Kaurna Building
Inspiration for creative minds
Rising four dramatic floors, the
Kaurna Building on the corner of Hindley Street and Fenn Place in the city’s
west end is home to the Louis Laybourne-Smith School of Architecture and
Design and the South Australian School of Art, and stands as a pre-eminent
addition to this evolving arts precinct.
John Wardle Architects in association with Hassell Pty Ltd have designed a building that encourages interplay between budding artists, designers and architects, between staff and students, and between the schools and the community.
Huge expanses of glass offer constant glimpses into student activity within. A licensed café will be open to all at street level, while a ground-floor gallery showcases the work of students, graduates and staff as well as experimental pieces from visiting designers and artists.
The interiors carry an open, industrial feel. Form follows function and flexibility allows for infinite possibilities. Interconnecting doors instantly redefine studio spaces and large glass tilt-up doors open the ground-floor studios to alfresco work areas.
The Kaurna people
The
Adelaide Plains of South Australia is home to the Kaurna people. The naming
of this building in their honour is a gesture of respect to the traditional
owners of the land and to their living culture.
For thousands of years before European settlement the Kaurna people lived along the eastern shore of Gulf St Vincent, from Crystal Brook to Cape Jervis.
United by one language, the Kaurna people’s movements were in rhythm with seasonal changes, food supply and religious and ceremonial events.
Living in independent family groups, they came together for trade, social, ceremonial and religious reasons.
Today, the descendants of the Kaurna of the Adelaide Plains are reawakening their spiritual links with the land and reclaiming their language and culture.