News & Discussion: General CBD Development

[AtD]

I think CBA's branch on the corner of Rundle and Pulteney is a bigger waste of a site. The Sanity that used to be there was open along the length of Pulteney Street and it was quite inviting - activity at street level and all that. Now it's a blank wall with some ATMs. Oh well.

[crawf]

Extremely handy though

[Wayno]

I mentioned this on my Twitter and got varied responses, but Wilsons Organics closed on Gouger Street and moved around the corner to a nice location. But I had been anticipating what could possibly move into such a prime location in the heart of the Gouger Street restaurant precinct.

Low and behold it's a bloody Commonwealth Bank.

i think the central Gouger St precinct needs another cane furniture store.

[Nathan]

i think the central Gouger St precinct needs another cane furniture store.

That would be wickered!

(ugh, even typing that made me want to throw up a little...)

[Wayno]

Art Gallery Reno is complete

From Glam Adelaide

The Art Gallery of South Australia will open the doors to the newly refurbished Elder Wing of Australian Art on Saturday 18 June, following a ten month, $3.6 million refurbishment. The opening marks the 130th anniversary of the Gallery for which over $5 million in gifts has been received.

Modernised to meet international museum standards in lighting and environmental control, the Elder Wing’s interior has been refurbished to reinstate it as perhaps Australia’s most beautiful museum interior.

“Visitors will have a different sense of the Gallery from the moment they enter from North Terrace.

The refurbished vestibule and Elder Wing have now taken on a more contemporary feel but one which still honours the building heritage,” said Art Gallery of South Australia, Director Nick Mitzevich.

The refurbishment was designed by award winning architecture, design and urban planning firm HASSELL. Christie Bailey, HASSELL Senior Associate Architect, said the refurbishment respected the original symmetrical design of the space and incorporates contemporary, minimalist design pieces such as a new granite concierge counter.

“We worked closely with the Gallery to develop a solution which balanced the old with the new and meets the functional needs of the public and gallery staff,” said Ms Bailey.

State of the art lighting has been installed throughout the Elder Wing by US museum and lighting design firm George Sexton and Associates. This renowned firm has an extensive history of involvement with complex museum and architectural projects, as exemplified through work with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Denver Art Museum, and the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich, England.

Along with the architectural refurbishment, the Australian pre-colonial, colonial, federation and modern art that the Elder Wing houses has been rehung to introduce a fresh narrative, one that makes new connections between works of art.

Curator, Australian Paintings and Sculpture, Tracey Lock-Weir, said that the new displays tell a revised story of Australian art, one that reflects a greater understanding of who we are at this point in time.

“From the first chapter of this new narrative, major works of Aboriginal art introduce the pre-contact period and the continued presence of Aboriginal culture. Aboriginal art in all its various disciplines will be an integral component of the whole story of Australian art as never told before,” she said.

Included in the rehang are twenty spectacular new, multi-million dollar gifts in honour of the Gallery’s 130th anniversary.

Highlights include several stunning works by Hugh Ramsay from the ever-generous Diana Ramsay and Richard Noble’s striking painting of Elizabeth Solomon, 1862, and Tom Roberts’s pivotal work Winter morning after rain, Gardiner’s Creek, 1885, both of which are recent major gifts from Max Carter, AO.

“Our hope is that visitors feel a sense of comfort when they visit the Elder Wing – like seeing an old friend, but also delight in seeing things afresh, both the architecture and the collection,” said Mr Mitzevich.

The refurbishment of the Elder Wing would not have been possible without the significant grant from the South Australian Government and the generous support of the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation, the Ian Potter Foundation and the Thyne Reid Foundation.

[Wayno]

Hey guys, a question - does the ACC maintain Greenhill Rd from Fullarton Rd to Anzac Hwy? and the median strip?

There's a new pedestrian crossing being built on Greenhill Rd opposite the showgrounds, and i'm curious whether the ACC had a hand in such a decision (as it will only strengthen people's desire to drive and park in the park lands, a topic which the council repeatedly complains about).

There's also changed traffic conditions. Vehicles can no longer turn right out of Johnstone St into Greenhill Rd, and east bound traffic on Greenhill Rd can no longer turn right into Johnstone St. Johnstone St itself is being narrowed, presumably for wider footpaths.

[Omicron]

A new set of lights on a major city bypass route?

[mattblack]

Part of the new cycle route conecting onto the parklands trail. http://www.infrastructure.sa.gov.au/maj ... t/greenway

[stumpjumper]

Following the amusing reannouncement of the announcement made on March 10th 2010 to extend the convention centre and revamp the riverside, I thought it was pretty funny watching the Minister for the City of Adelaide on TV tonight wagging his finger at the Liberals' suggestion of providing incentives for developers to renovate heritage buildings such as the former Westpac building on the corner of King William St and North Tce, and to offer reductions of the highest stamp duties in Australia for people to buy city residential properties.

Rau said with a straight face that before the Liberals threw money around on the built environment they should consider the effect on schools and hospitals which urgently needed funding...

Hilariously, it turned out Rau was only half of a comedy duo: the next item featured our very own 'Defence Minister' Kevin Foley looking determined and saying that he would push for Australia's new submarines to be built at TechportSA in Adelaide. In fact, the federal government announced in May 2009 that the next round of submarines would be built in Adelaide regardless of which company wins the tender to design them.

It goes to show that even when it's on the ropes electorally, the Rann government can play the media in this town like a violin.

As a matter of interest, in the March 10th 2010 announcement, the revamped convention centre was going to cost $359 million. Now it's down to $350 million with an extra building.

[stumpjumper]

Adelarch wrote:
From the Adelaide Review. Not an anti-development article by any means...

It's good to see an approach to urban design other than 'build it and build it high' arousing interest.

[stumpjumper]

4

[crawf]

Seriously stumpjumper..

Following the amusing reannouncement of the announcement made on March 10th 2010 to extend the convention centre and revamp the riverside

As a matter of interest, in the March 10th 2010 announcement, the revamped convention centre was going to cost $359 million. Now it's down to $350 million with an extra building.

Oh yes it was hilarious that the Government provided actual renders and more detailed information on the proposed expansion.

What extra building?

[Will]

Is it safe to assume that the 'Ben' and the 'Shuz' mentioned on this article are members of this webiste?

From the Advertiser:

Citizens' suggestions for an Adelaide makeover

Alice Monfries From: Sunday Mail (SA) July 02, 2011 10:00PM


AN iconic structure in Victoria Square - rivalling the Eiffel Tower - is among suggestions made to improve the city centre.

More than 2700 ideas have been uploaded to Adelaide City Council's Picture Adelaide website and iPhone app, which calls on city workers, shoppers and residents to photograph what they love, want improved or want to create in the city centre and upload it with comments to a CBD map.

Among the ideas submitted since the campaign was launched in April, was a suggestion from "Ben" for an "iconic structure in Victoria Square which would become the centrepoint of our city and would rise far above the current Adelaide skyline".

He called for an observation deck and restaurant at its peak, and for lighting features.

"At a significant height you would not need to worry about it being dwarfed anytime soon - this would put Adelaide on the map," he posted.

Another upload, by "Shuz", agreed, but called for the attraction to be taller than the 323m Q1 Tower on the Gold Coast, so Adelaide could "take the title of (having) Australia's tallest building".

Other ideas include an observation deck on the top of Westpac House - Adelaide's tallest building - and a floating pontoon on Torrens Lake for concerts and events, as well as floating restaurants and bars. The suggestions will be used as feedback for the council's 2012-16 Strategic Plan.

Disposable cameras also were given to schools and community groups to take photos and submit their ideas, and reply-paid postcards, which can be filled out and sent back, have been mailed to city residents and placed in city libraries, community centres, UParks, the Aquatic Centre and golf courses.

Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood said Picture Adelaide was "a new way for people to have a say".

"The app means that people can send us their ideas as they think of them while they're walking around the city and take photos of what they love as they pass by their favourite spots," he said.

Many submissions also pointed to areas needing improvement, such as extended tram routes around the city, activating dark and dirty laneways, a need for more rooftop and vertical gardens - some with fruit and vegetables which can be picked by the public - and better bike-lane systems.

And other people took to the site to share what they love about the city, with the Parklands, Central Market, Northern Lights of the Adelaide Festival and the Rundle Lantern covering the UPark building on the corner of Rundle and Pulteney streets emerging as favourite icons.

The Picture Adelaide website, www.pictureadelaide.com.au, and the free iPhone app will be open until the end of the year, when the council's 2012-16 Strategic Plan is finalised.

[email protected]

[Ben]

Sure is. I did that a month ago. Bit surprised to see this.

[[Shuz]]

Yep, that's me. I too was surprised.

Although I must just say, they (the Advertiser) manipulated the context of my comment to fit in with the article.

I do not support a tower or structure being built in Victoria Square at all.