A work further in progress

When we last looked at this Wakefield Street apartment in August, it was just starting to take shape. Now it is just a couple of weeks from completion, and some of the finishes can be seen in the bathrooms and kitchen. We can imagine that it will soon be looking like some of the other apartments in the building.

It has a contemporary architectural design that captures fabulous light and a cooling breeze due to its flow through north/south aspect. The City views from the roof deck and the eastern hills views are also really special.

The building is well over 10 years old now but remains quite unique in its warehouse style of central city living. The podium landscaping and garden is looking superb, and the community of owners are to be congratulated for the efforts put in to create a stunning garden focus.

It is just moments from a great cup of coffee at Bocelli, and confirms the old real estate adage: "Location, Location, Location"!

Going Green

Buchan Lee, with one of our favourite developers, recently attended a Capital City Committee forum. It was called "Adelaide As A Sustainable City" and a large number of 'green' topics were canvassed by some excellent speakers.

It started out with an introduction to green transport - using microalgae as biofuel, and the environmental benefits of electric vehicles. Then came a powerful and insightful talk which postulated that there is no point in having smart technology if we aren't smart about using it. For example, where is the real benefit in having a mobile phone which can turn off your air-conditioner at home? The speaker exposed issues around shallow marketing claims regarding sustainability, explaining that using older and simpler (but less 'sexy') technologies such as opening windows can be far more effective in reducing power usage and waste.

The forum then moved on to our area of interest - property. One of the speakers was John Culshaw, the developer of Point Boston - a Port Lincoln project that we were involved in for much of 2007. John explained the sustainable features of this exciting and world class land development. The water recycling technology for this project is truly amazing.

"Green roofs and Green walls" was a topic delivered by Graeme Hopkins that we found of particular interest. Buildings can look stunning when they incorporate plants and grasses as "living" roofs and walls. This is an architectural movement that looks like it is taking off and something that Adelaide should embrace in a big way. Apparently they can reduce energy use, improve air quality, and reduce the summer heat that builds up around a business district while at the same time attracting fauna such as birds and assisting in water recycling. The talk gave us the germ of an idea which we have decided to pursue with Council....watch this space for updates if we pull it off!

Falling in love with Hindmarsh Square

Named after the first Governor of South Australia, Rear Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh (1785 to 1860), this beautiful location is building up a complement of apartment buildings around the edge of the park, giving it a 'Central Park' feel. It started with the Mantra building about 6 years ago, which now operates as an all suite hotel with a smattering of owner occupiers and long term tenants with most of the apartments in the hotel letting pool.

This project was followed up by the Conservatory complex - a genuine mixed use building incorporating a retail ground floor, 2 levels of carparks, several floors of offices, and upper storeys containing around 60 apartments with great views over the square.

In the north eastern corner of the square, 2 more buildings are currently under construction. The Crowne Plaza Hotel, and 20 Hindmarsh Square are both nearing completion.

20 Hindmarsh Square will add another 89 apartments to the square's housing stock and we are reliably informed that the project is now virtually 80% sold. It is a 16 level building with ground floor retail, carparking, and 13 levels of 1 and 2 bedroom apartments all with balconies overlooking the square or east toward the Adelaide Hills.

The Crowne Plaza will be a 5 star hotel run by the well-known Intercontinental group, containing 308 rooms and suites. The spa, steam room, gym and pool are all available to 20 Hindmarsh Square residents as part of the package. We are sure that the restaurant, conference facilities and retail space will all add to the amenity and attractions of Hindmarsh Square.

We hope that the trend of high quality apartment projects continues, and we think the Rear Admiral would agree!