Vertical high school dominates architecture awards
Arts
Australia’s first vertical high school has taken out major awards in three categories at the South Australian Architecture Awards.
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Adelaide Botanic High School, which opened this year, won the Dr John Mayfield Award for Educational Architecture, the Robert Dickson Award for Interior Architecture and the Derrick Kendrick Award for Sustainable Architecture. Named awards represent the highest accolade in each category.
Designed by Cox Architecture and Adelaide’s DesignInc, the $100 million high-rise high school is located in the Adelaide CBD, adjacent to the city’s parklands and university precinct.
The architects had to incorporate the reuse of an existing 1960s building, the Reid Building, and a new seven-storey building.
The judges were impressed with the school’s composition and integration within the parklands setting as well as the seamless incorporation of the former Reid Building’s structure, which they described as “a new benchmark for adaptive reuse in South Australia”.
SA Chapter President Tony Giannone said the Adelaide Botanic High School showed what could be achieved when all parties invested in the process.
“This project is a community asset of lasting value – not just because of its sustainability credentials but also because it provides an example of how this state can provide state-of-the-art educational facilities with outstanding flexibility and adaptability,” he said.
An atrium links the two buildings and provides a massive communal space for students.
The school is designed to have an “on display” learning environment with more open teaching spaces and an exposed architectural design.
When the school opened in January Cox Architecture Director Adam Hannon said the light-filled atrium connecting the adapted building to the new structures provided the community heart and the opportunity for the new and old buildings to interconnect.
“The learning spaces are expressed through the building architecture and the learning is very much on display. It’s a very unique and quite an amazing thing for a building,” said Hannon.
“It’s a very natural setting within the Adelaide parklands, but our brief was to create a STEM focus and a technology rich school, so you have this really interesting juxtaposition of a very natural setting and a science and technology-based program and the bringing together of those two worlds is really exciting as part of our brief.”
DesignInc Director Wayne Dixon said the vertical design placed the school’s main public functions at the base of the building and then became more focused and private towards the upper levels of the school.
“We had the opportunity to plan the school with a lot of its public functions at the base. So things like the main entry, the forum space, the heat and eat space and the fantastic tiered seating in our atrium,” said Dixon.
“As you move up the building progressively, things get more private and more technology orientated in terms of senior school teaching and learning.”
Run by the Australian Institute of Architects, this year’s South Australian Architecture Awards were presented on Saturday night.
Several other education projects were also awarded. St Mary’s Corner by Grieve Gillett Andersen took out the City of Adelaide Prize People’s Choice while the Cabra Dominican College Therese Sweeney Music Centre by Russell and Yelland received the COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture.
The residential categories remained strong this year with more than 20 entries. Architects Ink received the John S Chappel Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New) – for the second year in a row, this time for Sugar Gum House.
In total, the jury bestowed 40 honours with named award and award winners in each category now progressing to the National Architecture Awards announced 7 November.
Full list of winners:
Commercial Architecture
Keith Neighbour Award – Mitolo Wines by Tectvs
Commendation – Southern Crop Breeding Centre by Ashley Halliday Architecture Interiors
Commendation – OZ Minerals Head Office by Studio Nine Architects
Commendation – Global Centre for Modern Ageing by Tridente Architects
Educational Architecture
Dr John Mayfield Award – Adelaide Botanic High School by Cox Architecture and DesignInc
Award – St Mary’s Corner by Grieve Gillett Andersen
Commendation – Swallowcliffe P-7 STEM by Thomson Rossi
Commendation – Christies Beach High School Inclusive Education Centre by Flightpath Architects
Enduring Architecture
Jack Cheesman Award – Colonel Light Centre by Hassell and Partners
Heritage
David Saunders Award – Elder Hall Northern Upgrade and Conservation Works by DASH Architects
Award – Willunga Mainstreet by Mulloway Studio and WAX Design
Commendation – Adelaide Central Market Federal Hall Façade Conservation by Flightpath Architects
Interior Architecture
Robert Dickson Award – Adelaide Botanic High School by Cox Architecture and DesignInc
Award – Malvern Residence by Williams Burton Leopardi
Award – University of South Australia Cancer Research Institute by Swanbury Penglase with BVN
Commendation – The Esplanade by Williams Burton Leopardi
Public Architecture
Jack McConnell Award – University of South Australia Cancer Research Institute by Swanbury Penglase with BVN
Award – St Andrew’s Hospital Eastern Clinical Development by Wiltshire + Swain
Award – Gawler Civic Centre by MPH Architects
Commendation – Parks Library by JPE Design Studio
Commendation – Kangaroo Island Air Terminal by Ashley Halliday Architecture Interiors
Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions)
John Schenk Award – Malvern Residence by Williams Burton Leopardi
Commendation – …number 35 by Black Rabbit Architecture + Interiors
Commendation – City Cottage by Davis + Davis Architects
Commendation – Myrtle Bank_Mid Century Modest by Taylor Buchtmann Architecture
Residential Architecture – Houses (New)
John S Chappel Award – Sugar Gum House by Architects Ink
Award – House and Cart by Khab Architects
Commendation – Baliol Residence by Grieve Gillett Andersen
Commendation – Douglas Street Residence by Ashley Halliday Architecture Interiors
Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing
Commendation – Carmelite by Walter Brooke
Small Project Architecture
Commendation – Hilton Adelaide Gym Pavilion by Grieve Gillett Andersen
Sustainable Architecture
Derrick Kendrick Award – Adelaide Botanic High School by Cox Architecture and DesignInc
Award – University of South Australia Cancer Research Institute by Swanbury Penglase with BVN
Commendation – Kangaroo Island Air Terminal by Ashley Halliday Architecture Interiors
Commendation – Parks Library by JPE Design Studio
Urban Design
Gavin Walkley Award – Willunga Mainstreet by Mulloway Studio and Wax Design
COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture
Award – Cabra Dominican College Therese Sweeney Music Centre by Russell and Yellan
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