[COM] Festival Plaza Tower 1 | 115m | 27 Levels | Office

[fkj]

Definitely by this coming fringe. Work is progressing quite fast, and part of it is scheduled to open in December.

[SRW]

The riverside 'walk of fame' promenade and Festival Centre works are due to be finished by December but the whole precinct will be probably be under construction until 2019/20.

[Patrick_27]

What SRW said, not one bit of the plaza will be open for a couple of years yet. Hell, they haven't even demolished the carpark yet...

[Norman]

From yesterday

[Pikey]

I think I spy a crane base? Last two shots, lower left hand corner.

[Mpol03]

Please tell me the dark brown brick around the Festival Centre is being recladded? Gosh, it really makes the building so dated.

[Norman]

I think I spy a crane base? Last two shots, lower left hand corner.

That would make sense for the Casino expansion. Good eyes!

[crawf]

Looks like an announcement on future tenants is imminent. *highlighted in black*

Property tycoon Lang Walker about to reveal tenants for $500m Festival Plaza in Adelaide
Paul Starick, Chief Reporter, The Advertiser

PROPERTY tycoon Lang Walker has declared that work is about to get fully underway on his $500 million Festival Plaza project after five years of planning and negotiation.

Moving to defuse speculation the landmark development might not start for another six years, Mr Walker told The Advertiser talks were being held with potential tenants for a 23-storey office tower behind Parliament House.

These included state and federal government departments and private sector firms including financial services, telecommunications, legal, accounting and resources companies.

A formal announcement is expected within weeks.

Mr Walker’s assertion comes just before the expected release of an Auditor-General’s inquiry into the Festival Plaza deal, the report of which The Advertiser yesterday was told was in the final stages.


Mr Walker, the chairman of Walker Corporation, said Festival Plaza would create a dynamic arts and entertainment centre linking Adelaide Oval, the railway station, casino, Festival Centre and Riverbank.

“We are delighted to get fully under way with this project after five years of hard work, consisting of international research, the creation of project concepts and plans, preparatory works and the negotiation of complex agreements between all involved parties,” he said, in a written statement to The Advertiser.

“The concept is based on our successful and proven mixed-use approach to revitalise the city centre, which will become a major drawcard for Adelaide and attract major national and international businesses, tourists and locals.”

Auditor-General Andrew Richardson is set to deliver a report on the Festival Plaza deal after a year of delay due to factors including discussions with the Independent Commission Against Corruption about how to handle the probe.

Walker Corp in late 2012 won exclusive rights to develop the Festival Centre car park and plaza and in November last year secured Development Assessment Commission approval for the office tower.

The tower was pitched as 27 storeys but the company is now describing a 23-storey building, delivering about 40,000 sqm of office space and a 4000 sqm premium retail and entertainment precinct — the latter within a three-level complex fronting the plaza.

Walker Corp says construction of a five-level underground carpark, now under way, is expected to be finished by 2019 and the tower/retail then will take two years.

[Nathan]

Nothing says "dynamic arts and entertainment centre" like government departments, financial services, telecommunications, legal, accounting and resources companies.

[Norman]

It'll be interesting to see which companies they will be, and out of which buildings they will be moving. Isn't CBA's lease up for renewal soon?

[ml69]

I'm glad an announcement is imminent which brings the project closer to construction stage.

But I'm also disappointed that the tower design is (in my opinion) our biggest wasted opportunity in the CBD. The proposed design would be absolutely fine (even good) on any other site in the square mile of the CBD ....

... But this site, facing onto our showpiece public plaza, really required an absolutely outstanding tower design. Unfortunately the current design does not do this site the justice it deserves.

[crawf]

According to the article, it's also been downgraded to 23 levels from 27.

The tower was pitched as 27 storeys but the company is now describing a 23-storey building, delivering about 40,000 sqm of office space and a 4000 sqm premium retail and entertainment precinct — the latter within a three-level complex fronting the plaza.

---

It'll be interesting to see which companies they will be, and out of which buildings they will be moving. Isn't CBA's lease up for renewal soon?

Maybe Santos?

[HiTouch]

According to the article, it's also been downgraded to 23 levels from 27.

The tower was pitched as 27 storeys but the company is now describing a 23-storey building, delivering about 40,000 sqm of office space and a 4000 sqm premium retail and entertainment precinct — the latter within a three-level complex fronting the plaza.

---

It'll be interesting to see which companies they will be, and out of which buildings they will be moving. Isn't CBA's lease up for renewal soon?

Maybe Santos?

I’d expect a resource company, maybe BHP?
One can only speculate... maybe it’s Crawf’s newly made news company. Crawfcorp

[Will]

The original design was already safe, but to hear they have chopped off 4 levels is truly appalling. This means we’ll be left with an even more squat and boxy building. Terrible outcome

[timtam20292]

Yes, I’m not happy about the drop in height either.