News & Developments: Tonsley

[NTRabbit]

Some of the play/street furniture and sculptures are nice, but why is the shared path greenway along the train line needlessly windy? For bike commuters it's an annoying hassle. It's why so many avoid the Westside Bikeway.

Probably to maximise the number of existing trees that can be retained. I imagine there might be a number of significant trees through there as well.

There's a fair chunk of what would be significant trees behind where the old Tonsley station used to be, a massive eucalypt and a line of willows, and a couple of big eucalypts right in the northern corner, but between them I don't think there's anything they couldn't cut down if they really wanted to.

[mattwinter]

Some of the play/street furniture and sculptures are nice, but why is the shared path greenway along the train line needlessly windy? For bike commuters it's an annoying hassle. It's why so many avoid the Westside Bikeway.

Probably to maximise the number of existing trees that can be retained. I imagine there might be a number of significant trees through there as well.

Could it be to deliberately slow down commuters and "boy racers" to keep it "nice" for pedestrians and kids on bikes? Perhaps the intent is that faster cyclists travelling through will use the main road not the shared path?

Yeah I reckon this is it - next to all the housing development they'd expect plenty of pedestrian traffic - people walking to the train station etc. They'd rather slow that bit down for cyclists to give it a family friendly, pedestrian friendly vibe. I'm sure if the bikeway continued northwards it would be straighter where they can make it straighter. Bigger issue is there doesn't seem to be any good plan to properly continue the bikeway along the train line and join it up with the one that runs along the Seaford line. At the moment it'll be a bikeway to nowhere.

[Norman]

I've taken the car for a tour of the full Tonsley site, and the residential component is slowly coming together. The new La Loft hotel also looks done.

Check out the video: https://youtu.be/NlPYhX9UPPk

[SRW]

I've taken the car for a tour of the full Tonsley site, and the residential component is slowly coming together. The new La Loft hotel also looks done.

Check out the video: https://youtu.be/NlPYhX9UPPk

Thanks for the video Norman. Have to say I haven't really been following this one, so it was interesting to see how much has been built. The absence of an urban centre is really noticeable as compared to Bowden. The 'Village Green' looks underwhelming and the railway station seems farther than ideal. I had a quick look at the masterplan and it looks like they're intending the area around the Boiler and Alawoona Avenue to be the centre, but I'm not sure how successful that will be.

[PeFe]

Little Bang to open another brewery at Tonsley.

From City Mag

Little Bang to open second brewery at Tonsley Innovation District
The Stepney brewery will open a miniature production site inside Tonsley’s Boiler House, bringing a bar, restaurant, café and bottle shop offering to the site.



The opening of a microbrewery at the Tonsley Innovation District has been long-heralded, and now Little Bang Brewing Company is setting up shop at the historic Boiler House.

This will be the fourth iteration of Little Bang Brewing, which originated in founder Filip Kemp’s garage, before moving to Union Street and then Henry Street in Stepney.

Boiler House will be the brewery’s first expansion since being bought by the Duxton Pubs Group, and will act as a site for experimental small batches of both beers and seltzers.

“Creativity and innovation are at the heart of what we do at Little Bang,” said Oscar Matthews, who became co-CEO at the brewery after the Duxton sale, sharing the title with founder Ryan Davidson.

“This expansion for the brewery, as well as the addition of a second location is going to give Little Bang more opportunities to push boundaries with our beer and our brewing operation.”

The Boiler House site will operate seven days, with a café, restaurant, bar and bottle shop all being part of the offering.



The current Boiler House at Tonsley Innovation District. This picture: Renewal SA.

According to a joint media release from Duxton Pubs Group and the Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Nick Champion, the pub group has indicated it will also explore opportunities to work with Renewal SA’s Works Program to include an education component at the site.

“The businesses that make up the Tonsley Innovation District are known for their forward thinking and reimagining of services and products for the betterment of the clients they serve,” Renewal SA general manager of project delivery and property Todd Perry said.

“What The Duxton Group has come up with for the Boiler House certainly continues that theme because they will retain the important elements – the raw, utilitarian character of the exposed pipes that complements the historic conversion of the nearby Main Assembly Building – and adapt it into a fresh new space that will service a new wave of Tonsley workers, plus students, residents and visitors.”

The mezzanine level of Boiler House will be used for private functions, culinary training and development and educational workshops and events for the tenants and students of Tonsley, as well as being open to the general public.

Ed Peters, chairman of Duxton Pubs Group, said he hoped the site will feed into the organisation as a whole, functioning as a site for staff training and induction.

“Tonsley’s ethos centres around innovation and we want to be innovators in our sector,” Peters said.

“Our goal is to continue to drive significant hospitality jobs growth, and skills and training development opportunities for South Australians.”

In 2021, our sister news publication InDaily reported the originally touted tenants for the site, Kidd Retail Group — of Lady Burra Brewhouse and Kitchen — were moving off-site as their plans for the precinct fell through.

KRG owner Steven Kidd blamed increasing costs in the midst of the global pandemic had blown the budget, with the company and Renewal SA agreeing to part ways in 2020.

https://citymag.indaily.com.au/habits/l ... -district/

[SRW]

Great news, great beer

[A-Town]

New hotel La Loft is opening up in a couple of days.

TONSLEY INNOVATION DISTRICT BEDS DOWN ITS WORLD-CLASS REPUTATION WITH OPENING OF FOUR-STAR BOUTIQUE HOTEL.

Some of the brightest minds to visit South Australia have a new place to rest their heads with the opening of a boutique hotel at Tonsley Innovation District.

Innovators, entrepreneurs, academics and tourists can now enjoy some of the highest levels of hotel amenity on offer in Adelaide’s south, just moments’ walk from Tonsley’s powerhouse of innovation – the Main Assembly Building (MAB).

The 88-room hotel, operated by La Loft, offers 15 one-bedroom apartments and 73 studio suites, cementing the District as a true mixed-use precinct that caters for a bourgeoning number of national and international visitors.

The hotel’s one-bedroom apartments will accommodate extended stays – each featuring a private balcony, self-catering kitchenettes and washer/dryer facilities – while the studios will deliver a luxury experience with premium amenities and bespoke bedding manufactured locally through Elite Bedding at Edwardstown.

La Loft one-bedroom apartment
The six-storey, 1500m2 hotel – with uninterrupted views of the city to the north and the sea to the west – also boasts a ground floor bar and dining area, and function and event spaces on its mezzanine level. It is expected to be running at capacity by the end of January.

Housing and Urban Development Minister Nick Champion said the hotel was one of several premium value-adds strategically unlocked by Renewal SA, in conjunction with private development partners, to enhance Tonsley as a destination.

“Providing visiting professionals and tertiary students with a central place to stay will help attract top talent to our state and fills a key gap in the accommodation market around Tonsley,” Minister Champion said.

Having a brand-new bespoke hotel open on site not only connects guests to the District’s world-class businesses, it also opens up South Australia’s southern regions for travellers to explore while securing more local jobs. The Tonsley District is fast becoming the top of everyone’s wish list for places to work – and stay.
Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Nick Champion
In recent months two major commercial developments have been secured at Tonsley; A $47million, 5000m2 retail and commercial hub on the western side of the MAB, and next door to that, Mitsubishi’s old Boiler House is being converted into a multi-million-dollar microbrewery by craft beer makers Little Bang.

La Loft General Manager Simon O’Callaghan said he expected strong occupancy rates for both short- and longer-term stays from visitors who are currently having to commute to the District from other hotels across Adelaide to collaborate with Tonsley businesses.

“There is a great appetite to stay within the District. We first visited the innovation precinct in 2017 and we could really see the vision and the potential there and we doubled the footprint of the hotel,” Mr O’Callaghan said.

“The Marion area is still underserviced, and it’s so well positioned as a gateway to McLaren Vale and to the southern suburbs, and the Fleurieu Peninsula as a whole.”

Ultimately, Mr O’Callaghan says it’s about delivering an exceptional hospitality experience to every hotel guest.

“We are in the business of a good night’s sleep,” he said. “The hotel has a huge amount of flexibility. We have 10 different room configurations including five disability access suites, with interconnecting rooms for carers to provide space and dignity. We can also connect several one-bedroom apartments with neighbouring studio rooms making them genuine two-bed, two-bathroom apartments.

When we’re at capacity, we will offer breakfast, lunch, dinner and room service. And our function spaces are modular and fully equipped audio-visually for any high-level meeting or event. This is particularly useful for businesses needing private meeting rooms for recruitment purposes.
La Loft General Manager, Simon O’Callaghan

Chocolate-making and wine-tasting events will also be held for guests in the coming months, as the hotel showcases the best of South Australian food and wine.

Fuelled by green energy, La Loft is the first commercial property to be connected to the blended hydrogen gas network at Tonsley’s Hydrogen Park SA. It also runs off the CleanPeak Energy network powered by solar panels on the MAB roof.

Renewal SA’s Tonsley Project Director Vince Rigter said the creation of ancillary services such as the hotel was yet another attractor to rapidly growing Tonsley, which now employees around 2000 workers, welcomes 8500 students annually and has a residential population of 500 people.

“The La Loft Hotel coming online brings a whole new layer of sophistication and demand to Tonsley Innovation District that will help elevate its appeal on the world stage,” Mr Rigter said.

“Last year, Tonsley became one of just 22 innovation districts globally to form an elite cluster of the most progressive innovation hubs in the world, and more and more we are fielding requests from leading businesspeople, entrepreneurs and foreign dignitaries and their attaches to visit the District.

“Tonsley businesses will be thrilled the hotel is now up and running because it means their clients will only have a two-minute walk to the research labs and collaboration spaces on site.”

The four-and-a-half-star hotel, designed by South Australian firm Intro and constructed by Techne Build, is expected to employ 40 staff at full capacity.

La Loft Hotel is located on the high-profile corner of Tonsley Boulevard and MAB Circuit, Tonsley.

https://tonsley.com.au/news/boutique-la ... -district/

[mattblack]

TONSLEY INNOVATION DISTRICT IS WORTHY OF REPLICATION GLOBALLY ACCORDING TO JULIE WAGNER, ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING EXPERTS ON INNOVATION DISTRICTS AND WHAT MAKES THEM SUCCESSFUL.

Ms Wagner, president and founder of The Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID), an independent research organisation, described Tonsley is a “phenomenal example” of a thriving innovation district during her first tour of the 61-hectare District on 21 March.

She specifically called out Tonsley’s showpiece Main Assembly Building (MAB) as a “centre of gravity” – a magnetic and accessible place where deep research and development activities mash together with workforce training, eateries, and cool prototyping spaces – and one of the strongest models she had seen anywhere in the world.

“You are worth studying. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the magic be this powerful… it’s actually taken my breath away,” Ms Wagner told business leaders during the District’s quarterly networking event, Tonsley Connections.

Tonsley is a powerful example of an innovation district rooted in advanced manufacturing, highly technical sophistication and robotics, additive manufacturing and a diversity of disciplines converging together to create a true innovative economy, and you see it within footsteps of each other. There’s a really beautiful combination of both innovation, placemaking and a really inviting set of spaces to pull together people in different ways.

Ms Wagner said Tonsley’s unique value proposition – a convergence of assets and brain power to drive new discoveries and push critical mass R&D solutions and technologies into the market – signals it a powerhouse in the making.

The US-born academic, whose research on innovation districts began as a senior fellow at the renowned Brookings Institution, has received critical acclaim for her co-authored research paper, The Rise of Innovation Districts.

She leads GIID in its study of upper echelon innovation districts, providing deep empirical analysis and strategic advice in a bid to advance districts worldwide. Tonsley Innovation District is an inaugural member of GIID’s Global Network of Innovation Districts and one of just four districts across Australia handpicked to participate.

Ten years into its 20-year masterplan, Ms Wagner challenged Renewal SA – Tonsley’s delivery lead – as well as the District’s anchor academic institutions and key business leaders to develop a creative governance structure that organised the District for ongoing success. To do this, she argued there needs to be a mission-orientated guardian of the district to keep the momentum of collaboration and success alive by curating program and place activation and supporting cross pollination of research, business, government and education. This, she says, will prevent Tonsley from transforming into a static technology park.

You’ve managed to create that important mix where you have combined art and architecture, engineering prowess, manufacturing, and then retail with an openness for a diversity of workers and people to come together. You are creating these really intimate spaces that don’t in any way feel forced. You are enabling the organic networking that needs to happen.
Ms Julie Wagner, president and founder of The Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID)

Ms Julie Wagner (left) speaking to guests at Tonsley Connections, held at La Loft Hotel. “But how do you ensure this district is sustained with horizontal infrastructure and governance for the long term?” she asked while at Tonsley.

“It’s the innovation behind the innovation and how you organise to create and sustain the things that make a district thrive and grow. It’s people-centred design and how you create those networks; it’s how you ensure the placemaking is sustained and doesn’t run ragged, so people don’t feel like this is a place they are no longer connected to; it’s drawing and connecting to people outside of the district. Real intentional moves is what you have to focus on to ensure continued return on investment and to help become a true multiplier of growth.”

Ms Wagner’s visit preceded the state government’s announcement that it will introduce a new state-wide innovation model to strategically connect the state’s growing innovation districts including Lot Fourteen, Tonsley Innovation District and Adelaide BioMed City, along with other knowledge and manufacturing hubs including the Osborne Naval Shipyard, the Edinburgh Defence Precinct, and the future Australian Space Park to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the AUKUS submarine deal.

The framework will bring together all Economic Activity Zones and innovation assets under a centralised strategic vision to drive new clusters of economic activity and job creation, and maximise South Australia’s competitive advantage in defence, space, advanced manufacturing and critical technologies industries like renewable energy, cyber, information warfare, quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

Renewal SA General Manager, Project Delivery and Property Todd Perry said as Tonsley moved into this next important phase of its growth and evolution, it was pleasing to hear the District has got its foundation right and compared favourably at a global level.

“Renewal SA is proud to have played its part in that ‘organisation of success’ and to have found the correct mix and intersection between the physical, economic and networking assets,” Mr Perry said.

Julie’s visit prompted significant discussion about the continuation of the program beyond the project’s physical completion and how crafted governance arrangements specific to each precinct need to be developed to ensure enduring success. We need to have an intentional program going forward.
Renewal SA General Manager, Project Delivery and Property Todd Perry
Tonsley’s membership with GIID is funded jointly by Renewal SA and the Office of the Chief Scientist.

Tonsley Innovation District is Australia’s most awarded innovation district. Already home to businesses such as Tesla, ZEISS, Siemens Energy, Micro-X, SAGE Automation, AZZO, Flinders University and many others, Tonsley is creating high-value jobs by co-locating world-class research and education institutions with innovative businesses alongside vibrant, modern residential living and retail space.

More than 2,000 people now work out of Tonsley with 8,500-plus students educated onsite every year. Private sector investment in the precinct to date totals $395 million with a diverse mix of 150 organisations established across the Tonsley community.

[Norman]

I'm surprised that so many people are calling this precinct a success, it still has a long way to go in terms of site activation, especially on weekends and after hours. The residential component is too small in my opinion.

[ChillyPhilly]

I'm surprised that so many people are calling this precinct a success, it still has a long way to go in terms of site activation, especially on weekends and after hours. The residential component is too small in my opinion.

Agreed, and the residential component should have been focused closer to Tonsley Railway Station.

[dbl96]

I'm surprised that so many people are calling this precinct a success, it still has a long way to go in terms of site activation, especially on weekends and after hours. The residential component is too small in my opinion.

Agreed, and the residential component should have been focused closer to Tonsley Railway Station.

Why did they not centre it closer to the railway station? Adelaide seems to have a strange aversion to making the most of railway stations and encouraging development around them. Another recent example of this is Orleana Waters at Tambelin railway station. There was an obvious opportunity to build the town centre centred on the railway station, but inexplicably it is being built in away from the station. The area closest to the station will just be low density housing.

[mattblack]

Latest bit of development

GLOBAL LED TECHNOLOGY LEADERS EYE LUCRATIVE MARKET FROM NEW R&D HEADQUARTERS AT TONSLEY

Leading visual simulation companies One World LED and Sportal will consolidate their national and international research and development capabilities into new premises at Tonsley Innovation District to underpin their global growth ambitions.

The companies research, design and engineer custom LED technology in Adelaide (Australia), Houston (USA) and Suzhou (China) and hold more than a dozen patents in those countries.

Both companies recently played a part in the Matildas’ FIFA Women’s World Cup preparations, connecting their hardware and software to the team’s coaching tablets during training, enabling their outdoor LED screens to effectively become ‘giant whiteboards’ – displaying real-time data during drills as they were running.

One World LED has now purchased one of the last remaining large-scale greenfield sites left at Tonsley and will invest $9 million to create a new purpose-built 2000m2 scalable facility with the potential to more than double in size as the company grows.

The companies plan to centralise the majority of their international R&D activities to Tonsley, generating 50-70 positions with expectations that this could grow to a staff of several hundred within 10 years.

About One World LED and Sportal
Started by CEO and founder Schumann Rafizadeh who moved with his family from the USA to Adelaide 10 years ago, One World LED produces bespoke LED solutions for clients.

One World LED’s products are standalone, AI-enhanced, internet-connected LEDs with multi-sector applications. The result of more than $40m in R&D invested over the past decade, the company can now offer a secure multi-party platform that it says is different from anything else on the market, enabling clients to use LED to interact securely using a virtual commerce model, integrating public space screens with traditional transaction capabilities of e-commerce websites.

One World LED was named “the most innovative digital signage solution provider” by Asia Pacific News Headlines in 2021 and one of the “30 Most Reputable Companies” in 2022 by Silicon Review in the US.

Affiliate company Sportal, founded by Darius Rafizadeh, utilises technology that gives schools and clubs unparalleled ability to curate their own content on their screens or scoreboards including training, announcements, advertising, live scores and team-specific material – all in real-time from an app on their smartphone. This includes the ability to play a tailored celebratory animation bespoke to a club’s branding when a team scores a goal – creating a big-game experience for fans.

One World LED and Sportal also recently signed an eight-year R&D partnership agreement for scoreboards for Football SA and Football Victoria. This includes installation of screens at the home of the Matildas at La Trobe University Sports Park in Victoria.

“We see our technology as ‘the fourth screen of significance’ that will match the disruptor influence of the previous three – the invention of the television, the arrival of the PC and the seismic impact of the smartphone – and unlock a lucrative global market, particularly in the area of sports,” Schumann Rafizadeh said.

“Due to that pipeline, we needed to start looking for new headquarters that we could use as a platform for growth. Because we operate internationally, we looked at other sites around the world, but Tonsley proved the ideal location because of the availability of infrastructure and other support systems including academic, trades and industry and its focus on innovation.

“There is significant potential for collaboration, particularly with other companies in the software and simulation space which is a focus area at Tonsley. We’re excited about the move and what being in the Tonsley environment will mean for us.”


Minister for Housing and Urban Development Nick Champion said the latest businesses to join the Tonsley fold were another great example of innovators, looking to make a difference.

"The Innovation District continues to attract industry leaders wanting to capitalise on the precinct’s award-winning research and development. "

Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Nick Champion

Renewal SA Executive Director, Major Projects and Property, Todd Perry said it was fantastic that the significant global growth plans of both companies were going to happen in Adelaide.

“We know from experience that the companies choosing to come to Tonsley are those that want to grow, and they want to be the best in their field,” Mr Perry said.

“The environment we have created at Tonsley allows them to do just that while also paving the way for new opportunities through collaboration with other like-minded companies.”

Construction of the new R&D headquarters is anticipated to commence in last quarter of 2023 with the company expected to move in in 2025.

One World LED is a South Australian joint venture with American funding provided by GEMSA and its manufacturing affiliate, One World Technology of Suzhou.

Tonsley is Australia’s most awarded innovation district. Already home to businesses such as Tesla, ZEISS, Siemens Energy, Micro-X, SAGE Automation, AZZO, Flinders University and many others, Tonsley is creating high-value jobs by co-locating world-class research and education institutions with innovative businesses alongside vibrant, modern residential living and retail space.

Around 2,000 people now work out of Tonsley with 8,500-plus students educated onsite every year. Private sector investment in the precinct to date totals more than $395 million – a figure that is targeted to reach $1 billion by the end of project’s lifecycle – with a diverse mix of 140 organisations established across the Tonsley community.

[notmichaeljfox]

One of the new technical colleges will be built at Tonsley. It will be a partnership with Australian Science and Mathematics School and Flinders University. https://www.technicalcolleges.sa.gov.au ... al-college

[abc]

inspiring

[Spurdo]

inspiring

All you ever do is whinge bruh