Arup Takes Reins for SA Brewery Site Masterplan

A landmark redevelopment in the South Australian capital has taken a step forward with the selection of the principal urban design consultant.

Global design firm Arup has been picked to masterplan Renewal SA’s urban infill project at Thebarton on the former site of the West End Brewery.

The consultancy would lead the transformation of the Port Road parcel with a team of Australian and South Australian-based companies including Breathe Architects—responsible for the successful Nightingale Bowden project next to the Thebarton site—and Australian landscape architects TCL, the SA Government said.

Work on the masterplan is now under way with construction slated to begin in 2025. The precinct’s first residents are expected to move in by 2027.

The masterplan will build on plans outlined by Renewal SA after it bought the former brewery site from Lion Beer Wine & Spirits in September.

The 8.4ha site will become a mixed-use community with 1000 new homes (20 per cent affordable) plus commercial, hospitality, retail and government tenancies, along with public green space, according to Renewal SA.

The billion-dollar redevelopment “aims to set a new international benchmark for mixed-use development and deliver positive community outcomes”, the SA Government said.

These include pushing sustainability boundaries through integrated design that considers water, energy, movement, and biodiversity; redefining liveability through welcoming public spaces, active streets, and a diverse mix of programs and events; and delivering a diverse mix of high-quality homes.

▲ The former brewery site in Adelaide’s inner north-west will include about 1000 homes.

The project will “engage with the Kaurna community to interweave Culture and Country into the project; celebrate the site’s heritage buildings, structures and stories; deliver ecological and community benefits, connecting to the Karrawirra Parri/River Torrens; and catalyse local investment, according to the Government.

Arup said it had a dedicated Adelaide-based transport team to ensure the site transitions to a highly connected place with multimodal streets that support local living. Arup and its consortium were selected from a shortlist of local, national and international contenders during an open market tender process.

The Thebarton brewery site was bought by West End Brewing in 1938, and the company operated exclusively from there after closing its Hindley Street brewery in 1980.

The Thebarton site was closed in June, 2021. 

▲ The 1972 Christmas display on the banks of the Torrens River behind the brewery—the annual display remains a firm favourite for the children of Adelaide and continues despite the closure of the brewery.