LUMEN Winter 2019 - Flipbook - Page 22
At their inception, The Cloisters’ primary
function was to frame absence, “a metaphor for
those who lost their lives in the Great War,” as
explained by Dean and Head of the University’s
School of Architecture and Built Environment
Professor Alan Peters.
Since then, the area has enjoyed an illustrious
90 year reign as the epicentre of student and
staff life.
From rallies, art installations and concerts, to
the day-to-day meeting of staff and students,
The Cloisters enjoyed their peak during the
days of the original Mayo Café, when couples
“would sit on the steps and share their lunch
because of the lack of space inside.”
Time for change
Jump to the present day and The Cloisters
precinct retains its historic significance and
Mediterranean beauty after being redeveloped
earlier this year to meet the changing demands
of a future-facing University.
The goal was two-fold. Firstly, to further open
campus perimeters and encourage a new wave
of community into the precinct. Secondly, to
breathe new life into both The Cloisters and
Union House, intrinsically linked by their
potential to better serve a modern student body.
“Universities have begun to value and
encourage impact beyond the purely academic
and scholarly,” explained Professor Peters.
“But permeability to the public needs to be
tempered with presence.
“The idea here is that once you are in the
University precinct, you should know that you
are somewhere special,” he said.
What was once a mecca of University life had
sadly fallen to the wayside as students and staff
flocked to the Hub. The Cloisters began
“showing signs of their age.”
But with a new eatery and bar in Union House
revitalising the culinary offerings of the campus’
north-west and redeveloped Cloisters, the space
has returned to its former glory.
Now a single level courtyard, The Cloister's
heydey has been re-captured, now used as a
multi-purpose space for all manner of events,
and as a cultural hub for students, staff and the
public to enjoy.
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Cloisters
courtyard seating
TOP RIGHT
New UniBar kitchen
and food service space
RIGHT
Students enjoying a
game of pool in the
new UniBar
20
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
Fresh beginnings
Adelaide first got a taste of The Cloisters and
Union House revival with Roberta's pop-up
Italian restaurant in the old Mayo Café earlier
this year.
As the University was transformed into a
buzzing hub of festival activity, RCC Fringe
operated the venue during the Fringe period.
“We thought it was a good idea to have a
pop-up restaurant in the area to compliment
everything else that would be happening in
The Cloisters when the campus was at its most
activated,” said University of Adelaide
Executive Director, Infrastructure
Virginia Deegan.
“It was really important to bring people through
to see how amazing The Cloisters area could
really be.
“It provided a great opportunity to showcase
University spaces, how they can be used and
what they can look like.”
The partnership between RCC Fringe and the
University saw a unique opportunity to openly
invite the wider community onto campus.
"An estimated 220,000 people visited the
University campus during the four-week period
of the RCC Fringe," said Virginia.
"One in 10 had not been to the University
campus before, and the fact they could enjoy
events at the intimate Little Theatre, through to
the Maths Lawns staging shows like The
Presets, demonstrates just how diverse the
University campus can be.
