[COM] Victoria Square Upgrade - $24m

[Wayno]

Screens (in my opinion) are wrong wrong wrong for Vic Square unless they are temporary and installed for specific events only. Permanent screens should be erected at the "reinvigorated " Festival Theatre. I really think we are trying too hard to create multiple fancy entertainment districts - and remember, the more you build the more it costs to maintain...

I sincerely hope i'm wrong, but i can't see Vic Square ever being a year-round destination for locals - and it will probably only ever warrant a 30-60 minute stopover for tourists so we should budget accordingly.

[AtD]

I agree with the sentiment, it's far too little. The proposal still leaves us with a square that's broken up by traffic. Still, I'd like to see some greater detail before dismissing the idea totally.

[Bulldozer]

Put up a few huge screens and maybe it'll work better than huge empty lawn space. Maintenance would be significantly higher in order to keep the lawn green and trees healthy, coupled with water restrictions is not beneficial at all.

What is it with big screens? I think that would be quite a crass thing to do, as if we aren't bombarded with advertisements and stuff enough already.

Lawns also don't have to use much water at all. Modern varieties are very thrifty with water and sub-surface irrigation is extremely efficient. With soil conditioning and moisture sensing you further cut water usage. Water usage will be even less of an issue once the pipeline from the Glenelg sewage plant is built.

That being said, the plan presented in the article deserves a brick bat.

[Cruise]

Concrete lawn, all problems solved

[Zender]

this is a complete f@rkn joke. they had a state-wide competition and this is what they can come up with! a $40m landscaping. The only way to have a completely open and 'traffic free' park is to tunnel Grote street. I hope the Hilton takes em to town if this goes ahead.
And if u want people there, build a frikin tower or something half amusing.

[monotonehell]

Concrete lawn, all problems solved

*imagines that Cruise is Italian*

this is a complete f@rkn joke. they had a state-wide competition and this is what they can come up with! a $40m landscaping. The only way to have a completely open and 'traffic free' park is to tunnel Grote street. I hope the Hilton takes em to town if this goes ahead.
And if u want people there, build a frikin tower or something half amusing.

I'm not convinced a tower is the answer, sounds ostentatious and crass. Tunnelling both intersections under would be great, but the cost would be prohibitive. It would be cheaper to develop a time machine and tell Light to not run the streets around the squares.

I'd like to see the other options as well. That can't possibly be the best option. It's basically what we have now.

[Will]

I actually remember going into the Sir Samuel Way building back when we were learning about the legal system of Australia in primary school. The building is actually quite elegant insde. The grand staircase is still in place, but furthermore the central dome is superb. A Queen Victoria Building style shopping centre would work marvellously inside. The state government should seriously think abut selling the building to a developer with the intention of turning it into a shopping complex, with basement foodcourt. This would seriously attract people to Victoria Square!

[AG]

I actually remember going into the Sir Samuel Way building back when we were learning about the legal system of Australia in primary school. The building is actually quite elegant insde. The grand staircase is still in place, but furthermore the central dome is superb. A Queen Victoria Building style shopping centre would work marvellously inside. The state government should seriously think abut selling the building to a developer with the intention of turning it into a shopping complex, with basement foodcourt. This would seriously attract people to Victoria Square!

I suppose if a decision is made to rebuild the Supreme Courts - which are very old and rundown - they could build a large facility to accomodate all of the courts into the one facility and then convert the Sir Samuel Way Building with a connection at the back into the Central Market area.

[monotonehell]

I suppose if a decision is made to rebuild the Supreme Courts - which are very old and rundown - they could build a large facility to accomodate all of the courts into the one facility and then convert the Sir Samuel Way Building with a connection at the back into the Central Market area.

And the irony that it started life as a shop and then returned to one would be delicious.

[Edgar]

I think we have gone out of the topic.

Now back to commenting on the current proposals for the square

[Matt]

Ok, back on topic then...

The current proposal is completely pointless to me.
Millions of dollars to achieve very little.
By re-routing the road and creating a couple of sunken lawns, how is the square suddenly going to attract people?
What do you do when you get there? Bugger all. It will just be another vast and pointless area of nothing.
Surely we have enough of these?

There are 4 other squares that lay virtually idle.
There is an entire ring of parkland around the city.

Can't something interesting and worthwhile be created out of Victoria Square with an actual purpose, instead of yet another park for people to eat their lunch in before returning to work?

Something interesting, controversial, and iconic, that no other city in Australia has?

Let's face it, love or hate Adelaide - apart from a lovely, shiny set of balls, what is actually unique to the city (city - not state) that people from interstate would come all the way here to see?
I can't think of a lot, personally.

[Edgar]

I think by re-routing major public transport system to have a major stopping point in the square is the only way to bring more people in.

we are lucky that the current Tram and a few busses are stopping at the square, if not because of these, we wouldn't see any people at all.

[Ben]

From the ACC:

Council aims to begin Victoria Square revamp in 2010

Released: 01 Apr 2008

The Adelaide City Council will immediately begin planning for a major redevelopment of Victoria Square/Tarndanyangga, with the aim of having construction work begin in 2010.


Last night’s meeting of Council agreed to a timeline to redevelop the Square, commencing with the $20,000 Community Ideas Competition to be conducted from next month to June.


At the same time, Council will host a series of workshops with key stakeholders including the State Government to seek input towards the project’s objectives, scope and possible cost.


Lord Mayor Michael Harbison says a successful redevelopment of Victoria Square needs a structured project management approach.


“The redevelopment of Victoria Square/Tarndanyangga as a world class civic space in the centre of the City has been a topic of discussion in our State for many years, and the new Adelaide City Council is keen to turn the talk into action,” he says.


“To ensure that any redevelopment of the Square is of the highest quality and standard, we need to start work now on putting the right project management structure in place.”


“It’s also essential that partnerships with the State and Federal Governments are forged as soon as possible so there can be clear objectives in terms of the cost of the project and the resources available to successfully complete it.”


“The timeline agreed by Council gives all stakeholders – including the City and broader South Australian communities – ample opportunity to have their say,” says the Lord Mayor.


The timeline would see consultants engaged after the Community Ideas Competition to begin concept designs and a Master Plan for the project, with that work – based on the ideas generated by the competition - to be completed by March 2009.


Consultation on the proposed designs would then begin, with detailed designs to be ready by March 2010. It’s then envisaged that the project would go to tender in April 2010, with construction to begin in July 2010.

[Joely]

Harbison throws the term 'world-class' around a lot these days doesn't he Hopefully they come up with something better this time instead of million dollar trees and pavers

[Ben]

Maybe this can be our next project to lobby for. We should come together and decide what it is we want for the square? eg A new tallest structure (observation deck, purely artistic structure ect) as a centre point for our city....