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Adelaide Town Hall is about to have its 150th birthday, having been officially opened on 20 June 1866. It was the first of the great Town hall buildings erected in Australia, and at that time it was by far the largest and grandest building in Adelaide, standing head and shoulders above the largely single storey and quite sparse city.

The Auditorium on the first floor was the central element of the building and it has survived intact to the present day. As something of a birthday present, Adelaide City Council proposed to repaint the space after its last redecoration 30 years ago. Each time this large space was previously painted it had been closed for months, but as it is today a much sought after space, only a period of seven straight days were free to carry out the work.

Achieving the seemingly impossible, a team of about 28, including painters, scaffolders, conservators and Council staff, worked 24 hours a day for the seven days to complete the work.

Swanbury Penglase were fortunate in having been involved in the project, including carrying out preliminary inspections of the ceiling, research to understand the history of the redecoration of the space, preparation of a revised colour scheme as well as inspections while the work was underway.

A 2-minute timelapse video records a taste of this remarkable effort of all those involved. Thanks to Adelaide City Council and Chris Oaten of Insight Visuals.

Since its inception in 1989, Swanbury Penglase has been designing teaching laboratories as part of our educational work. In the last ten to fifteen years we have been building our experience in more complex research and professional laboratory spaces.

Notable examples include the Anatomical Pathology Cut-Up Laboratory at Flinders Medical Centre, a PC3 Containment facility for SA Pathology (a South Australian first), the George Rogers Microscopy Laboratory at the University of Adelaide and the M2 and the Plasso Development at the University of South Australia’s Mawson Lakes campus.

The team delivering this work has grown as well and is led by Associate Director Matthew Raven and Associate Jason Timberlake. Both experienced architects, Matthew and Jason understand the rigour required to deliver these precise and exacting spaces.

Architect Marty Frost has also joined us recently and brings with him an excellent background in laboratory design.  Marty provides strong support to the team and is quickly developing a reputation for reliable project delivery.

A strong understanding of building services, the ability to coordinate complex brief requirements and thinking laterally about problems has ensured smart and effective results for our clients, often within the constraints of refurbished building spaces.

While all three have a technical focus, Jason also has extensive experience in large, multiple stakeholder projects and led the project team in the delivery of the New Mental Health Facility at Glenside in 2013.

The team is currently involved with the University of South Australia’s new Health Innovation Building on North Terrace. The facility is home to a number of related functions and has a strong laboratory focus, housing the world leading Centre for Cancer Biology research spaces including an animal house.

Supported by both the architectural and interiors team, they would welcome the opportunity to talk to you about their experience in this space and your next project.