34-storey North Terrace student accommodation tower will include an incubator hub, its designers say

A $60 million, 34-storey student accommodation tower planned for North Terrace will include an incubator hub, a solar array and associated battery backup, its designers say.

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A $60 million, 34-storey student accommodation tower planned for North Terrace will include an incubator hub, a solar array and associated battery backup, its designers say.

The project at 266 North Terrace will be built for international conglomerate Global Student Accommodation (GSA).

The town planning, architecture and interior design will be delivered by a joint venture between commercial architecture and interior design firm Rothelowman, in its first foray into the Adelaide market, and local architecture and town planning consultancy Intro.

Rothelowman founding principal Kim Lowman said the group this month received final planning approvals for the project.

“We commend the State Government, our JV partner Intro and client on a successful

collaboration that represents the best possible outcome for the site,” Mr Lowman said.

“The combination of our client’s vision, the local knowledge and town planning expertise of

Damien Ellis’ team at Intro, and Rothelowman’s national design team has led to an

exemplary project that enhances Adelaide’s position as a leading destination for education.

The Global Student Accommodation project at 266 North Terrace.

“The JV partners’ complementary strengths enabled us to not only manage risk on the

client’s behalf, but bring a level of design sophistication that pushes the boundaries to enrich

the student experience and enliven the city.

“We’re thrilled to have received permits for our first significant project in Adelaide and are

looking forward to continuing our work in the city across the spectrum of student housing,

hotels, residential and retail.”

The tower is expected to be completed in time for the 2020 academic year.

The designers said it “will be a striking vertical village that respects the city’s most important street, and reinterprets classical design elements in a contemporary way.

“Embracing the ground plane via a series of pilasters forming a colonnade, the tower’s

external frame tapers to expose the significant communal facilities. Columns are scaled

visually appearing to expand and contract as the tower rises.’’

There will be a battery array on the roof, complemented by battery storage in the basement.

“Blurring lines between university and business, the project will feature a dedicated in-house

co-working ‘incubator hub’ that references European internet cafes,” Rothelowman said.

“Combined with a cafe and retail space, the hub enables collaboration between students and business leaders by providing dedicated spaces where students can hone their commercial skills, while enjoying the experience of living and working with their peers and forming a career.’’

GSA head of real estate, Jon Whittle, said the building will be a standout, with options

ranging from one-person units through to five-person apartments, with all students having

their own bedroom.

“The significant collaboration across disciplines has enabled us to create a new benchmark

in student accommodation that will benefit not only the students who inhabit the building,

but the city as a whole,” Mr Whittle said.

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