[COM] 145-159 King William Street (GPO) | 61m | 16 Levels | Hotel

[Ho Really]

Won't work, it'll clash too much with the clock tower. I think they should scrap the office building behind the GPO together and just focus on the other building.

Patrick_27, both buildings are behind the GPO. Which one?

Cheers

[Ho Really]

file-3a.jpg (157.86 KiB) Viewed 4481 times

One suggestion with the buildings reversed.

Cheers

[Ho Really]

And...

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You can reverse the colour of the curtain walls too. If you wish.

Cheers

[slenderman]

Okay. Here's my rough idea for what this site should be like. Let me know what you think, but try not to be too mean if you hate it (as it really doesn't make a difference what I think).

A few things to keep in mind:
1. This is just a rough idea, not what a finished product would necessarily look like. I don't imagine the tower to just be 150m blank glass walls.
2. I'm not an architect, and I'm limited with what I can do on Sketchup and I wasn't really happy with the glass backgrounds they give you. Imagine the glass being a similar colour to something like Aurora Place in Sydney, not the crappy glass of the pictures.

So this is my plan. Keep the current ground level stuff, but maybe add a bit more retail. On top of this, build a building over the same general footprint of the two proposed buildings currently (also over the top of that little old building next to the GPO on Franklin Street), but combine them into one building which curves along from Franklin to King William Streets (ie not a box). This kind of reminds me of that fantastic old Currie Street proposal from a few years ago which never saw the light of day.

The building is 170m tall. It could have a combination of offices, apartments or a hotel. Imagine a glass elevator (where the green glass is at that curve) like the one at Deutsche Bank Place in Sydney with views over Victoria Square and the southern CBD which takes people up to an observation deck/restaurant on the top floor which has spectacular views over the whole city. The tower section is set back slightly from Franklin and King William Streets so as not to dominate immediately behind the clock tower from these angles. I also imagine the elevator would line up diagonally with the GPO's clock tower, but I'm too lazy to do this.













And mods, feel free to move this somewhere else (such as the Visions and Suggestions topic) if you think this is going too far off topic.

[EBG]

Yes yes yes Slenderman this is what this site has been crying out for, some thing decent, something bold . Everything else in this area has been a waste of space.

[Norman]

To be honest I think a building of that size is too overbearing. I think around 100m would be sufficient given the fact the surrounding area has many low-rise heritage buildings around the square. Also, call me a NIMBY, but I think this will block out too much of the sun at Victoria Square, especially in the winter afternoons. A stepped-back approach around Victoria Square would be best IMO.

I'm also not sure that's to become of Electra House... it looks to be half-swallowed up in the proposal.

Mind you, the current proposal isn't great either... but with a little bit more height and a design more sympathetic to the heritage of the GPO it can work.

Obviously this is all just my opinion with no architectural qualifications

[Paulns]

Great work Slenderman! A building of that size is what I was hoping for too!


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[Patrick_27]

One has to wonder if some you are taking the piss?...

That building is far too tall for that area, not to mention you've basically destroyed the historic elements of the area also.

I'm not trying to be mean, but for some of you it doesn't seem to mesh that you can't place a building of that kind of size in such a location. By all means, find anywhere along Pirie, Waymouth, Currie, even remaining parts King Williams Street and put your craziest proposals forward; but what's left of that small block will never have a building of such height there purely because it doesn't sit well with it's surrounds. If something like that were ever going to happen, the site/s of Tower 1 or 2 would have been the appropriate place.

[slenderman]

To be honest I think a building of that size is too overbearing. I think around 100m would be sufficient given the fact the surrounding area has many low-rise heritage buildings around the square. Also, call me a NIMBY, but I think this will block out too much of the sun at Victoria Square, especially in the winter afternoons. A stepped-back approach around Victoria Square would be best IMO.

I'm also not sure that's to become of Electra House... it looks to be half-swallowed up in the proposal.

Mind you, the current proposal isn't great either... but with a little bit more height and a design more sympathetic to the heritage of the GPO it can work.

Obviously this is all just my opinion with no architectural qualifications

Completely understandable viewpoint. I'm more than happy to receive constructive criticism about my idea. I think it does seem overbearing mostly because we don't have a lot of height in Adelaide so we aren't used to it. In Sydney it's no big deal seeing the old clock towers surrounded by skyscrapers. But I really didn't consider the effects of shadowing on Victoria Square too much, so thanks for that point.

Regarding Electra House, it's definitely kept, as it's a gem of a building. This little proposal of mine occupies the same approximate area of the current proposal, which involves the demolition of the back of some of the GPO but not Electra House. It may overlap slightly though because it's just a rough representation.

All in all, the point of this little exercise was mostly just to show that it is possible to "think outside the box" (pun intended) . It doesn't take a genius to see that it's quite possible to design something more innovative and interesting than the boxes currently proposed, even working within the constraints of the site. You don't need to be an architect to see/do this.

[slenderman]

One has to wonder if some you are taking the piss?...

That building is far too tall for that area, not to mention you've basically destroyed the historic elements of the area also.

I'm not trying to be mean, but for some of you it doesn't seem to mesh that you can't place a building of that kind of size in such a location. By all means, find anywhere along Pirie, Waymouth, Currie, even remaining parts King Williams Street and put your craziest proposals forward; but what's left of that small block will never have a building of such height there purely because it doesn't sit well with it's surrounds. If something like that were ever going to happen, the site/s of Tower 1 or 2 would have been the appropriate place.

Okay. I'll cop all that. I probably went overboard with the height. I'll say that it's not necessarily all about the height, but creating a building which is more interesting than a box and creates more incentive to visit the area, even given the constraints of the sight, even using them as an advantage. I think this building at about half the height would work though (maybe remove the observation deck).

If we're being totally honest, I'd rather just see the ground level activation go ahead and not bother building the two towers since they're so mediocre and seem to be all that can be built in that space since Towers 1 and 2 already exist. They really don't contribute anything positive to the area except some office workers to use the amenities below.

[Ben]

This was withdrawn by the developer before the meeting. Last minute changes maybe they have been reading our forum

[serca]

Absolutely that site is prime for a building of that size. Disrespecting heritage buildings in the very centre of the CBD?? How dare they!!!

I think common sense prevails when it comes to new developments and heritage buildings. Like the recent proposal in the east end off Rundle st or for instance if there was a proposal for a 170m building amount the Adelaide uni - art gallery strip, people generally are against it , and rightfully so.

This location and hopefully the new courts precinct are perfect for a new tallest

[Ho Really]

Thanks slenderman for hijacking the thread. I was hoping someone would comment on my proposal which reverses the sizes of the two towers proposed.

Anyhow, your proposal goes way past the mark. As some have said. It is too tall and will block out sun to Victoria Square and overpower the bell tower of the GPO. Maximum height should be 25~30 storeys (about 100-115 metres) depending if it is all office space or mixed use.

I would prefer a single tower positioned similarly to your suggestion but shorter and of triangular shape so that the GPO bell tower would face a 45 degree angle facade as a backdrop. This would make it stand out when viewed from Victoria Square.

Cheers

[Ho Really]

This was withdrawn by the developer before the meeting. Last minute changes maybe they have been reading our forum

Let's hope they'll come up with something a bit more imposing, but not overly. My main gripe is the taller slender and elongated building that's proposed next to the ATO. That's why perhaps a single tower would be best. If they want another building on site make it smaller like it was in the initial Aspen proposal. I think that was supposed to be a hotel.

Cheers

[Ben]

I know this comes up all the time but I think the CBD is around 35m above sea level? Therefore the taller tower is about 95m?

Also this is expected to be approved today.

The proposals incorporate two towers, being; Stage 1: 107.8m AHD (15 storeys, including plant); and Stage 2: 130.75m AHD (22 storeys, including plant).

It is noted that the airspace study allows for an additional 3 metres in height to allow for plant - therefore the applicant is seeking approval from Adelaide Airport for a height of 110.8m AHD and 132.5m AHD. This will provide the applicant with some scope for additional structures on the roof in the future without a referral required to AAL.