Adelaide Botanic High School

DesignInc, in collaboration with Cox Architecture, designed and delivered South Australia’s first vertical school. Located in the CBD, Adelaide Botanic High School opened in 2019.

For 1,250 secondary school students, the buildings are designed with flexible learning areas to enable an integrated curriculum that helps prepare them for the future.

The new school’s heart is a light-filled atrium connecting the adapted six-storey Reid Building to a new seven-storey building as an active atrium.

Environmental design minimises energy and water use, in support of the city’s Adelaide to Zero Carbon Challenge. The project will achieve a 5-Star Green Star As-Built rating.

CLIENT

SA Department for Education and Child Development; Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure
LOCATION

Adelaide, South Australia
YEAR

2019
SCALE

15,750 m²
VALUE

$100 million
PROJECT LEADERSHIP
Wayne Dixon Jennifer Drake
COLLABORATORS

Cox Architecture TCL
PHOTOGRAPHY

Sam Noonan
AWARDS

Gold Award, Built Environment Education, Design Institute of Australia SA/NT 2019

Excellence in a Commercial / Industrial Building $50m to $100m, Master Builders Association (SA) 2019

Derrick Kendrick Award for Sustainable Architecture, Australian Institute of Architects (SA) 2019

Robert Dickson Award for Interior Architecture, Australian Institute of Architects (SA) 2019

Dr John Mayfield Award for Educational Architecture, Australian Institute of Architects (SA) 2019

Our State’s future will be built on high quality public schools which equip our students with the skills needed to secure the jobs of the future.

The Hon. Jay Weatherill MP, Premier of South Australia

The Adelaide Botanic High School’s name reflects its specialist health and sciences program. Purpose-designed laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art science and design technology to support the STEM focus (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), preparing students to be future innovators.

Key facilities