[COM] Rundle Mall Redevelopment | $30m

[Kasey771]

I was there last Friday. Near the Gawler place canopy, there were quite a few unpaved areas, just black bitumen. Will these areas get paving like the other areas or are the black marks the finished condition?

[monotonehell]

I was there last Friday. Near the Gawler place canopy, there were quite a few unpaved areas, just black bitumen. Will these areas get paving like the other areas or are the black marks the finished condition?

I hope more people don't think this.

The project is only a quarter completed. They've stopped work and patched the incomplete areas with bitumen while the christmas shopping period goes on. Work will recommence in the new year.

[rhino]

I went and had a walk through at lunchtime today, and it gets a big thumbs-up from me - feels airy and spacious, and the drain winding through the middle definitely gets away from the feel that this was once a road (having the two drains where the Rundle St gutters used to be did not allow this - and the slope of the mall's surface to allow water to drain into those two gutters also made it feel like a road that became a mall). The seats at the western end look destined to become a meeting place - hopefully there will be a few more places like that along the length of the mall. The single (1-person) seat outside the Myer Centre did look a little strange though. Also liked the way the pigs were placed to allow a wide thoroughfare through the middle, but still looked natural (as natural as bronze pigs can look in a pedestrian shopping mall). On the whole, well done ACC.

[Pants]

I really like it too. The de-cluttering of the Mall works really well and even though bins, lights and mobile vendors are still to come in, the improvement really hits you once you leave the new section behind at Gawler Place. The finishes of the pavers and furniture are great and allow the facades of the mall buildings to be the stars, which is a welcome change.

A couple of gripes - the light pavers really do get quite dirty. I'm not sure whether they're yet to be sealed, but if they got the most thorough clean possible before Friday's opening, they're not looking great now. There are some random patterns that don't make sense or look good and don't follow the mould of darker colours in the higher traffic areas. Hopefully that's just because they ran out of the right coloured pavers, but I doubt it. I'm not sure the two isolated single seats will get used much. They look odd and I'm not sure people will want to draw that much attention to the fact that they're in the Mall with no mates! If possible, it also would have been good if the bin that one of the pigs is attached to got upgraded to match the bins that will eventually be installed in the Mall or at least something more contemporary. I understand if they wanted to differentiate the pig's bin to stop people throwing rubbish at it, but the green is a throw-back to a Mall appearance that we'll no doubt want to leave behind.

[Kasey771]

I was there last Friday. Near the Gawler place canopy, there were quite a few unpaved areas, just black bitumen. Will these areas get paving like the other areas or are the black marks the finished condition?

I hope more people don't think this.

The project is only a quarter completed. They've stopped work and patched the incomplete areas with bitumen while the christmas shopping period goes on. Work will recommence in the new year.

HaHa.Of course. I did say when I saw it, that it looked like a placeholder solution. At least I know better than to just grouse without finding out the truth first.

[jk1237]

I really like it too. The de-cluttering of the Mall works really well and even though bins, lights and mobile vendors are still to come in, the improvement really hits you once you leave the new section behind at Gawler Place. The finishes of the pavers and furniture are great and allow the facades of the mall buildings to be the stars, which is a welcome change.

A couple of gripes - the light pavers really do get quite dirty. I'm not sure whether they're yet to be sealed, but if they got the most thorough clean possible before Friday's opening, they're not looking great now. There are some random patterns that don't make sense or look good and don't follow the mould of darker colours in the higher traffic areas. Hopefully that's just because they ran out of the right coloured pavers, but I doubt it. I'm not sure the two isolated single seats will get used much. They look odd and I'm not sure people will want to draw that much attention to the fact that they're in the Mall with no mates! If possible, it also would have been good if the bin that one of the pigs is attached to got upgraded to match the bins that will eventually be installed in the Mall or at least something more contemporary. I understand if they wanted to differentiate the pig's bin to stop people throwing rubbish at it, but the green is a throw-back to a Mall appearance that we'll no doubt want to leave behind.

There are still many heavy trucks driving down the new section every night doing work at the Myer Centre, that are making the new pavers look dirty when they keep driving over them. If we can ever finish it, then hopefully they will give this section a final clean and it should look pretty schmick. There are also a few spots that they didn't quite finish so they have filled in with bitumen. Other than that it looks good, just a shame that we have to wait over a year for the rest to be done

[vozdra]

The various stages and overall plan is available in this document.

http://www.rundlemallmasterplan.com/bm. ... e_maps.pdf

[SRW]

I really like it too. The de-cluttering of the Mall works really well and even though bins, lights and mobile vendors are still to come in, the improvement really hits you once you leave the new section behind at Gawler Place. The finishes of the pavers and furniture are great and allow the facades of the mall buildings to be the stars, which is a welcome change.

A couple of gripes - the light pavers really do get quite dirty. I'm not sure whether they're yet to be sealed, but if they got the most thorough clean possible before Friday's opening, they're not looking great now. There are some random patterns that don't make sense or look good and don't follow the mould of darker colours in the higher traffic areas. Hopefully that's just because they ran out of the right coloured pavers, but I doubt it. I'm not sure the two isolated single seats will get used much. They look odd and I'm not sure people will want to draw that much attention to the fact that they're in the Mall with no mates! If possible, it also would have been good if the bin that one of the pigs is attached to got upgraded to match the bins that will eventually be installed in the Mall or at least something more contemporary. I understand if they wanted to differentiate the pig's bin to stop people throwing rubbish at it, but the green is a throw-back to a Mall appearance that we'll no doubt want to leave behind.

There are still many heavy trucks driving down the new section every night doing work at the Myer Centre, that are making the new pavers look dirty when they keep driving over them. If we can ever finish it, then hopefully they will give this section a final clean and it should look pretty schmick. There are also a few spots that they didn't quite finish so they have filled in with bitumen. Other than that it looks good, just a shame that we have to wait over a year for the rest to be done

I suspect that we need to allow time for the pavers to settle in and weather a bit. They look very similar to the ones along North Terrace and those have held up fairly well over the years.

Just on the upgrade, I also find the new openness of the Mall quite pleasant as well as the raised seating area, but it's going to look much better once those (surprisingly juvenile) Chinese elms mature. And though not part of the upgrade itself, I can't help but say how much better the mall entrance looks just from a spruced-up Charlesworth Nuts on the corner. It'd be great to see (as someone here once mentioned) the neons on the old Haigh's sign repaired to make a real impact by night.

[stronic]

Loving the openness.

[cruel_world00]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 6760069188


If I read that story correctly, Theo Maras is stepping down from his position at Rundle Mall Management to have a lot of sex.

[mooshie]

Loving the openness.

Oh those views to the hills!

[Waz]

Loving the openness.

[img]image%20removed[/img]

Oh those views to the hills!

You do realise this shot is towards the beach, not the hills?

[crawf]

You can notice a major difference from walking through the cluttered old section to the new wide open area. You called say the old stagnant Adelaide vs the new Adelaide. It's a big improvement, and a perfect setup now for foodtrucks to hit the mall and increase the night time economy. Though I still feel that one or two permanent buildings should still be built in the mall, eg information centre or restaurant/bar.

However like others I'm concerned about these new pavers. They look quite dirty, please don't tell me that is the finished look? :/

As for the idea of having pop-up kiosks in the middle, well it sounds like another example of letting inexperienced or ill-connected people come up with ideas. They may sound "cool", but any sane person knows instantly they are just bad ideas! Common sense is not very common these days it would appear!!!

I suggest you go to the next Fork On The Road then. I went for the first time on the weekend, and I gotta say some of these food vans produce top quality meals that put well established businesses to shame. It's great that Adelaide is leading the nation in the food truck revolution.

[monotonehell]

As for the idea of having pop-up kiosks in the middle, well it sounds like another example of letting inexperienced or ill-connected people come up with ideas. They may sound "cool", but any sane person knows instantly they are just bad ideas! Common sense is not very common these days it would appear!!!

I suggest you go to the next Fork On The Road then. I went for the first time on the weekend, and I gotta say some of these food vans produce top quality meals that put well established businesses to shame. It's great that Adelaide is leading the nation in the food truck revolution.

^ This. I've been to a few 'Fork in the Road's, really great popups, aside from the great food, they usually involve bands and other entertainment.

I (hurriedly) walk through the Mall on the way (late) to work each morning, so I've seen the progress over these past months.

I'm impressed with the openness. Not sure about the street furniture, especially the large bench thing near Charlesworth's. It just looks like it's not supposed to be there. I'm hoping that there's more landscaping to come to soften the edges? The individual seats are weird, just placed in the middle of the area, at a good trip height for all those morons who look at their mobiles instead of where they are walking.

The pavers still concern me. This morning they were filthy. Most pavements are filthy, but this light grey really shows the filth. Looks like they will need a good scrubbing, and continual pre-AM maintenance.

As an aside, The Myer Centre's new façade looks nice. Their internal fittings are looking good, marble flooring, wooden highlights on the bridges above, metal trim on the escalators, which matches the new façade treatment above the entries. It almost all ties together, except the foodcourt is skitz, I think (hope) they are not finished there though.

[[Shuz]]

Comments on the upgrade:

Weren't they supposed to install cantenary lighting across the Mall?

I think the big seat thing near Charlesworths is a little oversized. They should get rid of the 'third' step and reduce the height of the structure, at least - fill the hole with one of Chinese Elms?

Love the way the Myer upgrade is coming along at street level - it is vastly better than what it used to be. However, don't look up. The contrast between the old and new facades makes your eyes bleed. I don't think the food court is finished - the ceilings are different in places - I think they've opted for the black aluminum triangular / diagonal bracing looking thing, it kind of reminds me of 'The Basement' in Myer Melbourne.

Agree that the rubbish bin associated with the pigs need to be replaced with a more contemporary looking bin. The 'old' style doesn't match the rest of the new mall.

Otherwise, love how it looks. Can't wait for the whole thing to be done. Will be interesting to see how it looks, particularly the stretch between Apple / Adelaide Arcade fountain / Malls Balls area, which is the hotspot of the Mall...

I've heard nothing but praise and excitement from my friends about the new Mall. For once, I've only heard positive comments - not negative.