An ambitious bid to supersede Adelaide’s tallest building record has reached a new milestone as planning approval has been recommended by the state’s planning panel for a tower that, if realized, would stand 180 metres tall.
Designed by Cox Architecture and JPE Design Studio, the SA1 Tower would be the tallest in Adelaide, significantly exceeding the city’s current tallest building, the Crowne Plaza on Frome Street, by 42 metres or 18 storeys.
The 55-storey building would include 330 residential apartments, 160 tourist accommodation rooms, and three restaurants on a site intersecting Pulteney and Flinders streets.
Located across from the heritage-listed St Paul’s Church, the site at 207–209 Pulteney Street currently contains a three-storey office building and an open-air carpark, which would need to be demolished for the new development.
Government planning officer Ben Scholes has recommended that the State Commission Assessment Panel grant the project planning consent on the grounds that the proposed tower is not seriously at odds with the provisions of the Planning and Design Code, despite suggestions that it would “significantly alter” the city skyline.
“While the development would be likely to significantly alter the built form profile of the Adelaide city skyline, the CBD has evolved in recent years through the proliferation of tower developments which are not concentrated in the city’s traditional core or its primary pedestrian area,” wrote Scholes.
The SA1 Tower currently has no provisions for affordable housing, but the developer plans to include carparking on levels one to nine, hotel rooms on levels 13 to 20, apartments on levels 22 to 50, and penthouses on levels 51 to 53. The top two levels would consist of a rooftop garden and services enclosure, and a sky lounge is planned for the eleventh level.
The SA1 Tower has garnered the approval of Adelaide Airport, which concluded that the proposed building would not intrude on commercial flight paths, despite apparent encroachment into “protected Commonwealth airspace.”
The government architect Kirsteen Mackay has also demonstrated her preliminary support for the project, stating it has the potential to “change the epicentre of the tallest buildings in Adelaide.” However, she indicated that her support was contingent on the project’s continued commitment to high-quality outcomes through subsequent stages of delivery.
The project is due to be assessed by the State Commission Assessment Panel on Wednesday 14 September.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
