Woods Bagot appointed to design WA agriculture headquarters

Woods Bagot's Perth studio has been appointed to design the Western Australian government's new agriculture headquarters.

The New Metropolitan Facility for the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development will be built on Murdoch University's Perth campus and will feature modern laboratories and technical workspaces for around 350 staff. The $320 million project is intended to support biosecurity safeguards and primary industries research that will help "protect and promote" the state's agriculture sector.

Woods Bagot, selected as lead design consultant out of an open tender, will be responsible for urban design, architecture and interior design.

The 11.5-hectare site will also house an incident and emergency management operational centre; a glasshouse complex; and field plots for onsite research. It will supersede the laboratory facilities on Baron-Hay Court in South Perth, many of which date back to the 1950s.

"This will be the premier facility for biosecurity, research and development in Western Australia relating to the agricultural industry," said Woods Bagot principal and Perth studio chair Kukame McPierzie.

"It's a highly technical, highly functional building with complex performance requirements. Our approach is to synthesise this complexity into a cohesive design language, creating a facility that allows the DPIRD team and cotenants AEGIC and InterGrain to perform their leading research in a high-quality environment. We will look to embrace connections to landscape, open air and sustainability throughout our design."

The building will sit on the south-eastern corner of the Murdoch University campus, which McPierzie said offered benefits in terms of connection to allied industries in health and medical research.

Woods Bagot is also in the process of designing the Harry Butler Science Centre on the Murdoch University campus.

The New Metropolitan Facility is expected to be completed by 2027.