FAQs

High-quality, well considered buildings help to achieve greater visitor numbers in the Park Lands and increased community participation in recreational and sporting activities, as well as passive relaxation. A building that engages with the community ensures its broader appreciation and extends the purpose and life of the building. Successful buildings enhance the key functions of the Park Lands to their community. They support active recreation and passive relaxation to improve the health and wellbeing of the community, whilst also providing facilities for arts and music festivals, and sporting and cultural events.

Many Park Lands buildings are ageing, unsightly and no longer fit-for-purpose. They do not meet current building code standards, disability access and circulation standards, and do not provide facilities for women in sport. In addition, they do not offer facilities for wider community participation.

Good design is paramount to buildings being successful, accepted and contributing value to the Park Lands. These draft Guidelines address and balance the increasing current demands for new and renovated buildings with the desire to conserve the existing qualities of the Park Lands. The draft Guidelines will ensure that the design of new buildings align with current Council strategies and policies, and that buildings will capture the recent developments in smart building technology and consistently achieve a high level of sustainability.

Yes. These Guidelines replace the 2008 edition of the Adelaide Park Lands Building Design Guidelines.

The Guidelines should come into effect in mid-2020, pending APLA and Council endorsement.

No. However whenever building work is proposed in the Park Lands, these Guidelines will deliver better outcomes.

No. The Guidelines apply to both proposed new buildings and work to existing buildings. A new building proposed for the Park Lands will generally replace an existing building that is no longer fit-for-purpose. The Guidelines will ensure that the new replacement building is outstanding in its site planning, design and community offering. The City of Adelaide remains committed to reducing the overall built footprint in the Park Lands.

Building size is determined by a rigorous testing of the needs of the proposed facility, seeking balance between all user groups including the wider non-sporting community. Buildings should be designed for average user numbers (not peak numbers) and be designed with flexibility to accommodate multiple simultaneous user groups. Building code requirements, disability access and circulation standards will also impact the size of a building.

Yes. A multi-level building will have a smaller footprint than a single level building, however multi-level will not be appropriate for all buildings and will be considered on a case by case basis. Park Lands buildings need to balance usability with form. Café patrons require universal access. Sporting users require easy interaction with the building at ground level for changeroom access in sporting footwear. Sporting buildings also require clubrooms and social spaces which are best located at first floor level to provide passive surveillance, elevated viewing and balcony areas. The maximum building height should always be below tree height and influenced by local topography and any adjacent heritage structures or significant Park Land features.

An under-croft is a part of a building that is built below ground. It may be only 300mm below ground, or an entire story below ground. They can be effective in reducing the visual impact of a building. However, under-crofts should be avoided in the Park Lands to avoid the risk of encountering ground water and contaminated soils. Under-crofts also require significant additional infrastructure such as additional balustrades, sumps, pumps, waterproofing to walls, and ramped access (greatly increasing a building’s footprint). They greatly reduce daylight and passive ventilation to the under-croft level, create personal safety risks and substantially add to construction costs. In addition, they can make it difficult to achieve universal access to a building and may introduce significant risks and hazards for users to access lower level facilities (i.e. sports persons in sporting footwear, amongst others).

Any proposal for an under-croft in the Park Lands would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Online

Click here to complete the feedback form.

Information Pack

Complete the Feedback Form attached to the Information Pack, also available in hard copy from our Customer Centre, libraries and community centres.

Written Submissions

All written submissions must be received by 5.00pm, Monday 2 March 2020 and should be addressed to:

Community Consultation

Adelaide Park Lands Building Design Guidelines

GPO Box 2252, Adelaide SA 5001

Alternatively, comments can be emailed to yoursay@cityofadelaide.com.au.

We will acknowledge your feedback either by email or in writing so that you know your comments/feedback has been received.

Your feedback will be collated and the results will be reported to Council.

Results of the consultation will be uploaded online at yoursay.cityofadelaide.com.au. It is anticipated this information will be released in mid-2020.