[COM] Victoria Square Upgrade - $24m

[skyliner]

If the council does not have the funds to do this properly they should not do anything at all. A mediocre outcome is not a suitable solution.

I concur - as inferred in my last post.

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

[Matt]

From Cr Plumridge's latest newsletter:

"Council also selected consultant Design Team to prepare the all-important master plan
for the regeneration of Victoria Square. Out of 4 excellent submissions a final selection
was made, the team comprises internationally and locally acclaimed contributors who
bring a wide and diverse range of skills to this exciting project. It is hoped that the name
of the winning team will be announced by the end of this week."

[frank1]

In this years ACC budget it said the total for this project was for 13m with around 2m this year. Seems like it will be a small master plan

[Brando]

An article in the last page of todays paper, page 71.
The article is from football writer Michelangelo Rucci. I cannot find anything on Adelaidenow, so i have written the article word for word. No renders, just a photoshop mock up of a Gridiron oval 'looming' over Vic Sq.

STADIUM - MARK III

Plans for a new stadium in Adelaide just keep emerging. Wayville, Victoria Park, and now the much maligned Victoria Square.
A leading architect, who has followed the long running debate on how to make better public use of Victoria Square, has come up with a diamond stadium to put on top of the city piazza.
Traffic - including the tram - will continue to flow under and around the 45,000 seat stadium which will have a novel glass roof.
It will be called Victoria Square Gardens.
The benefits are extraordinary. Finally, all that work in the north-west corner of the suare to establish a dining and cafe precinct will have purpose.

[Cruise]

Rucci was obviously taking the piss with that article.

[Ben]

Council is pledging $24M over 5 years and seeking additional funding from state and federal governements so hopefully we will get something of significance!

Victoria Square Design Team Announced

15 May 2009

Adelaide City Council has announced the winning design team for the re-development of Victoria Square/Tarndanyangga, one of the most important public space projects in Adelaide’s history.

Taylor Cullity Lethlean with Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and QED have been appointed as the Consultant Design Team that will prepare the Masterplan for the re-development, named the Victoria Square/Tarndanyangga Urban Regeneration Project.

Lord Mayor Michael Harbison congratulated the winning design team awarded the task that will re-energise and invigorate the heart of the City.

“Council has established a bold vision and inspirational guiding principles for the Square’s regeneration which arose out of last year’s Community Ideas Competition for Victoria Square” he said.

“As Adelaide’s centre stage, the Square will provide a dynamic focal point for the community and a space in which to celebrate the unique South Australian culture and identity.”

“Principal Consultant, Taylor Cullity Lethlean is an internationally recognised landscape architecture firm based in Adelaide. They are the designers for the recent upgrade to North Terrace and have vast experience and accolades in urban and cultural design.”

Taylor Cullity Lethlean and Tonkin Zuleikha Greer Architects are established collaborators, having partnered on numerous projects. They won an international competition to design the Canberra National Arboretum and Gardens and have recently completed Melbourne’s Craigieburn bypass.

Taylor Cullity Lethlean’s design credits include Melbourne’s Birrarung Marr, the Sydney Uni Darlington Campus and the Geelong Waterfront. Tonkin Zulaikha Greer’s include Sydney’s Homebush Bay and the Australian War Memorial in London’s Hyde Park.

Consultant Team Leader, Kevin Taylor of Taylor Cullity Lethlean said the design team is excited to be working on the masterplan that will transform Victoria Square into a space which is accessible, enjoyable and people-focused.

“We aim to create a new benchmark for public spaces worldwide and to fulfill Council’s vision for the Square to be a vibrant and internationally recognised public space that is symbolic of South Australia’s unique culture and lifestyle.”

A draft masterplan design, founded on Council's vision and guiding principles for Victoria Square/Tarndanyangga, will be available for public consultation in August 2009. Site works are scheduled to commence in July 2010.

Council has already committed $24m over the next five years to support the project and will be seeking Federal Government funding support and exploring private partnership funding opportunities to deliver the project.

“The design team is now in place to prepare the masterplan that will ensure the realisation of a fun, vibrant and lively square precinct for the enjoyment of all South Australians,” Lord Mayor Michael Harbison said.

Victoria Square/Tarndanyangga Design Team Core Members:

Kevin Taylor - Team Leader (Adelaide) Taylor Cullity Lethlean

Peter Tonkin - Architecture, Urban Design (Sydney) Tonkin Zuhar Greer

Perry Lethlean - Urban Design, Landscape Architecture (Melbourne) Taylor Cullity Lethlean

Kate Cullity - Public Art Strategy, Planting Design (Adelaide) Taylor Cullity Lethlean

Richard Hanslip - Movement Planning (Adelaide) QED

[AtD]

Five years? Does that mean we'll be stuck with a giant mud pit in the mean time?

[SRW]

I had wondered if Taylor Cullity Lethlean would come to play. They did a great job with North Terrace, although the design is compromised by the continuing traffic problems and legacy of poor planning on the southern side. Hopefully Council (and the State Government) are prepared to take a 'holistic approach' with regard to Victoria Square and not settle for simply a beautification project. A complete reconceptualizing of the space is required.

And I dearly hope that "internationally recognised public space" is not the latest in a line of a overly-ambitious catchphrases...

[Mants]

Five years? Does that mean we'll be stuck with a giant mud pit in the mean time?

judging by the public works that the ACC have done recently (ie North Terrace) i'd say we're up for about 10years of mud pit.

[SRW]

Another article but with a few new quotes:

Vic Square facelift a step closer
ABC News Online, 15 May 2009

The Adelaide City Council has made another move towards redeveloping Victoria Square.

The Council has appointed the design firm Taylor Cullity Lethlean and Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects to design a plan for public consultation in August.

The Council has committed $24 million to the project over the next five years but will also seek support from the State and Federal Governments and the private sector.

Kevin Taylor from Taylor Cullity Lethlean says his firm is free to create its own design concept but has been given some guidelines by the Council.

"They're basically looking for a much better balance between pedestrians and vehicles, much better access to the internals of the square and I think really importantly a mix of activities that really draw people into the square," he said.

Adelaide City Councillor Ralph Clark says after several failed attempts, he believes this plan will be followed through to completion.

"I have every confidence that in fact we will see progress made on Victoria Square on this occasion," he said.

"I think the team that the Council's selected is just the right team to come up with a design that will excite the populous, where there'll be a demand in fact that we carry out the final design."

That reminds me, these guidelines given to TCL -- are they the same as those principles contained within the ACC's Vision and Guiding Principles document or are they of a more refined set?

[monotonehell]

Five years? Does that mean we'll be stuck with a giant mud pit in the mean time?

judging by the public works that the ACC have done recently (ie North Terrace) i'd say we're up for about 10years of mud pit.

In hindsight, that's a bit unfair. Turned out that while we were all complaining that they were taking so long, they'd pretty much finished, but left the site covered until the work on the Brookman Building was completed so it would not get damaged. When the building was complete, the covers came off the pavement within a few of weeks. It was done by Xmas as the council had promised, but we all didn't want to hold our collective cynical breaths.

[david]

In response to SRW, the Guiding Principles in the Council document he cites are the ones given to the Design Team as far as I know.
David
(Adelaide City Councillor)

[Howie]

Came across this design for Vic Square... looked quite interesting.

[Wayno]

Came across this design for Vic Square... looked quite interesting.

howie, what's your source?

[Howie]

Overseas architect firm.