Hypothetical situation

[Phantom]

Alright, hopefully I've worded this question correctly and I apologise (I really don't) if I haven't, but...

Okay. Let's say that you have the ability to place in any area of the CBD five buildings of your choice, all of which are guaranteed to become economically viable, able to contribute to Adelaide and are able to bolster the business sector of the surrounding area that you have chosen. You are given free reign to destroy whatever buildings you so desire in order to place down the building that your grand plan requires... In short, you have the override button at your disposal.

Where abouts would you choose to revitalise the city and why? Also, where would you ideally have a new tallest building for Adelaide positioned?

1) - I personally would chose Morphett St. I love coming into the city from the North and coming down Montefiore Hill. The sights along the sweeping road are magnificent and they continue over the River Torrens. My first building (hopefully a hotel/accommodation would be placed on the western side of the Morphett St bridge and would link up to a new Western Riverbank Precinct. It would also connect up with the UNISA Cancer Biology Centre, creating a rather grand above ground boulevard entrance into the city.

2) - Another decision I would make would be to guarantee the green light of the Court Proposal on the corner of King William St and Wright St. While I don't necessarily agree with the architecture of the proposals in question, I think that block of land has been vacant for far too long. I can't imagine a block of land on the main street of any other of the five major capitals

3) - My third building would REALLY piss the NIMBYs off. I would look into building a new rectangular sporting arena somewhere in the city itself, that would house not only an A-League club, but would allow Adelaide to make a serious push towards a permanent rugby team. The stadium would have to be designed on the outside to resemble buildings, as to not stick out like dog's balls at ground level. Seriously, can you even see the stadium in this picture? It really could become something of a hidden treasure, amongst the city.

4) - Again, this could cause controversy, but I think I would have to find a way to cease usage of the West Tce cemetery and simply replace it with park lands. For me, I feel rather strongly against a cemetery such as that being placed along one of the direct arterial routes into the CBD. It's a rather grim sight if you give it a minute to stop and take in the thought. I wouldn't want any buildings or anything improper to encroach over it, just perhaps a memorial park as a fitting tribute to their final resting place. No disrespect intended.

5) - Lastly, I would green light the O'Connell St eyesore to be ousted to make way for something rather attractive to be placed across from the North Adelaide Village shops. I wouldn't mind if it were residential or retail, but that wasteland really like point number two, should not be along the main street of a city of Adelaide's caliber.

So, your turn! What would you choose to place where, and why?

PS - If you can see anything abhorrently wrong about the ideas I listed, tell me! I'd genuinely like some feedback on your thoughts!

[Mountaineer]

I love the rectangular Stadium Idea, especially comparable to Stade Louis II in Monaco. I wonder if the RAH site would be big enough, you know, Hypothetically.

I'm not sure exactly where I'd put the buildings, but I would aim to place higher ones around Westpac House to prevent the sore tooth syndrome I feel Melbourne is developing.

[Phantom]

I think that with the continuous population growth that a rugby team could be sustainable in the future. If we were to have them and Adelaide United linked up at the same ground, it could bolster both sports, as well as potentially bringing the occasional Socceroos match. Currently Hindmarsh is a 17,000 seat stadium. This simply isn't enough for finals matches and matches against the Melbourne Victory.

I toyed with the idea of the RAH site, but I also figured that size would be an issue. That and parking. If it were slightly away from things, but still within the CBD, I'm sure parking companies would be very interested in arranging sites nearby.

I know what you mean about placing buildings near Westpac House. The density around there is not what it could be. If you have a look at Pirie St, they have continuous buildings of large height. Westpac doesn't have that luxury immediately next to it, which, while making it look taller, also makes the vacant space around it seem very... Well... Vacant.

[slenderman]

Hmm, good question. Ideally, a lot more than five buildings could be built.

Personally I'd quite like to see more development on the western side of the CBD as well (a bit to the west of Morphett Street), as currently I think it's quite embarrassing for visitors to our city come in from the airport to be greeted by what looks more like a country town or village with the collection of mostly 70s/80s buildings off in the distance. Obviously this is quite rapidly improving with more developments such as Aria, Central Adelaide, Palladium and Vision that 22 storey proposal on Waymouth/Morphett and even Bohem to an extent, but I would love to see a much higher building density approaching West Terrace. Hopefully the hospital helps with that. It doesn't have to be a ridiculously tall area, but a pretty dense collection of 50-75m developments would go nicely.

Also agree that Currie/Hindley Streets could use the density of Waymouth/Pirie/Grenfell Streets. Other than Westpac House and the Currie/Rosina Hotel proposed, it's still quite slim pickings in that area.

I'd also really like to see the gap between the little "Southern skyline" and the rest of the CBD eventually bridged and continue to fan out further west and possibly east. I've said it before, but I think our skyline could become pretty decent when viewed from the west/east if the KWS spine was filled, perhaps adding in another 100m+ tallie for some balance between the north and south (probably around the Courts Precinct).

I'd also love to bulldoze the Telstra Exchange, just because it's so irredeemably hideous, even if it's slowly being built out of most angles of view thankfully (particularly Victoria Square and along Anzac Highway approaching the city). I've actually kind of grown to not mind/like some of our brutalism, but this building, the Hilton and the ACC office building at 13 Pirie Street are ones I just dislike anyway. Also, the Telstra Exchange covers a pretty large footprint which I think could be much better used by a much taller and better looking building.

Overall I just want our city to continue to densify outwards in all directions (possibly exlcuding the Hutt/Rundle Street areas). It doesn't even have to be ridiculously tall, as even lower developments like the Rowlands and Vision on Morphett have quite an impact in certain areas. When you see the CBD from the hills or an aerial photo you gain appreciation for how huge the CBD actually is, so it'd be quite amazing to see it all densely filled with high rises, all sitting within the parklands.

Phantom, can I please add to the question where each of you who responds would place a new tallest building if it could be located anywhere in the CBD? Personally, I'd love to knock down Southern Cross Arcade and build a new tallest office/resi tower above with heaps of retail below, and would have good skyline impact from almost every angle.

[Phantom]

I added your question into the italic'd section of the original post. For me, I'd love a new tallest along Rundle Mall somewhere. Perhaps the Capital City proposal from a while ago?

I thought of more than five positions myself, but figured that if I weren't to limit it to 5, I'd end out rambling on all day.

One idea I love the idea of is one of the five squares to be surrounded with dense highrise buildings. There's just something I find really cool about that picture.

As for the Telstra Exchange, you should take comfort in the fact that people of Perth hate theirs, too. It's not just ours that is ugly!

[Maximus]

3) - My third building would REALLY piss the NIMBYs off. I would look into building a new rectangular sporting arena somewhere in the city itself, that would house not only an A-League club, but would allow Adelaide to make a serious push towards a permanent rugby team. The stadium would have to be designed on the outside to resemble buildings, as to not stick out like dog's balls at ground level.

Definitely agree with this. I also think there's a strong argument that you'd make it an enclosed stadium (i.e. a roof). If you're going to build something for what are minority sports in South Australia, you need to make it as attractive as possible for the punters. Enclosure obviously then gives the stadium a potential multipurpose use.

I'm not sure exactly where I'd put the buildings, but I would aim to place higher ones around Westpac House to prevent the sore tooth syndrome I feel Melbourne is developing.

Interesting you say this. My feeling is that if you have a tall building at either end of the city, it actually makes everything else in between seem taller -- i.e. it 'anchors' the skyline and gives the feeling of it being higher than it actually is. I think the 'pyramid' look actually reduces the perceived height of the skyline. Interested in other people's thoughts on this, though.

[rev]

Where abouts would you choose to revitalise the city and why? Also, where would you ideally have a new tallest building for Adelaide positioned?

Your second hypothetical situation question...A new tallest, where.. The natural choice is within the immediate area around the current tallest. But what about further south towards Victoria Square to spur some activity down there and "spread" the skyline. Or perhaps directly east somewhere along Pirie St.

Your first question now.

I'd choose the southern part of the CBD and the squares, primarily Victoria Square.
Specifically the south eastern corner. Better connect it to the rest of the city and the cbd with trams. It should be an area of high density residential towers. Not dwelling types you'd associate with an ordinary suburb. Sorry, that's one of my pet hates with our city.
The squares need to be surrounded by bars, cafes and restaurants all facing into the squares. The disgusting out of place trees you can find all over Adelaide and in our squares need to go. Actual proper landscaping design needs to be done in the squares.(northern half of vic square excluded obviously)

I'd also take the dead, unused, wasted dust bowl excuse for parklands near Santos stadium and Etsa Park, take that train line that runs between the two and tunnel it, and over the top build a proper state sports park, relocating the Velodrome there as well as Hindmarsh stadium with a new purpose built multi-use rectangular stadium. I use to be of the opinion that building a sporting precinct around Adelaide Oval was a good idea, but I've since come to the conclusion that Adelaide Oval is too iconic on it's own to be spoiled by other sporting facilities surrounding it. So even the tennis center should be moved to the western parklands in a new sporting precinct.

Another area I'd make changes to is the West Tce cemetery. It should be "greened" up with plenty of trees and shrubs/bushes. And in the mean time, starting with the oldest sections, they should stop using it bit by bit till eventually it's no longer in use. In the meantime they should build a new cemetery elsewhere. Really, a cemetery in such a location in this day and age? Come on. I have the utmost respect for people grieving and their right to pay their respects to their deceased loved ones, but I think it's time they started thinking about relocating the cemetery and putting that plot of land to a different use as an entry/gateway into the City from that side of town.

And this is probably my craziest most out there idea. Extend the Torrens River into the eastern and southern parklands through Botanic Park/Botanic Gardens all the way to Veale Gardens. That would create thousands of jobs to build it. Hundreds more jobs created for the construction of entertainment, retail, dining, residential buildings facing the new water front. You could host water sports in the cbd in summer, a big tourist win for the city.
Maybe a big crazy ass project like that would shake things up massively and create some real buzz about this place.

[Phantom]

Rev, I like the way you think.

Maximus, to be fair, once the Vue is at full height and sitting next to the Optus building, this might start to take effect, North to South. Unfortunately, West to East might be a significant time away unless if they make 123 Flinders St happen...

[Xaragmata]

Alright, hopefully I've worded this question correctly and I apologise (I really don't) if I haven't, but...

Where abouts would you choose to revitalise the city and why? Also, where would you ideally have a new tallest building for Adelaide positioned?

I would forget building new hotels / office towers on or near Festival Plaza, and instead think of the south side of North Terrace between KW & Morphett Street as part of the Riverbank Precinct (by some other name) and build 5 or more
hotel / resi / mixed use towers on North Terrace or behind existing buildings. A new tallest in place of Roma Mitchell House, or just behind it, with a rebuild of Station Arcade. Walker Corporation could build their tower there. I can think
of many good reasons why it won't happen ... but I see it as the best place for a concentration of new towers in the CBD.

[Nathan]

I think I'd place some at the main entrances to the city, particular Grote St (although this would come in hand with a significant rethink of West Tce and the western parklands).

I'd also like to see one or two (or four) of the buildings on the Rundle Mall/Rundle St/Pulteney St intersection replaced. As one of our most significant intersections, it's got a terrible building on every corner.

I'm not so concerned about significant height. I'd prefer a low to mid height building of extremely high architectural standard than anything aimed at just raising the skyline.