Tapangka on Franklin

The multi-million-dollar development of the former Adelaide Bus Station on Franklin Street will be known as Tapangka and is envisaged to be delivered as Adelaide’s first carbon-neutral precinct.

Renewal SA will act as master developer of the site after being chosen as the successful proponent by the City of Adelaide in 2023.

Tapangka will deliver a new standard of inner-city living with two mixed-use towers and a central signature building. The signature building will be carbon neutral in operation and achieve a 6 Star Green Star certified rating. It will deliver commercial floor space combined with a place of learning, entertainment, culture, and community.

The project will provide accommodation for about 1,000 people, with 392 apartments being delivered alongside a 200-plus key hotel. Tapangka will also introduce institutional build-to-rent apartments into the city’s CBD. Across the two towers, a minimum of 35% will be offered as affordable housing, including apartments for rent and purchase.

At completion, the site will include over 5,500m² of commercial space and over 1,200m² of retail space.

This development will be a significant contributor to the city and state economy. During the construction period, Tapangka is expected to generate over 1,300 jobs and contribute more than $161 million of Gross Value Add to the state.

Renewal SA settled on the site in February 2024 and immediately released a Request for Offer to the market for a consultant to lead the critical development of a sustainability strategy for the project. The Draft Sustainability Strategy was completed in August 2024. It was developed simultaneously with the project's Draft Initial Master Plan, ahead of community engagement which occurred in the second half of 2024.

Renewal SA agreed with the City of Adelaide for the site and buildings to retain current operation, including car parking, to support the Adelaide Central Market redevelopment while planning work is completed for the project. We are committed to sharing the learnings from its journey to carbon neutrality with the broader development sector and community as part of the Tapangka project.

Renewal SA is currently inviting Registrations of Interest (ROI) from suitable development partners to deliver Tapangka, for more information visit development opportunities.

Renewal SA’s bold vision for Tapangka puts the human experience at the heart of the built environment and aims to create a lifestyle offering that positions it as one of the most vibrant and inclusive residential developments and precincts in the state.

This new approach to city living is inspired by the experience of going on a journey: a journey of reconciliation, a journey of home ownership, a journey towards sustainability, and a journey of partnership. In Kaurna language, this experience is known as Tapangka.

Renewal SA is committed to ensuring key stakeholders and the local community are engaged as part of the planning and design process for the Tapangka on Franklin project.

Community members were invited to share their views at two community drop-in sessions in August 2024 and online. Information on the community engagement undertaken to date can be found in the resources section, below.

Renewal SA will continue to undertake consistent and meaningful engagement with stakeholders and the local community to assist with the delivery of Tapangka on Franklin.

Tapangka on Franklin sits on Kaurna Yarta (Kaurna Country) in Tarndanya (place of the Red Kangaroo), which is the Kaurna name for the site of Adelaide. This link to Kaurna heritage will be celebrated in Tapangka’s development, from its planning and design to its on-going cultural life.

Renewal SA will incorporate and celebrate First Nations culture as part of its delivery approach for the site and will engage the Kaurna community as part of its commitment to reconciliation and to ensure Culture and Country are appropriately interwoven into the project.