St John’s Grammar School Education Centre Arts + Technology Enterprise Precinct

Welcoming the latest expansion of St John’s Grammar School secondary campus, an innovative art and technology precinct designed in collaboration with DesignInc. Centrally located, this dynamic hub continues the evolution of the school. It now includes the flagship EDC building, a first-class learning facility designed to offer a seamless student service experience.

As the new main gateway to the secondary campus for students, home to student services, wellbeing and counselling, and library and support spaces, this building has been designed with students in mind.

Location: Kaurna Country
Belair, South Australia, South Australia
Client: St John’s Grammar School
Value: $10M
Scale: 1,514sqm
Year: 2024
Project Leadership: Sonya Montgomerie
Project Contact: Sonya Montgomerie
Photography: Sam Noonan
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An innovative approach, connected to nature

Situated in the Adelaide Hills, the project considers the unique surrounding environment, nature, fauna, and the materiality of the historic Retreat House. Inspired by the surrounding environments, the project uses a colour palette representative of the Adelaide Hills’ naturalistic qualities and rich timbers to reflect the beauty of the trees in the Belair area. The design prioritised retaining the natural landscape and habitat trees by carefully designing the new building, kiss and drop and car parking around the existing trees.

Studying with a view

The upstairs features open-plan library space and senior study areas designed for flexibility to facilitate functions and school gatherings, with secondary spaces designed to capture exceptional and personalised learning. Framing views to the canopies of the impressive gum trees through large intentional windows, the library’s upper floor creates the feeling of being nestled in the trees and authentically connected to nature.

Flexible spaces for learning and collaboration

The downstairs library offers collection and library services that are responsive to the student experience in Belair. The lower level includes areas for games, reading and socialising during breaks on the frequent rainy and cold days in Belair. Doors are designed to open wide, making it easy for students to move outdoors to the courtyard on sunny days.

With fluid spaces, natural light, and a strong connection to nature, the new precinct feels open and welcoming, making it easy for students to collaborate, explore, and thrive.
Sebastian Kennedy
Senior Architect

Spaces designed to inspire growth

Existing buildings have been refurbished and extended to provide more dedicated art and technology spaces for students, including maker spaces, ceramics, workshops, and a gallery for exhibitions. A landscaped courtyard at the centre of the art and technology precinct encourages students to gather, creating a new outdoor hub for the secondary campus. This central landscaped area connects the three buildings, creating a sense of unity and drawing students into the outdoor space.

A sustainable facility, built to last

A long life was front of mind in the design of the EDC. Materials such as pre-finished panels and masonry have been selected to minimise maintenance and meet bushfire protection requirements. Tanks for stormwater detention, low VOC paints and materials have been used, and Australian-made, sustainably accredited flooring and furniture have been installed. Passive design principles have been applied to address the problematic western orientation, with vertical sunshades and sunshades integrated into all glazing; the roof is designed to accommodate solar arrays on the roof, providing a long-lasting, low-energy facility for the school for their next chapter.