Adelaide’s first carbon neutral precinct - Tapangka (Ta-pun-ka) - is about to take shape with an emerging and green-focused national consultant leading the development of the project’s sustainability vision.
HIP V. HYPE has been chosen by Renewal SA to define the sustainable strategy for an Australian leading, socially conscious and environmentally focused outcome for the former Franklin Street bus station site which will be home to more than 1,000 residents when completed in 2029.
Tapangka is Kaurna for going on a journey and a key part of the project will be a journey in setting a new sustainability benchmark for South Australia with a target for Tapangka to be Adelaide’s first carbon neutral precinct incorporating 5 Star Green Star certified rating planned for the two towers within the precinct and a 6 Star Green Star certified rating envisaged for the signature civic building, a certification that would represent world leadership.
Melbourne based HIP V. HYPE has a global reputation for innovative precinct strategies while also working as a developer delivering carbon neutral apartments and collective spaces. It is such outcome-based thinking that will drive the sustainability strategy for Tapangka and will be embedded within the project’s master plan.
Global architecture design studio, Woods Bagot, will work in partnership with HIP V. HYPE to refine the master plan work completed during the initial bid process and will seek to maximise the outcomes and value that can be achieved from the landmark Adelaide CBD site.
The 6,850m2 site is envisioned as a leading inner-city destination with a blend of long-and-short term housing options that includes a minimum of 35% affordable housing as well as contemporary commercial, signature civic and retail spaces. In addition to 392 apartments, the project will target 200+ hotel rooms and the site will include purpose-built rental accommodation offered on a long-term secure basis through an institutional build-to-rent owner.
Tapangka is expected to lead the way in creating an, Australia leading, environmentally sustainable precinct solution that is also an interconnected commercial and residential community in the heart of the city.
The project is expected to deliver economic benefits generating more than 1,300 jobs during construction and contributing more than $161 million of Gross Value Add to South Australia.
Renewal SA’s Development Director (Medium Density and Built Form), Chantal Milton, said sustainability is a leading objective of any Renewal SA project.
“Tapangka is taking this sustainability vision to the next level and we intend to take the development sector, community and government on this journey and share the learnings,” she said and expects Tapangka’s location, a few minutes' walk from Victoria Square and the Adelaide Central Market, to help raise awareness, share learnings and boost the community conversation around sustainability.
HIP V.HYPE ticked every box required to lead the project’s sustainability strategy Ms Milton said.
“We were impressed by the varied creative thinking that has gone into some of HIP V.HYPE’s other consultancy projects across Australia. They have a high level of technical expertise and are true advocates for sustainability possibilities now and in the future,” she said.
“They are both a sustainability consultant and a developer in their own right using their own projects to test and model and learn.”
In addition to the residential component, Tapangka will boast more than 5,500m2 of commercial floor space within a signature building along with 1,200m2 of retail space at completion.
Initial plans include a network of tree-lined laneways or ‘eat streets’ fronting the proposed walkways between Franklin and Grote streets, with retail opportunities and casual eateries and sit-down day and evening restaurant options to complement the existing offerings in the Central Market and Gouger Street.
HIP V. HYPE has enabled several projects in Melbourne’s inner suburbs including Ferrars & York, multi-award winning carbon neutral apartments just 100 metres from South Melbourne Market.
Sustainable designs are all about the getting the right balance between theory and the pragmatic said founder Liam Wallis who was so taken by three of the Melbourne projects his firm has designed that he has also lived in them. And despite HIP V. HYPE being new to the South Australia workplace, Mr Wallis is familiar with the Adelaide CBD and the Tapangka site in particular.
“My partner and I ride bikes and we have been across to the Tour Down Under a few times. It is one of the best weeks of the year,” he said.
“There used to be a bike warehouse just north of Franklin St and so I know Franklin St really well, it’s a great location. We have been across for the Tarnanthi festival which showcases the latest contemporary works of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. We love it.”
The Tapangka sustainability strategy is expected to be completed by December 2024 and will be informed by input from a Sustainability Working Group of industry experts to be convened by Renewal SA and broader community engagement.
Development partners for the delivery of Tapangka and the implementation of the objectives set out in the sustainability strategy will be sought later this year via an Australia-wide expression of interest campaign.