News & Discussion: Height Limits

[Ho Really]

...I think our tallest building is one of the ugliest buildings we have! Someone has to fix the exterior of that brown piece of poo. A hideous eyesore!

In those days when it was built it wasn't an eyesore. Designs change with the times.

Cheers

[Rob5089]

In those days when it was built it wasn't an eyesore. Designs change with the times.Cheers

The unfortunate thing about the buildings in Adelaide is that they were built in an era where modern design wasn't so nice with modern engineering practices at the time. So a lot of the buildings are made of of ugly concrete slabs that don't have any artistic flare at all. The only buildings that look nice are the old Victorian style ones and the new buildings being built today.

I'm just wondering if it's possible to attach a new metallic cover on the building? I see they have done it to one on the buildings on King William street to spruce it up, and it looks good!

[Ben]

Hopefully this works:

The map of Airport Height limits. Any building that is proposed beyond these hieghts needs approval by the airport. All Heights are in AHD so minus 44m for actual height.

[Shuz]

Haha. Look at thier height limits for North Adelaide. I can't wait to hear the NIMBYS scream. Mind you, I think it would look rather impressive having a 'second' skyline strip run down Melbourne Street district. With a gentle cluster of <150m skyscrapers it would compliment the existing CBD comparable to North Sydney's skyline. Yes, I understand population differences and supply & demand affect such visions, but one can dream.

[AtD]

Note that Westpac House, at 135m, violates those high limits.

[jimmy_2486]

lol i think half of the cbds buildings violate the height limits...

[Will]

I was having a read of the Advertiser from Wednesday January 30, 2008 and I found this interesting article, which has escaped us. Very dissapointing news indeed.

Limit stays on city buildings

Callie Watson

The Adelaide City Council has been accused of having a 'small-minded mentality' for rejecting a proposal to increase the height of CBD building. Councillor Stephen Yarwood's motion to change the City of Adelaide Development Plan's maximum building height by up to five storeys was rejected four votes to seven at last night's meeting. Property Council SA executive director Nathan Paine said the result was 'dissapointing', and "South Australia is predicted to have very strong growth in the future, it would be dissapointing if a small-minded mentallity means we miss out on fully capitalising," he said. "Obviously at a fundamental level it needs to be looked at strongly, but there needs to be support there to start with." The SA president of the Urban Development Institute of Australia, AV Jennings general manager Peter Jackson, said heights were being "unnecessarily restricted." Mr Yarwood suggested increasing the height of buildings in "strategic locations" including near city parklands and squares. "I'd like to see it happen through the city's corridor, along the new tram line." he said. The city's highest building, Westpac House, has 31 storeys. Urban Construct chief executive Todd Brown said the company was supportive of any height increases for developments. "We're very supportive...however this needs to be within reason, with the objective of achieving the best urban design outcome," he said. Councillor Ralph Clarke warned: "If we're not careful, in our rush to reduce greenhouse gases, we may create ghettoes and windfall profits for developers." Changes to the City of Adelaide Development Plan were last made in January 2006. Councillor Richard Hayward said the process was a "long and costly one". "We've just completed a very extensive amendment to the plan, which took years, and to have too many reviews on the go at once can be difficult,: he said. In a second motion, passed with an ammendment, Mr Yarwood secured a minimum green-star rating mandatory for all new city development. The issue will now be considered as part of the council's Development Plan review.

[Howie]

Yes I think Paul Pruzinski was saying the motion was moved last week to increase limits but was beaten. That's very unfortunate, and I'd like to see the case Yarwood made about it. How it couldn't be worked into the recently modified development plan is beyond me.

[skyliner]

OK guys, It's not ALL gloom and doom. If you look at the last 20 years we have crept up from the black stump (24 floors) another 7 floors and stalled there since about 1988. So another 20 will give us 7 above Westpac!. Just think of that!! (VERY scary - what sort of battle will that entail)?

But seriously, like Howie, I cannot work out what the REAL issue is - I am convinced it is not ALL the airport's fault after reading extensively on this site and in property development mags. It is just inexplicable!

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

[wilkiebarkid]

This is exactly why the ACC must be removed, and the control over development in the CBD be handed to the State Government. The ACC is still pandering to a small number of voters who reside within the terraces. I have said in another thread that we will come to regret building townhouses in the City because when we need to build up in the future the residents of those low-rise developments will complain about shadowing and noise and traffic etc etc etc. The ACC is embarassing.

[wilkiebarkid]

OK guys, It's not ALL gloom and doom. If you look at the last 20 years we have crept up from the black stump (24 floors) another 6 floors and stalled there since about 1988. So another 20 will give us 6 above Westpac!. Just think of that!! (VERY scary - what sort of battle will that entail)?

But seriously, like Howie, I cannot work out what the REAL issue is - I am convinced it is not ALL the airport's fault after reading extensively on this site and in property development mags. It is just inexplicable!

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

Hey skyliner, not sure how old you are, but I don't want to wait another 20 years to see a 37 story building. The southern end of KWS should have its height restrictions lifted otherwise we are gonna have a row of 15 story buildings south of Victoria Squabble!

[skyliner]

I'm old enough to have seen all this. I was only being sarcastic - I too don't want to wait another 20 years - how much annoyance would there be then? Unacceptable thought.

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

[Will]

When will the ACC comprehend that it is in charge of the CBD of a capital city of 1 million + residents and not of a quaint village? If such embarrassing decisions continue to be made, the case for the removal of the ACC will forever continue to get louder and louder.

[Shuz]

Maybe a petition from the community might help in forwarding action on this issue?

[Howie]

Perhaps taking a play out of the APPA book would work, if residents in the CBD sent letters to the councillors regarding this issue they'd probably take note.