Building Details - Architects of South Australia

Guy Maron is well known for the design of the Bicentennial Conservatory in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens which won numerous design awards including the Sir Zelman Cowan National Award from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 1991. Designed in 1986, it was officially opened on 18 November 1989. The innovative curvilinear shell shape of the Bicentennial Conservatory is 100 metres long, 47 metres wide and 27 metres high. Designed as the longest single span conservatory in the southern hemisphere, the curved plan houses a tropical rainforest ecosystem. The architectural form is segmental cone, elegant in resolution and economic in detail. Steel trusses were prefabricated and pre-glazed and were then lifted into place. Its sculptural form is a contemporary expression of its function, utilises state-of-the-art technology in operation and was erected using innovative structural and cladding systems. The $7.3 million Conservatory was the youngest building ever in South Australia to be added to the South Australian State Heritage Register in 2015.