SA Minister opens ARM’s New Adelaide Studio

The opening of ARM’s new Adelaide studio at 241 Pirie Street marked a convergence of milestones: a new home in the heart of the city, 10 years on the ground in Adelaide, 40 years of ARM nationally, and 25 years since our first South Australian project, the Marion Cultural Centre, was completed.

That first South Australian project stands as a marker of ARM’s long-term contribution to the state. Designed with Phillips/Pilkington Architects and completed in 2001, Marion Cultural Centre is South Australia’s youngest building to achieve heritage registration. This year, it was named one of Australia’s Top 50 buildings (Traveller, 2026).

Guests raising a glass in celebration included leaders from cultural institutions, private developers, research and government in education, health, housing and the arts.

After a spirited and inspiring welcome to Country, Kaurna elder Corey Turner invited Lucy Carruthers, ARM managing principal and COO, to try on his magnificent possum skin cloak. The ceremonial cloak is a powerful expression of cultural continuity, identity and Corey’s connection to his Country.

In opening our new studio, South Australian Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Planning and Housing Infrastructure, The Honourable Nick Champion MP, described Adelaide as being at a pivotal moment, driven by extraordinary economic momentum, housing demand and urban transformation.

Minister Champion spoke directly to the need for design intelligence in solving the state’s most pressing challenges.

“We need architects, we need builders, we need governments, and everybody to think about the really small things that often make a huge difference in whether a project adds up,” he said.

The minister acknowledged the role ARM has played, and continues to play, in shaping the city and the state: not through spectacle alone, but through education, health, housing, infrastructure, public realm and the careful civic work that changes daily life. Connecting architecture directly to social outcomes, he pointed to projects such as Bowden, where design-led housing is making a difference in how people live.

“When you meet the young people who are either buying in there or renting in there, it transforms people’s lives. That’s the power of architecture.”

He also singled out ARM’s contribution to the Adelaide Railway Station precinct, where the removal of the former concourse has helped reveal the station’s historic civic presence and improve one of the city’s most important arrival sequences.

“Everybody’s funnelled towards Adelaide Oval on a Saturday night through your architecture. It’s leaving a mark on the city.”

That remark captures the spirit of the evening. ARM continues to leave a mark on South Australia: from the cultural boldness of Marion, to the renewal of the railway station, regional education in Port Augusta, health infrastructure at Flinders Medical Centre, and new housing models at Bowden that support a fairer and more liveable Adelaide.

Adelaide studio lead Philippe Naudin.

ARM principal and Adelaide studio lead Philippe Naudin asserted ARM’s commitment to work that is “specific, collaborative and deeply connected to place”.

“All our projects start with precincts and buildings, but they’re really about place and people and possibility,” said Naudin.

“We’re here to shape the next chapter of the city and the state, through architecture that is civic, distinctive, useful, generous and unafraid to leave a mark.”

ARM co-founder Ian McDougall with Professor Jane Burry, Adelaide University.

Three significant projects continue ARM’s civic trajectory in South Australia, indicative of the breadth and seriousness of the practice’s contribution to the state.

ARM’s Renae Schulz and Chris Buchhorn are central players in local projects.

1. Flinders Medical Centre’s new 98-bed Acute Services Building, designed by ARM with Studio STH and due to open in early 2028, will deliver new inpatient, intensive care, surgical and day medical capacity while creating a new main entry to one of South Australia’s most important hospitals.
2. At Bowden, also under construction, ARM is designing an 84-apartment build-to-rent project with 95 per cent affordable rentals, specialist disability accommodation, ground-floor retail and a garden terrace. Delivered by Renewal SA, the project brings together design quality, urban character and social purpose in Adelaide’s most important regeneration precinct.
3. The recently opened Port Augusta Technical College is a $35 million regional education landmark, co-located with Port Augusta Secondary School and designed to connect students directly with industry, training and future workforce pathways across the Upper Spencer Gulf.

ARM director Jesse Judd assures Nick Champion the gift value is within the ministerial limit.

Link to Event Photo Gallery
Photographer: Meaghan Coles