News & Discussion: Other Metropolitan Developments

[kenget]

We waited four years for that?

Would you prefer it stay half built?

[Prince George]

So much of this place is boring, but the northern aspect - where the apartments get a fine view of the carpark next door - is for me the coup de grace. The idea that these will be sold as "luxury" apartments has me shaking my head; do people really think like "as long as the fittings in the bathroom are good, I'll just keep the curtains drawn on that view"?

[Prince George]

Last week I had to run a couple of errands that took me out of my usual parts of town. While I was going through some side-streets in Hilton, I chanced on an urban infill project that looked interesting and could have some useful lessons for similar projects, such as the one in Woodville.

The project was happening within this block, bounded by Davenport Tce, Milner Rd, Frederick St, and Martin Ave. You can see that the block contains several "half-houses", and as you might expect they're red-brick dating probably from the 40s. These are being retained and new townhouses were being built in the spaces between them, filling the broad side-yards. The result is going to be a combination of old and new, and where the half-houses are single-storey, the townhouses are two. My impression (based on not much more than riding past the place, mind you) is that retaining the combination both knits the new into the existing suburb, and provides some variety along the street that will help keep the whole feeling more natural and congenial. These are all simple houses, none are going to feature in any design magazine, but I think the whole will prove to be more than the sum of its parts.

On the south side of the block, they've cleared an area to build a row of terraced houses. Google shows the five two-storey and three three-storey houses, and a set of footings for what looks like a further set of five two-storey; a total of 13 dwellings on what probably held four (two half-houses). You can also see that they've built an access lane, to provide parking (and probably services like rubbish collection) at the rear of the houses. As a result, they have street frontages that look like people live there, with doors, windows, and front stoops lining the street. It's hard to tell from these images (and from that quick ride-around), but I feel like these have a chance of having good solar access and catching breezes. That said, it'd be good to see some south-facing windows at the top storey of the taller ones (for through-breezes), and I'd have liked to see them set even further forward on their blocks, with larger north-facing back yards to catch the sun.

I went searching for information about this and haven't turned up anything concrete, but I did find some clues that suggests this was built by the foundation Adelaide Workmen's Homes, a trust founded in 1898 as part of Thomas Elder's will "to benefit workmen by providing them with suitable dwellings at a reasonable rental".

On the other hand, by way of contrast, look at these miserable examples, just a few hundred metres away in Mile End. I can only imagine that these ghastly things must be narrow, dark, and airless, with little chance of enjoying the sun's warmth on a clear day in winter (no north-facing windows!), or catching a breeze from a cool-change in summer. Artificial lighting, cooling, and heating would be needed all day every day. Switch to street view to drink in their frontages; all driveway and carport, with the door hidden almost out of sight. This sort of rubbish gives densification a bad name. There is a certain irony there in that I can imagine that some of the aspects of this were compelled by regulations made to "preserve neighbourhood character" (such as our allergy to anything over a single storey). It always makes me laugh to see such patently ugly street killers provided with "heritage details" like stone-veneer fronts, miniature bull-nose verandahs, and finials. Honestly, they might as well build these things out of besser blocks if the design is going to be so poor anyway.

[AtD]

Nice post. In defence of those Mile End homes, they do at least have light wells. I also suspect their design is entirely due to planning requirements.

BTW, the industry jargon for "half houses" is duplex or semi-detached houses.

[SRW]

I went searching for information about this and haven't turned up anything concrete, but I did find some clues that suggests this was built by the foundation Adelaide Workmen's Homes, a trust founded in 1898 as part of Thomas Elder's will "to benefit workmen by providing them with suitable dwellings at a reasonable rental".

How fascinating! I wonder how many other little foundations there are about the place doing similar work, and whether they're all legacies of our old families or the work of more recent civic philanthropy -- though that does, unfortunately, seem a rare thing about town these days.

[Xaragmata]

There was a bit of controversy when the plan to redevelop the Workmen's Cottages was announced - I remembered it as being about 2 years ago, but
apparently my memory is flaky and it was in 2000:

Cottages plan aims for May start [article]
by Newton, Charmaine
Adelaide : Weekly Times, 2000

http://tiny.cc/u30uv

Update in Messenger digital edition from last year:

http://digitaledition.wktmessenger.com. ... age0000007

[Omicron]

A mix of old and new is always nice. To be perfectly honest, as long as a street is looked after by its residents and they take a bit of pride in their homes, you can have a street of 2010 ultra-moderns standing shoulder-to-shoulder with 1890s cottages and have the whole thing look fantastic.

On a side note, I've always found Google Earth to be a bit misleading in these matters - it's surprising how unrealistic much of Street View is when you're familiar with a given street in person. Don't get me wrong, of course - it's a fantastic resource and an easy way to waste an hour or two, but nothing will ever replace being there and seeing it for yourself.

[stumpjumper]

I did a bit of work once on the Cottage Homes charitable trust and its housing - they specialised in terrace houses for retired people (one's old butler or maid, for example, back in the days before pensions). A good example are the 'alms houses' in Kingston Tce/Stanley St North Adelaide.

By contrast, the Workmen's Homes were intended for, obviously, working men with families who therefore needed larger homes with space.

Those were the days, when your lower socio-economic guy could find himself and family in a decent house near the city on an 800sqm allotment!

[Xaragmata]

Update on the two office buildings & conversion of church to offices at 153 to 159 Port Rd (by Hindmarsh Library)

[Wayno]

Proposed use of Brighton Minda Inc property for 144 commercial apartments & retirement villas ==> http://www.holdfast.sa.gov.au/webdata/r ... _04_10.pdf

Also below is a related AdelaideNow article:

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 5861764298

ENVIRONMENTALISTS claim plans for 144 commercial beachside apartments on Minda Incorporated's Brighton campus will devastate one of Adelaide's most important natural dune systems.

The Brighton retirement apartments are included in a $200 million plan that also features 69 retirement villas.

The housing would be rented to the public to raise about $5 million in revenue a year.

But environmentalists and the local council have criticised the plan and claim the seafront building site will lead to the destruction of one of Adelaide's most unique dune systems.

The revenue obtained would be reinvested in new facilities and improved care for intellectually disabled people in its care.

Minda deputy chief executive Robert Cairney said the organisation would adhere to heritage regulations and review community objections before drawing up final plans.

"We will seek to accommodate the needs of all the people that live around us while, at the same time, accommodating the needs of those that we must provide care for - the residents of Minda," he told The Advertiser yesterday.

Mr Cairney refused to rule out seeking Major Project status from the State Government, a move that would take development approval out of the hands of the local council.

"There's a number of opportunities on how we get approval for building," he said.

Holdfast Bay Mayor Ken Rollond said he supported many elements of the masterplan, including care facilities and open space, but demanded the dunes be protected.

He said the council had written a "long, detailed letter" to Minda outlining its position.

"Our major concern is the secondary dunes . . . which we feel have significant features in terms of the biodiversity," he said.

"In general, the further you can build back from the beach the better. Building close to the beach is, in general, a disaster."

Australian Coastal Society SA spokeswoman Claire Lock said the dunes were home to unique plants and regularly studied by ecologists.

"The Minda dunes are one of the last examples of the original dune system that once stretched along the Adelaide coast," she said.

"The secondary line of dunes contains numerous plant species of conservation significance which cannot be replicated. The site is irreplaceable."

She rejected suggestions the dunes would be protected under the plan.

"Only the most seaward, foredune will not be built upon and this will rapidly degrade once 144 apartments are built just metres away," she said.

"The proposed development . . . constitutes worst environmental practice."

A spokesman for Planning and Urban Development Minister Paul Holloway said no formal request for Major Project status had been lodged.

[Will]

From the messenger:

Norwood water tower on the market

newsReal Estate04 May 10 @ 09:20am by Alice Higgins




FOR SALE: Real estate agent Anthony Vella in front of the Norwood water tower.



NORWOOD’S landmark water tower is for sale at $3.2 million, possibly to be turned into a boutique hotel or more apartments with 360 degree views across Adelaide.

Vella Real Estate principal Anthony Vella, who is selling the tower, said it had attracted a lot of interest locally and from interstate developers.

“There’s opportunities to take it to a new level,” he said.

“Someone from interstate was interested in turning it into a boutique hotel; someone else was interested in redeveloping it into a restaurant or cafe with apartments below it; and one guy in particular was interested in keeping it as an investment property.

“I’ve even had someone looking at buying the property to build display homes.”

Built about 60 years ago, the 36m tower on The Parade was sold by the Engineering and Water Supply Department (E&WS;) now SA Water to Coombs & Barei Constructions in 1988.

For the past decade, three floors of the tower have been used as residential apartments while the rest has remained vacant. Mr Vella said the redevelopment could also feature an external glass lift.

“The uniqueness of the property, its most valuable aspect, is that you can have an apartment block in Norwood in the heart of The Parade,” he said.

“It’s something you can’t find everyday.

“Even going to level two, the views are absolutely spectacular you get 360 degree views walking around the building.”

[Prince George]

I'd love to see that tower get reused. When we lived at Glanville, I fantasized about living in the old water tower at Semaphore, which I believe is now a house. I had no idea that this tower already had three levels of apartments.

[jk1237]

I thought that one at Norwood had already been converted into a house, but I may be thinking of the one at Glenside

[Wayno]

Just a small one.

Springbank Rd is currently being widened by reclaiming some of the WIDE southern side footpath for off street car parking. Fingers crossed - hope they manage to run 2 x 2 lanes the entire length of the road.

[rhino]

Just a small one.

Springbank Rd is currently being widened by reclaiming some of the WIDE southern side footpath for off street car parking. Fingers crossed - hope they manage to run 2 x 2 lanes the entire length of the road.

I hope they manage to swing the western end south and align it with Daws Road.