A 14-storey social housing tower proposed for Adelaide’s city centre may test planning authorities’ willingness to trade height restrictions for sustainability features.
Filed by Future Urban on behalf of superfund Obenox, the $10-million-plus proposal for 8 Hocking Place would reach 46.3m—well beyond the Capital City Zone height limit.
The developer argues this is justified by “substantial gains in sustainability and contextual design”, according to planning documents.
The proposal comes as Adelaide faces housing affordability challenges and debate over appropriate building heights in the city centre.
The Tectvs-designed project would deliver 36 social housing apartments on the compact 250sq m site at the corner of Whitmore Square in the south-western quarter of the Adelaide city grid.
The unusual density—36 apartments on a site smaller than a tennis court—is a bold experiment in urban intensification for the SA capital.
“The project aims to enhance the ... community by providing affordable housing through an Eligible Rental Provider” and would “contribute significantly to the social fabric and vibrancy of Adelaide’s city centre”, the planning report said.
A single-storey building would make way for the development of 30 one-bedroom apartments across levels 1–10 and six two-bedroom apartments on the top two levels.
The ground floor would house communal facilities, including a 64sq m communal area, consultation room and bicycle storage.
The development aims to “achieve an average of 7.5 Stars NatHERS rating and be an all-electric, gas-free development with 100 per cent renewable electricity for the lifetime of the building”.
1 of 4
An embedded solar panel network would provide renewable energy and high-performance double glazing, water-efficient tap fittings and a 15kW photovoltaic panel system on the roof are among other sustainability initiatives.
Apartments would include operable windows for cross ventilation, and balconies from 8sq m to 12sq m for one-bedroom units and 11sq m for two-bedroom apartments.
According to ASIC, Obenox’s directors are Michael Lewis Abbott and Susan Jane Crafter.
Michael Lewis Abbott AO is a King’s Counsel who received Australia Day honours in 2011 for “distinguished service to the visual arts, particularly through leadership roles, to the development of arts education, to Australia-Asia relations, and to the law”.
Abbott is also a former president of the South Australian Bar Association and chair of the Legal Services Commission and, until 2016, was a non-executive director of the now delisted mining services company E&A Limited.
Susan Jane Crafter played a lead role in establishing Common Ground Adelaide—the first Common Ground Service in Australia, and is a French Embassy honorary consul.
According to Housing Choices Australia, the Common Ground program “provides market-standard affordable rental housing and associated support services to low-income earners and those at risk of homelessness”.
While the State Planning Commission will oversee the application, the City of Adelaide chief executive will provide a technical report covering essential infrastructure, traffic, waste management, stormwater, public open space, and potential impacts on local heritage places.
The site is within several planning overlays, including Airport Building Heights, Affordable Housing, Building Near Airfields, Design, Heritage Adjacency, Hazards (Flooding), Noise and Air Emissions, and Regulated and Significant Tree.
Surrounding landmarks include William Booth Home, Salvation Army Hostel, St Luke’s Church and Bohem Apartments, and the development is close to local shops and parklands.
No construction timeline has been specified for the project.
Tectvs is the design team behind the $102-million ARC Bowden affordable housing development comprising 145 apartments at Hindmarsh, as well as a luxury eight-storey development at 183 Melbourne Street at North Adelaide that incorporates the heritage-listed former malthouse of the Old Lion Brewery.
