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Since 1988, the 31-storey Westpac House office tower has been the tallest building in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Though it doesn't even crack the top 100 of the country's tallest towers, its 132-metre frame has dominated the skyline. But a substantial revision to a pre-existing 29-storey proposal has been submitted to the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure for approval, which could spell the end of Westpac House's skyscraping supremacy.
The new plan calls for a 40-storey building climbing to a height of 132 metres — eclipsing Westpac House by less than a metre — from an address along the narrow Austin Street. The application details 320 one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments, including two luxurious double-height penthouses. Two levels of amenity spaces would likely contain a rooftop spa and wellness facility, giving the interiors an exclusive hotel-like vibe.
Called Realm Adelaide, the tower would soar above the existing Renaissance Arcade, which would receive a facelift if the development goes through. A current hotspot of Asian cuisine frequented by the city's university students, the location would become a thriving, fully integrated hub for dining and retail. A potential restoration of the 1858-built single-storey Assay House could also install a terrace-equipped rooftop bar and restaurant on the block. The golden hues of the Elenberg Fraser-designed development reflect the Assay House's rich history, where gold rush prospectors would turn their finds into the Adelaide Pound. The city was the first British colony to issue its own coins.
Though Realm Adelaide would just barely surpass the roof height of the current tallest, another proposal at 11-27 Frome Street threatens to achieve that milestone first. That 36-storey residential and hotel development may come to a pinnacle of 140 metres to unquestionably become Adelaide's highest building.
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