[U/C] 88 O'Connell Street | 63m | 13, 13 and 15 Levels | Mixed Use

[Patrick_27]

Apparently everyone on here is an expert on Con Makris and his business affairs. As the brother in law of his youngest son who is Deputy CEO of Makris Group, I can assure you all that the delay with this project has nothing to do with show-boating or lack of interest, but rather financing. Just because he's worth a billion doesn't mean he has $200m easily at his disposal. He tried to share the project with Walker by handing over the residential side of the project because he himself wasn't comfortable enough with the housing market to want to invest that much money into it, that unfortunately failed. To get this project as far as he has, he's had to sell Northgate Shopping Centre and Avenue Shopping Centre to get things off the ground, not to mention he's also had side-projects interstate and other financial implications to sort out. So cut the guy some slack... Yeah, it's taken 14 years to get this far, but has he walked away from the project? No. Does he intend to? No. Let's not forget that we've ha a variety of failed attempts to build a new tallest building in Adelaide City and I don't see you guys dishing out the same kind of shit to those developers. So give him a break.

[rev]

Other developers don't cop the same level of criticism because they aren't periodically coming up with new designs for the same site and end up doing nothing year after year.

Are we supposed to feel sorry for a billionaire who sold some of his property portfolio? Oh boohoo for him I'm sure he was scrounging around for a few dollars to pay the bills..or put food on the table..must be a tough choice ring the richest person in the state.


Why are other developers able to get their projects off the ground despite the economic conditions, despite the HTC we all went through? He's the richest man in the state with business interests here interstate and overseas I believe. Yet these other developers who aren't the richest in the state managed to get their projects going.

I know one of his nephews btw.
He also has a nephew currently employed by the state government.

[Dvious]

Website already up and running and signage on-site too.

http://www.88oconnell.com.au/

Probably the most confident i have ever felt about this project.

[Ben]

Website already up and running and signage on-site too.

http://www.88oconnell.com.au/

Probably the most confident i have ever felt about this project.

Need I remind you that website has been active since 2008 and signage has also been on site since that time. They have updated it to reflect the most recent proposal - that is all.

I don't hate many proposals based on their renders but this one really is a dissapointment to me. I expected something classy, unique and timeless. This really looks cheap, nasty and dated already.

[skyliner]

Have to agree Ben - it seems, to put it loosely, 'all over the place' - architectural continuity and style don't excite me. the previous design held as certain European timelessness about it - far more in keeping with surrounding bldg styles. However, glad to see SOMETHING could be happening at last though still not very expectant.

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

[Nathan]

Have to agree Ben - it seems, to put it loosely, 'all over the place' - architectural continuity and style don't excite me. the previous design held as certain European timelessness about it - far more in keeping with surrounding bldg styles. However, glad to see SOMETHING could be happening at last though still not very expectant.

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

The previous design didn't have a timelessness about it. It was a pastiche, that wouldn't have looked out of place at Disneyland. Take a look at the Grand at Glenelg for reference.

[Jim]

Have to agree Ben - it seems, to put it loosely, 'all over the place' - architectural continuity and style don't excite me. the previous design held as certain European timelessness about it - far more in keeping with surrounding bldg styles. However, glad to see SOMETHING could be happening at last though still not very expectant.

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

The previous design didn't have a timelessness about it. It was a pastiche, that wouldn't have looked out of place at Disneyland. Take a look at the Grand at Glenelg for reference.

Couldn't agree more 100% better than the old proposal, this will make a striking entrance to the city. As opposed to another suburban shopping centre.

[jk1237]

I also agree. I don't mind the new proposal compared to the previous Gold Coast style imitating French/Italian city thing

[contractor]

From an underutilised, unaccesible eyesore to a high rise, accisible to only the elite eyesore. If that is his legacy to Adelaide what is he trying to say? Where is the glass in those apartments? Surely people don't want to pay a premium for concrete and tiny windows.

I'd assume that the skin of the tower would be a metal mesh, like the [url ="http://www.archdaily.com/421871/luna-ap ... rg-fraser/"]Luna Apartments[/url]

Luna:


LeCornu Development:


And how is it accessible to only the elite? It's a mixed used development - with apartments, hotel, retail and a public plaza. Sure the apartments might be on the pricey side but that's not stopping people accessing the rest of the development.

Why would you assume that? The Luna apartments are classy, the Makris design looks like Melbourne public housing

[Nathan]

I assume that because that's exactly what it looks like in the render above. And really, public housing?

[ChillyPhilly]

plans for the site which will include retail, residential, a boutique hotel and a car park.

Well that was predictable.

I've been thinking about the site recently. I rarely if ever travel to North Adelaide but dropped in there a week ago and realised that the immediate precinct along O'Connell needs some open space. The area at the southeastern corner of Collins/Swanston Street provides a reasonable example.

Comparison:

You're joking, right? Open space? How about the abundance of park-land that surrounds North Adelaide? This city has enough unused parks without the need for more. The only reason City Square in Melbourne works is because Melbourne CBD has literally no parks and the city streets are shrouded by high-rise buildings, and even then the original concept of the square failed - hence the construction of a boutique hotel over half of what was originally there.

Point taken - and it is a good one - but would you go to the Parklands at night? I still think there is merit in SOME new open space in a development like this - and it needn't be natural open space either.

[Nathan]

Point taken - and it is a good one - but would you go to the Parklands at night? I still think there is merit in SOME new open space in a development like this - and it needn't be natural open space either.

And there is—the plan includes a large public plaza in the centre.

[pushbutton]

I saw in the news this week that there are calls for a public consultation on this proposal.

So has anyone kept count of all the public consultations that have been done on this site?

[Jim]

I see the Advertiser and local rag claim North Adelaide residents are against this, who are these North Adelaide residents? I live at North Adelaide and no ones asked me! They obviously keep asking the same half dozen who oppose everything including Adelaide Oval and foot bridge. There's about 7,000 North Adelaide residents for gods sake ask some of the others!

[pushbutton]

It's got beyond a joke with that site. I pretty much agree with what was suggested in the Advertiser.

The site has become significant to Adelaide in its current state and should be preserved and heritage listed. It's a monument to the great Adelaide tradition of missed opportunities.

They should install a sign at the front of it with details of all the various proposals that have been knocked back over the years.