Old RAH site would get a whole range of events under Renewal SA short-term plan

TEMPORARY art galleries, pop-up entertainment areas, outdoor art and a range of community events are set for the old Royal Adelaide Hospital as part of a short-term plan for the site.

Concept images by Renewal SA for proposed short-term uses of the Old RAH site, including a temporary art gallery, an artist-in-residence tenancy, entertainment areas and outdoor art installations.

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TEMPORARY art galleries, pop-up entertainment areas, outdoor art and a range of community events are set for the old Royal Adelaide Hospital as part of a short-term plan that would make the site a hive of cultural and creative activity.

Renewal SA — which will manage the redevelopment of the former hospital — has lodged a development application with the Adelaide City Council to hold a range of indoor and outdoor events and “activations” at oRAH site over the next two years, as debate heats up over the long-term use of the 7ha of prime land on North Tce.

The State Government wants to transform the oRAH site into a thriving start-up and innovation hub for future industries, potentially playing host to Google if the bold bid to get the tech giant to set up its Australian headquarters in Adelaide is ultimately successful.

But The Advertiser can reveal that there are plans afoot for a large number of short-term uses earmarked for the site over the next two years as demolition of the former hospital takes place.

Concept images by Renewal SA for proposed short-term uses of the Old RAH site, aimed at turning it into a thriving community hub.

Renewal SA people and place management general manager Georgina Vasilevski said this would include a temporary art gallery, an artist-in-residence tenancies, small scale entertainment areas, culture and creative activities, community events and outdoor art installations and murals.

“We plan to use them on a temporary basis for cultural and creative activities to encourage people to visit the former RAH and Adelaide’s East End,” she said.

“This will help shift people’s perceptions of how the site can be used and create new connections as we open it up to become a hub for innovation and start-up businesses in fast-growing industries such as defence and space, cyber security, medical technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, media and film.”

Any artwork would not be attached to any heritage building and none of the proposed short-term uses would impact on any of the existing heritage and non-heritage buildings on-site.

Already events such as the Light, Innovation and Technology festival, the Adelaide Portal and the Fringe on World Tour have been held at the now abandoned site, attracting 16,000 people since October.

Ms Vasilevski said the planned future events would be about showcasing the potential uses of the oRAH site.

“The activations will also demonstrate how this site can become a vibrant and appealing place for entrepreneurs and those who work in these growing industries,” she said.

President of the East End Co-ordination Group Julie Moralee said the prospects of short-term activations of the site was exciting.

“We would be delighted,” she said.

“But we would love to see a robust marketing campaign around any activation that can bring people to the area.”