Prince Alfred College Boarding Facility

Prince Alfred College, one of Adelaide’s premier independent education providers are replacing the existing Boarding Houses to provide accommodation for 150 students. Set opposite the historic school campus in Kent Town on the eastern fringe of the city centre, the design translates the client’s aspirational belief to provide a high standard of accommodation and comfort that creates an atmosphere comparable to the home environment and supports a boarder’s academic and social development.

With facilities for 150 boarders over 5 floors and 8,000m2, the design was driven by existing site constraints, the vision for pastoral care and environmental considerations that culminated in a three wing facility with a central core. This ‘heart space’ circulation core facilitates connectivity and interaction between multiple boarding houses and also the wider school community with pedestrian linkages back to the main campus as an extension of their home environment.

The design provides a series of individual boarding houses organised in a cluster arrangement throughout the facility, with dedicated academic and recreational facilities for groups of 10 to 14 boarders. Each house has individual bedrooms with shared ensuite, tutorial rooms and a communal breakout area with kitchenette facilities. These are supported by larger recreational facilities, dining, health and housekeeping facilities on the ground floor of the building. This communal model creates an environment that reinforces a boarders right to privacy and dignity whilst providing opportunities to exercise independence and choice within accommodation that promotes and safeguards their welfare.