The state heritage-listed Urrbrae Gatehouse at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus will be relocated and rebuilt “brick by brick” to make way for an expanded intersection.
Under plans before South Australia’s State Commission Assessment Panel, the historic building on the outskirts of Adelaide will be moved around 800 metres from its current position to a site near Urrbrae House, the stately home for which it served as the gatehouse. A modern extension, designed by local firm Dash Architects, will also be grafted on to the building.
Having originally proposed to compulsorily acquire and demolish the gatehouse, the state government settled on the plan to rebuild it after a backlash from the community and heritage advocates. The University of Adelaide, which owns the land, was also supportive of retaining the building in the new location.
Urrbrae Gatehouse redevelopment by Dash Architects.
The planning application notes that the “high heritage value aspects” of the existing gatehouse will be retained as part of the relocation, while a new Welsh slate roof will match the appearance of the original. Stonework and brickwork is to be dismantled by hand to ensure no damage is done. At the rear of the building, the single-storey flat roof rear extension will feature full-height glazing, textured rendered walls and a verandah.
The final internal design layout is to be confirmed, following discussions by the University of Adelaide with the intended users of this facility – the volunteers associated with Urrbrae House and the Waite Arboretum. But at this stage, the proposed floor plan indicates offices and a meeting room in the rebuilt original section and a multi-use space with associated kitchen and toilet facilities.
Heritage SA and the local council support the proposed relocation, but some say the move will diminish the structure’s heritage value. Robert Stone, an associate lecturer in archaeology at Flinders University, told the ABC in February that any relocation would obscure the original purpose of the building. “The gatehouse was the first barrier to going into one of these stately homes, and then the driveway was second because they were never straight,” he said.
“Some are saying it should be shifted near the main house, but then it loses all its significance because the stables and carriage house are near the main house as well and you’ll get the impression this is just a worker’s cottage.”
Pastoralist Peter Waite bequeathed the Urrbrae estate, including the gatehouse, to the University of Adelaide in 1914.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
