Adelaide desalination plant

With a growing economy and population, South Australia faces the challenge of developing and implementing alternative water supplies, especially in times of drought.

GHD Design provided the design of the winning bid for the Adelaide Desalination Plant by the Adelaide Aqua consortium.

Located at Lonsdale, near Port Stanvac, the $1.824 billion, 100 gigalitre per annum capacity desalination plant can deliver up to 100 billion litres of water each year, contributing to half of Adelaide's water supply.

The design team used an integrated industrial design approach to ensure that the desalination plant met the requirements of a significant work of public architecture, by developing a consistent architectural language across the site, complementing the state-of-the-art water processing facility.

This approach integrates related disciplines of master planning and architecture, landscape design, interior design and graphic and wayfinding design, providing a unified, cohesive and sustainable design that blends into, and enhances, the existing site.

This seamless architectural and landscape response minimises visual impacts from both close and long-range views and builds on the intrinsic qualities of the natural coastline, to provide a considered response to the environment and natural heritage of the site.

The architectural and landscape design contributed significantly to the successful delivery of the project and the acceptance by the community of this alternative source of drinking water.