicycle path, back-of-house servicing, and the adjacent Athletics Stadium.
This new ‘gateway development’ is a distinctive presence along this route into the city of Adelaide and an important new facility for the South Australian sporting community.
Award for Commercial Architecture
Consultation with building users, as well as collaboration with the broader project consultant team, have been significant factors in the success of the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) at Mile End.
The brief combined technical sports science functions with learning and working spaces; the Cox Architecture team has skilfully translated these requirements into a cohesive outcome while also incorporating a number of environmentally sustainable design initiatives.
The project is anchored by a light-filled, generous central atrium that forms the building’s ‘heart’, providing clear, legible connections across all three floor levels and encouraging interaction between the building users.
The building and surrounding landscape are well integrated within the existing precinct, including interfaces with an established bicycle path, back-of-house servicing, and the adjacent Athletics Stadium.
This new ‘gateway development’ is a distinctive presence along this route into the city of Adelaide and an important new facility for the South Australian sporting community.
The South Australian Sports Institute (SASI), proudly positioned at the Mile End Sports Precinct provides a world-class sport, research and education hub for high performance athletes, coaches, and university students. The project has fast become the benchmark for industry integration, successfully delivering bespoke spaces for athlete performance and health, student learning and research and office accommodation. Co-located with Adelaide University’s Sports Science Hub, SASI will deliver lasting social and economic benefits to South Australia.
As SASI Director, Keren Faulkner says “We’ve always had a world-class team, and now we have the facilities to match”.
Adam Hannon, Project Director
Zoë King, Project Director – Interiors
Jennifer Drake, Project Lead – Senior Associate
Mee Kyong Kim, Facade Lead – Associate
Steven Cundy, Designer
Sarah Waldhuter, Interior Designer
KBR, Civil & Structure Engineer
NDY, Building Services
ARUP, Facade Engineer
Trento Fuller, NCC & DDA Consultant
NDY, Acoustic Consultant
NDY, Fire Engineering
FMG, Aquatic Engineer
Mott MacDonald, Audio Visual Engineer
ASPECT Studios, Landscape Architecture
Dsquared, ESD Consultant
AECOM, Planning Consultant
Stantec, Traffic Engineer
Colby Phillips Advisory, Waste Consultant
FYFE, Geotechnical Engineer
Chris Sales Consulting, Cost Consultant
BuildSurv, Project Certifier