Union House shines bright at the 2025 South Australian Architecture Awards

The University’s revitalised Union House and our restaurant Taikunthi shone bright at the prestigious 2025 South Australian Architecture Awards. 

It’s been a big few weeks for Taikunthi, which has also been attracting some well-known names in entertainment and media, along with staff and students, to sample its winter menu and warmly welcoming service. 

Union House won architects Swanbury Penglase the David Saunders Award for Heritage, as well as a commendation in the 2025 City of Adelaide Prize for Design Excellence at the annual event. 

Taikunthi, which is on the reimagined Level 5 of the State-Heritage listed Union House, won an Interior Architecture Award. 

Among recent guests were musical theatre royalty Marina Prior and Casey Donovan, who are in town for the Adelaide season of Kimberly Akimbo, a co-production by State Theatre of South Australia and Melbourne Theatre Company, at Her Majesty’s Theatre. 

The stars joined media identity Betty Samis for her Brunch with Betty segment, which is published in Weekend Notes. 

They enjoyed some of Taikunthi’s most popular dishes and signature charcuterie board, and the relaxed and elegant ambience. 

Taikunthi also hosted a recent media lunch with prominent food, beverage and lifestyle writers and influencers. 

Serving modern Australian cuisine, Taikunthi reflects the spirit of its Kaurna name, which means to “join, unite and partner together’’. 

It’s been developed as an inviting on-campus destination for coffee, meals, and hosting guests, and boasts a carefully curated drinks list. 

It welcomes students, staff, visitors and members of the public from 8am on weekdays, closing at 5pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, 6pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 7pm on Fridays. 

Years in the planning and execution, the Union House Precinct Project has created a destination at North Terrace different to Hub Central and with its own drawcards to encourage our community to come and stay, including the new fitness hub, function spaces and dedicated student lounges.