Your Favourite High-rise Building in Adelaide

[iTouch]

My favourite building is the Grenfell Centre. 70's International at its best, the black glass is ever so moody and pretty.

+1

The black glass was definitely moody - the panels had a habit of exploding without warning, which was why there was a mesh above the entrance for many years.

bahahahaa are you serious? So you could say, Grenfell Centre has a high temper and Telstra House just plain shit's all over us

[Isiskii]

+1 for the scoreboard.

[Mants]

To be completely honest, I don't really have one.

[stumpjumper]

I agree with jk1237. Wakefield House is a very good example of its type, with a tower set back above a podium. The vertical ribs of fine exposed aggregate don't show grime or create ugly stains from runoff like some horizontal articulation does. The design is unobtrusive but elegant, and doesn't detract from the detailing of the older buildings around it.

Xaragmata may not be aware that Allegra Rendevous, notable for its bold treatment, used to be a very ordinary-looking 70s building until it was 'resurfaced'. A great job, and another of my favourites.

I don't think you can leave out the former Bank of New South Wales (later Westpac) building on the SE corner of King William St and North Tce. The asymmetrical design, by the young Jack McConnell, was inspired by the Dutch Modernist architect Willem Dudok. It was cutting edge design at the time it was built, and the grey Waikerie sandstone suits it perfectly. The huge bronze front door slides up from the basement - a minor treat to watch at closing time, if you like that sort of thing.



Another ripper is the Savings Bank of SA building, looking like an old-fashioned radiogram on the west side of King Willam St, built in high Modernist style during WWII. It's worth looking at the detailing, including the patterned stone and the lettering carved into the polished granite.



The last two aren't tall by todays standards, but were giants in their day. By contrast, the former T & G Insurance building on the SE corner of King William St and Grenfell St is a fairly ordinary example of Italianate design applied to a tall building. It was in fact Adel;aide's tallest building for years after it was built in the 1920s.

[Will]

My favourite high-rise building in Adelaide is the Reserve Bank Building, however I have always liked Statewide House at 99 Gawler Place. Completed almost 30 years ago, it still looks very fresh and contemporary.

[Xaragmata]

Xaragmata may not be aware that Allegra Rendevous, notable for its bold treatment, used to be a very ordinary-looking 70s building until it was 'resurfaced'. A great job, and another of my favourites.

I saw it built as Adelaide House, at about the same time as the beautiful Waymouth Exchange. The podium facade was graced with concrete "art" that looked like a collection of boobs.. incomparably better as the Allegra!

Another I like is Hender Consulting in Flinders Street -

[iTouch]

My favourite high-rise building in Adelaide is the Reserve Bank Building, however I have always liked Statewide House at 99 Gawler Place. Completed almost 30 years ago, it still looks very fresh and contemporary.

That was built 30 years ago? Wow thats amazing

[crawf]

I actually thought that was built last decade

[stumpjumper]

I think the Statewide building was built as the Mutual Hospital fund's headquarters. It used to have a very pleasant cafe for tenants, on the upper level. When I used to wear a suit it was a good spot to sneak into and have lunch.

Great photo by the way. I'm saving up for a 'perspective control' lens to take pictures of buildings without 'keyhole distortion' - the way buildings appear to slope backwards and narrow towards the top if taken from the ground with a straight through lens.

The idea was something like the cafe on top of the low-rise McMahon Holdings building on Greenhill Road - a white marble and black glass two level building set back with a sort of alien planet looking garden of clipped, rounded bushes in front. There was a half court tennis court up there too, with changing facilities, as well as artificial grass and deck chairs. I don't know if such lavish facilities have survived the tighter working conditions of the new century.

There are some little gems around. 'Small but perfectly formed' buildings in stone or brick, only a few levels high. Unfortunately their lack of height and the height potential of their sites is what has seen off a lot of them. It's an indication of the historically low demand for space in the CBD, and the relatively large size of the CBD that has preserved those we still have.

The Reserve Bank building, by the way, is not just good looking in its 60s way, but is superbly built. I think we've discussed that building before here, but it has bronze ties between the leaves of the walls (galv wire might rust...) and a refrigerated drinking water system that runs through the entire building. Built for longevity rather than low cost, and a bargain for its present owner in that sense.

[Mants]

My favourite high-rise building in Adelaide is the Reserve Bank Building, however I have always liked Statewide House at 99 Gawler Place. Completed almost 30 years ago, it still looks very fresh and contemporary.

actually, i take back what i said before. this building has aged very well. it really puts a lot of our more 'modern' buildings to shame

[Will]

My favourite high-rise building in Adelaide is the Reserve Bank Building, however I have always liked Statewide House at 99 Gawler Place. Completed almost 30 years ago, it still looks very fresh and contemporary.

That was built 30 years ago? Wow thats amazing

Yes, it sure was. It was built between 1982-84. The architects were Woods Bagot.

[stumpjumper]

Yeah, it's too bad it's sort of hidden away in its side street.

[stumpjumper]

If we're looking at smaller buildings, there's a Telstra building on Flinders St. I think it's Woods Bagot too.



It's nicely articulated with a good mix of vertical and horizontal, and solid and glazed. It's a sort of disciplined untidiness. There's a British architect, James Stirling, whose work is a bit like this. The rear is good too - with a curved screen to cover some big pipes. Sorry about the Google Earth images.

[skyliner]

My fav would be the KPMG bldg on Grenfell st - different, classic, balanced. Good on aesthetics. Also the I think) MLC bldg on the SW corner of KWS st and Rundle ST. Wave is up ther too.

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

[ac83]

Interesting fact about the Telstra building in Flinders St. There are 6 chimneys at the back of the building for the generators however only 5 chimneys could ever be operational. Apparently the designer wanted balance so in went the 6th chimney. A bit like the titanic where the 4th funnel wasn't operational. I think that building was built around 94 - 95 and incoporated an earth quake proof wall within the footings. Very advanced for its time in Adelaide!