Archi Tour 2022
On Friday 12 August, 120 team members across five of our studios descended upon Adelaide for the biennial Conrad Gargett Archi Tour – an action-filled weekend exploring the region’s best architecture, food and of course, wine.
Following the success of the Hobart Archi Tour in 2019, and with travel now back on the cards, the team were excited to be coming together once again, in what was a perfect mix of professional development and team bonding.
After touching down in Adelaide and checking into our hotel, we all came together at the University of Adelaide to hear from Tony Giannone, Director of local practice, Tectvs and Professor in UoA’s School of Architecture and Built Environment.
Tony shared his story of running his practice over the past 30+ years as well as his experience as National President of the Australian Institute of Architects during 2021-22. He discussed how architects can give back – shifting the focus from architecture within society to architects within society – and the contribution the profession can have in better serving the community and tackling major issues like homelessness.
Following Tony’s talk, the team ventured to the village of Hahndorf, known for its German-style architecture and artisanal food, before travelling to Hay Valley and settling into a delicious three course dinner at Lot.100 – a collective restaurant and function space designed by Studio Nine.
Tony Zappia and Andrew Steele, Directors from Studio Nine, joined our team for dinner and shared the story behind the design of Lot.100 – being a sustainable and flexible space where businesses come together and share resources to deliver a paddock-to-plate offering and a range of event functions.
The next day, we split off into three groups to explore some of McLaren Vale’s best wineries, including Mitolo, Dowie Doole, Serafino, Victor’s Place and Coriole.
The team enjoyed tasting the various wines and local food on offer as well as exploring the buildings – which included a mix of old and new. Mitolo, designed by Tectvs, and Dowie Doole, designed by Scholz Vinall, showcased the use of cleverly converted and configured shipping containers, while Victor’s Place and Coriole featured stunning historic stone buildings, dating back to the 1860s.
In between wine tastings, we visited d’Arenberg Cube – a five level multi-function building designed by ADS Architects that features a tasting room, museum and contemporary art space.
Our final day in Adelaide included a modernist walking tour with Stuart Symons, where we learnt about some of the city’s most significant examples of mid-century architecture.
We also enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of Adelaide Oval, including a walk through the historic (and still operating) scoreboard as well experiencing the player facilities and walking along the sidelines.
The Archi Tour drew to a close on Sunday afternoon, as we ventured to the airport to fly back to our home cities with an appreciation for the great city of Adelaide and the wonderful practice that is Conrad Gargett. A special shout out to Conrad Gargett Associate, Kris-Tanya Louca who did a fantastic job organising the tour – thank you KT!
Until next time…
