[REJ] Gawler Chambers Redevelopment | 70m | 16lvls | Office

[AtD]

Very good news that another empty heritage gem of a building may finally find use again. It looks like some very major works on the building though - the rear 1/3 will be demolished and the ground floor looks to be lowered to street level. The ground floor facade also has a lot of work on it, but so far it looks good.

I'm not as optimistic as the rest of you on the tower's appearance though. I'm sceptical the render will match reality given the overuse of lighting effects - will there really be two finishes of glass? I doubt it. I think it'll be a lot blander than it looks.

It'd be awesome if the 199 builting were built along side too!

[metro]

It looks pretty nice, finally something decent right up the front for a change. But i can foresee the height of this being cut in half to about 6 floors and more bare concrete, especially on the northern elevation, being added to replace the glass.

[rhino]

i can foresee .... more bare concrete, especially on the northern elevation, being added to replace the glass.

I don't think so - the Gawler Chambers, I'm assuming, is a heritage listed building, and as such the airspace above it is kinda permanent, so I don't think concrete on that face would get through the approval stage.

[stumpjumper]

I don't think concrete on that face would get through the approval stage.

I think Rhino's right.

It's a pity there isn't more articulation and interest in the glass facade above the old building.

[Will]

I was dissapointed at the render featured in the Advertiser, however life experience has taught me not to take anything included in the Advertiser too seriously, so I was going to wait for more realistic renders.

Thankfully the more realistic renders are much better. I really like the clean and elegant lines of the building. I am also a big fan of the active street frontage of the proposal.

Really looking forward to this one being built. Hopefully a tenant is found.

[SRW]

It looks clean and pleasant enough, and I am glad to see a neglected heritage building find a new use, but I'm not 100% sold on the way (the pod part of it) kind of sits over the building à la 51 Pirie Street. Look forward to more information.

[Reb-L]

This would blend in perfectly with the North Tce environment; Mix of old and new, restrained elegance etc. Hope there'll be more like this for this area.
But the question is, as always in Adelaide, will it ever be built?

[Will]

This would blend in perfectly with the North Tce environment; Mix of old and new, restrained elegance etc. Hope there'll be more like this for this area.
But the question is, as always in Adelaide, will it ever be built?

If you look into other cities you will discover that not every development proposed is built.

[Wayno]

This would blend in perfectly with the North Tce environment; Mix of old and new, restrained elegance etc. Hope there'll be more like this for this area.
But the question is, as always in Adelaide, will it ever be built?

Reb-L, read this ==> only in adelaide

[iTouch]

This would blend in perfectly with the North Tce environment; Mix of old and new, restrained elegance etc. Hope there'll be more like this for this area.
But the question is, as always in Adelaide, will it ever be built?

it probably would be built. Counted the cranes lately? Adelaide's looking up.

[Reb-L]

This would blend in perfectly with the North Tce environment; Mix of old and new, restrained elegance etc. Hope there'll be more like this for this area.
But the question is, as always in Adelaide, will it ever be built?

Reb-L, read this ==> only in adelaide

Thanks Wayno for your supplying some weekend reading advice. I'm sure Adelaide is not the only place on this planet where there are diverging views on city development. However, my impression - after some 30 years here - is that there is a view among many here that development is something 'suss', something that disturbs the prevailing order and only benefits a few rich individual property tycoons while being to the detriment of ordinary folks and the environment. Anyway, many times that seems to be the mindset of some of the decision makers (certain city councilors) that used to have the final say on major projects until the $10 million rule was put in place. The problem, whether justified or not, is that Adelaide is perceived as a difficult place to get something done (Le Cornu is but one example - no matter what the do nothing brigade says) and because of perception many investment dollars bypass us for greener pastures. As a result our 'skyline' has not changed much in the last couple of decades. The State Bank/WBC, Telstra and Grenfell stump buildings are still among our most prominent. Not much change. Now compare that with cities like Brisbane and Perth (or Singapore) - you'd hardly recognize them from 20 years ago. While I'm not familiar with the local issues in Seattle, I think most of the West Coast cities (Vancouver, Portland, Frisco, San Diego) look pretty vigorous to me despite some upsets in the housing market. To show some places with minimal development and what that can do to a city I'd point to Detroit or Memphis, Tennessee. I hope Adelaide won't go down that way, there's no reason why it should (our future looks more rosy than most others') except for people's attitude to change. And, whether you like it or not, a city's skyline is a symbol of how it embraces that.

[AtD]

Thanks Wayno for your supplying some weekend reading advice. I'm sure Adelaide is not the only place on this planet where there are diverging views on city development. However, my impression - after some 30 years here - is that there is a view among many here that development is something 'suss', something that disturbs the prevailing order and only benefits a few rich individual property tycoons while being to the detriment of ordinary folks and the environment. Anyway, many times that seems to be the mindset of some of the decision makers (certain city councilors) that used to have the final say on major projects until the $10 million rule was put in place. The problem, whether justified or not, is that Adelaide is perceived as a difficult place to get something done (Le Cornu is but one example - no matter what the do nothing brigade says) and because of perception many investment dollars bypass us for greener pastures. As a result our 'skyline' has not changed much in the last couple of decades. The State Bank/WBC, Telstra and Grenfell stump buildings are still among our most prominent. Not much change. Now compare that with cities like Brisbane and Perth (or Singapore) - you'd hardly recognize them from 20 years ago. While I'm not familiar with the local issues in Seattle, I think most of the West Coast cities (Vancouver, Portland, Frisco, San Diego) look pretty vigorous to me despite some upsets in the housing market. To show some places with minimal development and what that can do to a city I'd point to Detroit or Memphis, Tennessee. I hope Adelaide won't go down that way, there's no reason why it should (our future looks more rosy than most others') except for people's attitude to change. And, whether you like it or not, a city's skyline is a symbol of how it embraces that.

Replace "Adelaide" with "Sydney" in that paragraph and it holds just as true.

[Wayno]

Thanks Wayno for your supplying some weekend reading advice...

My pleasure - hope it did not keep you up at night

The point being, and especially here in the S-A forum, is this is not a place for AdelaideNow-style negative one liners. We'll happily engage in conversation where criticism is constructive and engaging.

Anyways, this thread (specific to 186-190 Nth Terrace) is not the place for us to ramble on. Consider searching the S-A forums for 'state bank disaster' related discussions. The members here have discussed a few times the reasons why Adelaide has not flourished as compared to others.

[spiller]

The lighting in those renders makes the proposal look stunning. Prominent location too, Myer center needs a companion over there. Plus this building in it's current state is a bit of a dark, dingy hole at night time...

[FancyPants]

I like this very much. I am a sucker for old facade with the modern built above. It's a nice narrative between the then and the now.

The pod, I feel, is great. Without it - in the case of it being a bleak albeit glass wall - would be very cold and the building wouldn't interact with the original building at all. I think the two interact very well in this design.