A project involving the demolition of a 500-seat theatre on the grounds of the University of Adelaide has drawn outrage from the architect of Parliament House, among other protesters.
Union Hall is slated for demolition next month to make way for a new physics department specializing in laser research, designed by BVN Architecture.
The new building will be a modern, six-storey glazed structure that exposes the activities inside, lead architect Martin Langham told Architecture & Design.
Despite the building not being heritage listed and falling into a “grey area” of preservation that remains within living memory, the campaign could still stymie development, Langham said.
“Obviously, the heritage campaign does have an affect. But there’s a reason why the building is being planned for that site.”
The architect of Canberra’s Parliament House, Italian Romaldo Giurgola, has joined the protest group saying that the demolition of Union Hall will be an act of “irreparable destruction in every sense”.
The building is a “fine example” of Modernism, Giurgola said, one that would have no possible substitution.
The National Trust, as well as the Save the Union Hall Committee, is now behind a growing objection to the demolition of Union Hall, with at least two applications being made for the 51-year-old building to be listed as heritage.
However, Langham said that the building is has not been used as a theatre for a long time and is now reduced to occasional lecture duties.
“Once you see something being removed you want to find grounds to save it. People are trying to register it again for heritage protection but nothing has really changed since the first, unsuccessful submission.”
The university says that Union Hall is the only site that meets its criteria for development, as well as offering good value for money.
