Lot Fourteen facts for kids
Lot Fourteen is a special place in Adelaide city centre, South Australia, where old hospital buildings have been turned into a modern hub for technology, business, and culture. It's located at the eastern end of North Terrace. The site is about 7 hectares (17 acres) big.
This area used to be the old Royal Adelaide Hospital, which moved to a new building in 2017. The name "Lot Fourteen" comes from the original plan for Adelaide made in 1837 by Colonel William Light. Today, many refurbished buildings are home to exciting companies and projects. New buildings and public spaces are also being built, with plans for them to be finished around 2025. The government of South Australia has been leading this big project.
A very important part of Lot Fourteen is the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre, also known as Tarrkarri. This new cultural centre and gallery is planned to be a main feature of the development.
Lot Fourteen is also a place for new ideas and businesses, called an entrepreneurial hub. A new 16-storey building, the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Centre, is being built there.
Many technology companies have their homes at Lot Fourteen. The main office of the Australian Space Agency is here, along with other space-related businesses. The Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (A3C) helps with cybersecurity. Companies like Inovor Technologies (space tech) and Presagen (health tech) are also located here. The Australian Institute for Machine Learning, which researches artificial intelligence, is also part of Lot Fourteen. There's even a special hub called Stone & Chalk that helps new technology companies grow, including a "Living Lab" from the MIT.
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Why Lot Fourteen Was Created
Lot Fourteen was built on the site of the old Royal Adelaide Hospital. This hospital had some buildings that were very old, dating back to the 1800s. In September 2017, the hospital moved to a brand new complex.
Even before the move, there were plans for what to do with the 7-hectare site. It's in a great spot in the city, right next to the Adelaide Botanic Garden. It's also close to the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, Adelaide Botanic High School, and the Art Gallery of South Australia. The idea was to create a mixed area with cultural places, homes, hotels, and offices. The Australian government also put money into the project.
The name "Lot Fourteen" comes from the very first plan of Adelaide, drawn up by Colonel William Light in 1837. This project is managed by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet in South Australia, working with many other government groups.
Key Moments in Lot Fourteen's Development
2017: Early Ideas
Before the new hospital was ready, many ideas were discussed for the old site. In January 2017, the government thought about building over 1,000 apartments and a five-star hotel. They decided to keep five historic buildings and turn about a third of the site into part of the Adelaide Botanic Garden.
2018: Focus on Innovation
In March 2018, a new government came into power. They decided to focus on making Lot Fourteen an "innovation hub." In September, the government set aside money to attract new businesses and industries, especially those linked to the Australian Space Agency. The plan was to have up to 650 workspaces and conference areas. Many historic buildings were kept and updated.
By the end of 2018, over 150 people were working at Lot Fourteen. They focused on areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, cybersecurity, defence, and space technology. An entrepreneurial hub called FIXE@LotFourteen was also set up. On December 12, 2018, the Prime Minister announced that the Australian Space Agency would move to Lot Fourteen in 2019.
2019: Growth and New Plans
In June 2019, the state government announced more money for the project, totaling over $550 million. This money was part of a deal called the "Adelaide City Deal." By this time, many space companies were already at Lot Fourteen or planning to move there. There were also plans for the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre.
Experts from Canada visited Lot Fourteen in September 2019. They suggested that non-government groups should have more say in how the project is managed. They also recommended setting up an independent board to work with government and businesses.
By June 2019, companies like Inovor Technologies (space tech) and Presagen (health tech) were working in the updated Hanson and Eleanor Harrald Buildings. The goal was to have over a thousand people working there by early 2020. Stone & Chalk, a group that helps new businesses, was brought in to support start-ups at Lot Fourteen.
In July 2019, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) agreed to work with Lot Fourteen. They planned to create a "Living Lab" to help South Australia plan for economic growth and a growing population.
2020: Major Openings
The offices of the Australian Space Agency officially opened on February 19, 2020. The agency aims to make Australia's space industry three times bigger and create 20,000 new jobs by 2030.
In February 2020, the Premier announced that the Aboriginal Cultural Centre, costing $235 million, would open by 2023. The Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (A3C) was also set up in July 2020. In September 2020, a big company called Accenture announced they would open an office at Lot Fourteen.
In November 2020, an extra $50 million was given to the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC). This brought the total for its construction to $200 million. The centre plans to use virtual reality and other digital technologies to tell stories. Construction was planned to start in 2021 and finish in 2024.
A new 16-storey building for the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Centre was planned to be finished by the end of 2023. The Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AML) is also located at Lot Fourteen.
2021: Changes and New Plans
In January, an architectural firm was chosen to design the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre. In July 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a temporary COVID-19 testing centre opened at Lot Fourteen.
In October 2021, plans for an International Centre for Food, Hospitality and Tourism Studies were stopped. Instead, the government started looking into a high-tech cyber education centre for the site.
2022: New Companies Arrive
In September 2022, it was announced that Airbus Defence and Space would open a research facility at Lot Fourteen in October. This facility would develop new satellites for the Australian Defence Force.
2024: Innovation Centre and New Tenants
On September 30, 2024, it was announced that the new Innovation Centre would be completed in 2027–2028. This centre is the first new building in a new master plan for Lot Fourteen. Most of its spaces are already rented out. BAE Systems, a large defence company, is moving its headquarters to Lot Fourteen, bringing about 500 employees.
Tarrkarri: The Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre
In February 2020, the Premier announced that the $235 million Aboriginal Cultural Centre would open by 2023. This decision came after a lot of talks with Indigenous communities, especially the local Kaurna people.
The centre will display over 30,000 cultural items from the South Australian Museum, which are currently stored away. It will also include art and items from other parts of Australia, aiming to be the most complete collection of Australian Aboriginal cultural material in the world. The state government planned to give $150 million, and the federal government $85 million.
In December 2021, construction began on the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC). It was given the name Tarrkarri, which means "the future" in the Kaurna language. David Rathman, a Kaurna ambassador for the centre, said the $200 million project would create jobs for local Aboriginal people. He also said that Aboriginal people would be involved in all parts of the design and building process.
However, construction of the Tarrkarri building was paused in October 2022. This was to review the costs and funding for the project. A decision on the centre was put off until 2024, as the state government looked for more funding from private donors. An expert panel suggested in April 2023 that between $400 million and $600 million should be spent to make Tarrkarri a world-class centre. The federal government had promised $85 million, and the SA Government had planned $115 million.
By May 2024, the government was still considering the plans. The Premier said it was a very important project, culturally significant, and they wanted to make sure they got it right.
Historic Buildings at Lot Fourteen
Several old buildings at Lot Fourteen have been kept and updated.
- Sheridan Kiosk: Built in 1925, this was a food kiosk for the hospital. It was named after early settlers John and Frances Keith Sheridan. Its restoration was recognized for its design in 2021.
- Hanson and Eleanor Harrald Buildings: These buildings are home to technology companies like Inovor Technologies and Presagen.
- Bice Building, McEwin Building, Women's Health Centre, and Margaret Graham Building: These have also been renovated. Some parts are now used by the nearby University of Adelaide. Other old buildings on the site have been taken down.
Public Art
A new sculpture by Sundari Carmody, called One: all that we can see, was revealed in June 2022. It's a 4-meter-wide steel ring with LED lights at the top. Lot Fourteen asked for this artwork, and it's located in front of the Australian Space Discovery Centre.
Who Works at Lot Fourteen?
Many different organizations and companies have offices at Lot Fourteen, including:
- Australian Space Agency Headquarters and the Australian Space Discovery Centre
- SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre
- Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (A3C)
- Inovor Technologies (space technology)
- Presagen (health technology)
- Australian Institute for Machine Learning
- Stone & Chalk start-up hub, which includes the MIT's bigdata Living Lab and many other tech companies
- Several defence-related businesses
- Heavy Industry Low Carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre (HILT CRC), which helps industries reduce carbon
- Google Cloud
- Microsoft
- Amazon Web Services
- Airbus
- Commonwealth Bank
- Bureau of Meteorology
- Chamonix (an IT services business)
- Cisco
- CORE (an innovation hub for the resources sector)
- Myriota
- Optus
- Quantx
- Surrey Satellite Technology
- Salesforce
- The Circle First Nations Entrepreneur Hub
See also
- Innovation Collaboration Centre
- South Australian Space Industry Centre
- ThincLab
