Gawler Health Service Emergency Department

The Gawler Health Service Emergency Department has more than tripled the regional health service’s capacity to deliver emergency care to residents, easing pressures due to population growth in the Gawler catchment area.

DesignInc collaborated with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport SA, SA Health, and the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network to plan and design the expansion in alignment with AusHFG guidelines. Air circulation, durable materials, and infection control measures have been considered to enhance clinical outcomes, operational efficiencies, and worker health and safety.

The emergency department expansion substantially increases bed capacity. The building is now more accessible to the public with the addition of an undercover arrivals area, a dedicated entry and exit driveway for ambulances, and a 35-space car park. These enable smoother patient flow and easier access for visitors.

Location: Kaurna Country
Gawler, South Australia
Client: Department for Infrastructure and Transport SA + SA Health
Value: $15M
Scale: 1,000sqm
Year: 2024
Project Leadership: Richard Stafford
Project Contact: Shalini Shah
Photography: David Sievers
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Treatment spaces include:

Two paediatric treatment bays with a separate paediatric waiting area

A negative pressure room with a dedicated anteroom and ensuite

A patient resuscitation bay

12 adult acute treatment bays

A new hybrid procedure patient bay

A low-stimulus room for people requiring specialised care

A flow of health and wellbeing

Gawler is where three rivers meet – the North and South Para Rivers and the Gawler River. The junction of these rivers serves as the traditional gathering place for First Nations Peoples. This story is interwoven throughout the design narrative, drawing inspiration from the river system and water.

The colour palette was inspired by Codi Buckskin’s artwork, Kadlitiya Reconciliation Story. Ochres, earthy reds, sandy tones, and muted river blues reflect the landscapes and dingo-tooth imagery in the piece, and were applied across finishes, joinery, and graphics to create a culturally immersive connection to Kaurna Country.

Cultural care that harmonises with nature

Artwork by Harley Hall features on a perforated metal screen to the ambulance entry that depicts travel and yarns in five meeting places between Kaurna, Ngadjuri, Peramangk, Ngarrindjeri and Ramindjeri Peoples across the wider health network. Biophilic principles are incorporated internally through form, materials, and graphics and externally in the façade and landscaping to create a health-focused, calming, and welcoming space.

The design of the new Emergency Department is based on stakeholders, end users and community feedback which is visible in the new building. All departments, agencies and individual members of the project team worked collaboratively and had the same end goal, delivering a project that meets the current and future health needs of the Gawler community.
Tracey Rainsford
Principal Project Officer, Service Development,
Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network + SA Health