Students are set to move into the new building at Adelaide Botanic High School today, with the $98 million expansion project almost complete.
The extension was built to meet current and future demand in the CBD and inner north areas and has delivered more than 9000 square metres of new teaching, learning and working spaces – and delivers on a key election commitment.
The seven-story building features a rooftop sports area, a ground floor café and student services reception for senior students, an entrepreneurial hub and STEM labs.
Students took Premier Peter Malinauskas and Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer on a tour of the new building today.
The school is progressively taking possession of the building, with further fit-out and landscaping to be complete by the end of the month.
Cox Architecture was responsible for the award-winning design of the original Adelaide Botanic High School building, and also took on the design of the expansion to ensure the new tower fit seamlessly with the original buildings.
As with the original towers, the new building has a sustainable design that minimises energy and water use.
The current Adelaide Botanic High School capacity is 1250 secondary school students with the expansion project taking the school capacity to 1950 students.
The former boundaries of the shared CBD high school zone, which was cut by the previous Liberal Government, was restored this year.
Suburbs include, Glandore, Hilton, Kurralta Park, Marleston, Mile End, Richmond, Torrensville, Black Forest and Clarence Park.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
The Adelaide Botanic High School expansion project is an important commitment we took to the last election to ensure we are delivering important education outcomes for our young people.
On my visits to nuclear shipyards in the United States last week, I was struck by the scale of work ahead of us to prepare for AUKUS.
The simple fact is, we need more girls and boys learning STEM. Many more.
New state-of-the-art facilities like these will enable more kids to learn science, technology, engineering and maths at a high quality STEM-focused public school, in settings similar to what they will experience in the future workplace.
There is so much opportunity now for young people here in South Australia and this project is a testament to the importance we place on education and ensuring our young people have the skills they need to enter the workforce and contribute to our state.
As put by Blair Boyer
Our government has a strong commitment to public education and ensuring our children and young people have access to a high-quality education in their local area.
Adelaide Botanic High School offers creative, flexible teaching and learning spaces, designed to engage students in everything they do – and is part of our commitment to ensure every school is a great school.
The award-winning design has no traditional corridors, and an open format that creates a feeling of connectedness for students and staff, and reflects what students can expect in tertiary study or a modern workplace.
As put by Principal Alistair Brown
It is an exciting time for students and staff as they prepare to move into the new building. Everyone has managed extremely well in the temporary situation of all being accommodated in the original buildings so far this year, but we are looking forward to making full use of the new building.
My focus has always been to ensure that we teach our students in a way that prepares them for the real world, and our new building allows us the room to do that.
It will add to our ability to ignite the passions of our students as they explore their creativity, strive for excellence and take advantage of being in the middle of Adelaide's cultural precinct.
As put by Member for Adelaide, Lucy Hood
I'm proud to have been educated in the public school system and, as a former education journalist, understand how important it is to provide students with the best learning environments to help them reach their full potential.
Adelaide Botanic High is a state-of-the-art educational facility, and more capacity means more families in my community can access a quality public education for their kids.
