The Project
The Mounted Operations Unit Project for the South Australia Police (SAPOL) involved the development of a new, custom-built, state-of-the-art facility for the ‘Police Greys’ of the Mounted Operations Unit (MOU), the Dog Operations Unit (DOU), and office space for the staff at Gepps Cross, Adelaide. The project also included a City Staging Post within the Adelaide CBD, providing warm-up, rest and overnight accommodation facilities in the city.
WGA was engaged by Greenway Architects on behalf of the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) and SAPOL to undertake comprehensive civil, structural, geotechnical, stormwater management and traffic engineering design for the $90 million Thebarton Barracks Relocation Project.
Technical Scope
The Gepps Cross site facility includes numerous large stables to house SAPOL horses, a dedicated indoor training arena with 41m clear-span roof, canine kennels and training areas, significant office space and secure parking.
Beyond the core facilities, the site incorporates 3 hectares of paddocking, specialist warm-up areas such as the outdoor sand arena, horse walkers, round yard, wine barrel with feed and maintenance sheds and additional parking for floats, buses, and trucks. As part of the project, WGA also designed the new intersection at Grand Junction Road to DIT standards to support the site access.
- Site Features and Design Standards: A heavily sloping site with high soil heave conditions, the engineering design focused on safe movements for both people and horses and was detailed to accommodate movement in the structures.
- Sustainable Stormwater Management: WGA’s site stormwater management plan incorporated ecologically sustainable and water-sensitive urban design principles. The design incorporated swales and water-sensitive urban design principles to enable infiltration, complemented by landscaped beds and tree planting to create a green site and reduce heat from paved surfaces. Rainwater harvesting systems were installed to maximise stormwater re-use for the site and for overflow a detention basin to limit the offsite discharge.
Client Focus
WGA worked closely with the architects and managing contractors to deliver a highly fast-tracked design and construction program. This strategy included early works bulk earthworks packages and a multi-stage building rollout, ensuring progress without compromising quality.
The project’s unique equestrian requirements shaped the layout and drove specific civil and structural design solutions, demanding precision in planning and material selection. This included the need for robust, low-maintenance materials and the flexibility to install specialist equestrian fit-out items.
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