The Kaurna People
South Australia
The Andrea Pozzo Centre at Saint Ignatius’ College replaces an existing art building with a purpose-built art, design and technology facility.
Rooted in Bauhaus principles, the building is conceived as a machine for creation rather than a series of classrooms. A pragmatic grid supports a free-span structure, ensuring internal flexibility. Glazed partitions replace conventional solid partition walls, transforming classrooms into open artist studios, promoting connection and collaboration.
The rhythm of the expressed structure creates visual harmony. Hovering like a cloud, the custom aluminium screen introduces an ephemeral quality over the rational structure, modulating light and transparency.
Existing site levels were consolidated and access to adjacent buildings was provided, improving circulation. The rotation off the school axis retains several significant trees, while opening the courtyard to the oval.
The Andrea Pozzo Centre ignites innovation. Through its restrained architectural approach, the student’s work and engagement with the space becomes the focal point.
A complex site with multiple levels, existing buildings and matured trees presented a unique challenge for the architect. It also offered an opportunity for a creative insertion to bridge the intersection between established landscape and existing educational structures.
Envisaged as a cloud floating amongst the trees, the Andrea Pozzo Centre is a refined expression of form and detail. The softly transparent, perforated screen responds to this primary idea, offering a lightness of form from outside and a soft control of daylight within.
Meticulous attention to detail is paramount in a minimalist form and evident throughout, particularly in the design of the screen apertures. From the outside, these perforations appear as a texture modulating the building’s mass by day, while at night, they transform the building into a glowing, transparent lantern.
Red accents pay homage to the heritage of red brick in the surrounding context, with white steel providing a striking counterpoint. Inside, the clarity of the planning echoes the restrained overarching principles of architectural form.
Circulation is directed along the perimeter, allowing visitors to experience the screened threshold space, while the interior layout maximises usable space. Linked classrooms enhance openness and connectivity while maintaining the sanctuary of each teaching space.
Architects Ink worked closely with the College staff, and students, understanding stakeholder needs, to create a truly functional, and inspiring space. This collaborative process helped ensure that designs met educational objectives, enhanced the learning environment, and supported student well-being.
The newly built Andrea Pozzo Centre for Art, Design and Technology, has a beautifully simple design, focusing on flexible, responsive spaces for students to showcase their creative work and for the teachers to adapt to the needs of their classes. The team from Architects Ink have provided the College with a timeless building which celebrates creativity.