St George’s Performing Arts Centre | Kneeler Design Architects
The St George’s Performing Arts Centre is the result of the adaptive reuse of the heritage-listed St George’s Uniting Church located on the campus of St Michael’s Grammar School, St Kilda. Through a series of sensitive insertions and interventions – the chief of these being a multifunctional brass ‘ingot’ cast in the nave that houses tiered seating, building services, and amenities – Kneeler Design Architects has revitalised the building while preserving the dramatic proportions and rich detailing of the heritage fabric. The integration of cutting-edge audiovisual technologies overcomes the building’s inherent acoustic and scenographic limitations while giving students unique opportunities to reimagine performing arts in an unconventional theatre environment. The built outcome remains a recognisably ecclesiastical space that provides an immersive theatrical atmosphere for audience and performers alike, honouring the building’s past while equipping it to help shape present and future generations of performing arts talent.