07 May 2018
Hot on the heels of two weeks of special graduation ceremonies, Pridham Hall will be officially launched at 10 am today with an Aboriginal smoking ceremony and the unveiling of a plaque involving all the key champions for the construction of the Hall.
Olympic cycling legend, Anna Meares will host the event.
Benefactor, UniSA alumnus and namesake of the Hall, Andrew Pridham will be in Adelaide for the launch and together with the UniSA Chancellor, Jim McDowell, Vice Chancellor, Professor David Lloyd and leaders of UniSA’s sporting clubs, will unveil the plaque.
The $50 million project was completed in April and its gymnasium and unique underground pool will be open for business from May 14. The first rounds of competition sports, including basketball and volleyball, will commence in June.
Commencing construction in 2015, Pridham Hall was designed to deliver a comprehensive sporting hub to the University’s City West campus and at the same time provide an on-campus venue for graduations.
“This was always about breathing more life into the campus and creating the memories that endure – playing sports with friends, going to the gym, shooting hoops and then taking to the stage on graduation day – it is about living your university days on campus,” Prof Lloyd says.
Award-winning South Australian firm JPE Design Studio, renowned Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta, and South Australia’s own JamFactory are behind the design of the building, which features an array of sporting facilities from basketball courts and a rock climbing wall, to the underground swimming pool, exercise and dance studio, and full gymnasium..
Generous donations from more than 500 alumni and friends of the University have contributed to the project, including $5 million from the Pridham family.
UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd says following a fantastic round of moving graduation ceremonies in the new venue, he is looking forward to the sounds of umpires’ whistles and cheering fans as sports teams start to use the venue in the next few months.
“I have seen every stage of its development and I know it is going to be a real hive of activity for students and staff,” Prof Lloyd says.
“We are so grateful for the generous support of the Pridham family and for the hundreds of graduates and friends who have committed their donations to be a part of making the vision for Pridham Hall a very tangible and impressive reality.”
About Pridham Hall
- Pridham Hall has been named in recognition of the Pridham family and graduate Andrew Pridham. The Pridham Foundation donated $5 million to UniSA, the largest single gift donated to the University in its 27 year history.
- Pridham Hall has a graduations seating capacity of just over 1800 people. The 1589.2m2 main hall features two basketball courts and a rock climbing wall.
- The project employed more than 60 local workers a day during construction from October 2015 to January 2018, including 47 trade packages.
- The new underground heated Natare (Nat-ar-aey) pool is 25m long with five-lanes and has been designed to provide wheelchair access. It is a stainless-steel pool, the very first to be installed in Australia. The stainless steel used in the pool is recycled and 100 per cent sustainable. The UniSA logo in the centre of the pool is a laser cut PVC Natatec membrane which provided the precision of the logo – an effect that would not have been possible with tiles.
- A campaign giving donors the opportunity to inscribe three inspirational words in the building continues today. These words are visible on the foyer’s interior walls, inscribed in the pool and on the leaves of a central foyer chandelier. More than 500 alumni and friends have already taken part in this donor campaign and still more continue to support this project and place their names and inspiration in the interior architecture of Pridham Hall.
- Pridham Hall has also been granted a Kaurna language name, recognising its place and purpose on Kaurna land. Its Aboriginal name is Yangkadlitya Wardli, which means for-the-future building.
Media contact: Michèle Nardelli mobile 0418 823 673 email michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au
