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The Adelaide Convention Centre’s Expansion Reaches An Exciting Pinnacle

Adelaide’s Riverbank Precinct just gets better and better…

Adelaide’s Riverbank Precinct has been undergoing a serious makeover of late. Lucky for this patient, its renovations have turned out to be nothing short of amazing (unlike some of those Hollywood celebs who undergo a little nip and tuck)….

Work on the second stage of Adelaide Convention Centre’s $400 million expansion has reached a key phase with the “topping out” milestone, installation of the highest point of the redevelopment, now complete.

Construction of the East Building, which stands more than 30 metres above Adelaide’s Riverbank promenade level, began earlier this year and is scheduled for completion in mid-2017.

Adelaide Convention Centre’s redevelopment project is being delivered in two stages, with the first stage – the new West Building – completed and opened to the public in March 2015. This first stage saw the centre expand westwards, over the railway lines, to link with Morphett Street Bridge and the developing medical precinct.

Stage two of the redevelopment replaces the original Plenary Building, which in 1987 became the site for Australia’s first Convention Centre. This stage features a multi-purpose, state-of-the-art facility, with a 3,500-seat capacity.

Adelaide Convention Centre Chief Executive, Alec Gilbert, says “topping out” is an exciting milestone in the construction schedule.

“It’s a fantastic moment for us here at the Centre, and the many local contractors who are working on the project,” Mr Gilbert said.

“The redevelopment remains on track in time for the 68th International Astronautical Congress in September 2017, which will be one of the largest conferences ever to be held in Adelaide. There will be 3,500 delegates descending on Adelaide for the event.”

He said the next step in construction is external façade work and glazing, which begins next month.

“The new buildings enable the Centre to cater and bid for more events and larger events. This in turn generates significant economic and cultural benefit for South Australia.

“Since the opening of the West Building in March last year, 380 events have already been hosted using the West Building. Conferences, conventions, business events and gala dinners have bought 35,000 interstate and overseas visitors to Adelaide.

“While still under construction, we have over 60 conference event enquiries for the East Building already.”

Events hosted in the Centre’s new West Building in 2015 included the Associations Forum National Conference, the Professional Conference Organisers Association Conference and Exhibition, and international tourism conference, Dreamtime 2015.

The new facilities also assisted in hosting the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, the Australian Masters Games Village and the 2015 AFL Draft.

Adelaide-based international architectural firm Woods Bagot designed the Adelaide Convention Centre’s redevelopment, which when complete will operate as a single, unified complex, or as three stand-alone venues, with dedicated arrival points and distinct identities.

The redevelopment of the Adelaide Convention Centre is part of a $3 billion investment in Adelaide’s Riverbank Precinct.

In recent years, the Riverbank Precinct has been rapidly evolving to create a new hub for Adelaide, incorporating new research, health and medical centres, educational institutions, sport and entertainment facilities.

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