Lot Fourteen facts for kids
Lot Fourteen is a special place in Adelaide city centre, South Australia, where new ideas and technology come to life! It's a big area, about the size of 7 football fields, located right in the city. This spot 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 of Adelaide made way back in 1837. By 2020, many old hospital buildings were busy with new companies, and even more new buildings and public spaces are planned to be ready around 2025.
A new place called the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC), also known as Tarrkarri, is planned to be a main part of Lot Fourteen. It will be a special gallery and cultural center for Aboriginal art and stories. A decision about its future will be made by the end of 2024.
An exciting hub for new businesses, called FIXE@LotFourteen (Future Industries Exchange for Entrepreneurship), is also being built here. A tall 16-story building will be home to the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Centre.
Many technology companies are based at Lot Fourteen. The main office of the Australian Space Agency, which is a government group, is here. You'll also find SmartSat CRC and other space companies. The Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (A3C) is located in the Eleanor Harrald Building, along with other tech businesses like Inovor Technologies (space tech) and Presagen (health tech). The Australian Institute for Machine Learning, which studies artificial intelligence, is also at Lot Fourteen. The Stone & Chalk start-up hub, in the old Allied Health Building, hosts the MIT's big data Living Lab, plus 45 other tech companies.
There are also plans for an International Centre for Food, Hospitality and Tourism Studies at this site.
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Why Lot Fourteen is Important
The old Royal Adelaide Hospital moved to a new building in September 2017. Before it moved, people started planning what to do with the old site. This 7-hectare area is in a cultural part of 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 plan is to create a mixed area with cultural places, homes, hotels, and offices. The Australian government has also put money into this project.
The name "Lot Fourteen" comes from the original city plan of Adelaide, drawn by Colonel William Light in 1837. Many different government groups are working together to make Lot Fourteen a success.
Key Moments in Lot Fourteen's Development
2017: New Ideas for the Old Hospital Site
Before the new hospital was finished, many ideas came up for the old site. In January 2017, the government wanted to build over 1,000 apartments and a fancy hotel. They decided to keep five old, important buildings. About a third of the site would become part of the nearby Adelaide Botanic Garden. There were even plans to turn the helipad (where helicopters land) into a rooftop hotel!
2018: Focus on Innovation and Space
In March 2018, a new government took over. They decided to focus on making Lot Fourteen an "innovation hub." The government set aside money to attract new businesses, especially those linked to the Australian Space Agency. The plan was for the site to have up to 650 workspaces and meeting areas. Many of the old buildings would be kept and updated.
By the end of 2018, over 150 people were working at Lot Fourteen. They were focused on exciting areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, cybersecurity, defence, and space technology. A new business hub called FIXE@LotFourteen was also created. On December 12, 2018, the Prime Minister officially announced that the Australian Space Agency would move to Lot Fourteen in 2019.
2019: Growing the Hub
In June 2019, the government announced more money for Lot Fourteen, totaling over $551 million. This money was part of a big agreement called the "Adelaide City Deal." By this time, many space companies were already there or planning to move in. Plans for the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre, an International Centre for Food, Hospitality and Tourism Studies, and an Indigenous Business Hub were also taking shape.
Experts from Canada visited Lot Fourteen and suggested that non-government groups should have more say in how the site is managed. They also recommended creating an independent board to help different groups work together.
By June 2019, companies like Inovor Technologies (space tech) and Presagen (health tech) had moved into the refurbished Hanson and Eleanor Harrald Buildings. It was expected that over a thousand people would be working there by early 2020. A group called Stone & Chalk was also hired to help new businesses at Lot Fourteen grow.
In July 2019, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) agreed to work with Lot Fourteen. They would help create a "Living Lab" where public, private, and research groups could work together to plan for South Australia's future growth.
2020: Big Openings and New Plans
The Australian Space Agency offices 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.
Also in February, it was announced that the $235 million Aboriginal Cultural Centre would open by 2023. This center would display over 30,000 Aboriginal cultural items from the South Australian Museum, plus art from all over Australia. It would be the most complete collection of Australian Aboriginal cultural material in the world.
The Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (A3C) opened in the Eleanor Harrald Building in July. In September, a big company called Accenture announced they would open an office at Lot Fourteen.
In November 2020, more money was given to the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC), bringing the total to $200 million. This center plans to use virtual reality and other digital technologies to create amazing, interactive storytelling experiences. Construction was set to start in 2021 and finish in 2024.
A new 16-story building for the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Centre is also planned to be finished by the end of 2023.
2021: Construction Begins
In January, architects were chosen to design the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre. In December 2021, construction began on the centre, which was given the name Tarrkarri, meaning "the future" in the local Kaurna language. This project is expected to create jobs for local Aboriginal people, and they will be involved in all parts of the design and building process.
2022: Space Research Expands
In September 2022, it was announced that Airbus Defence and Space would open a research facility at Lot Fourteen in October. This facility will develop new satellites for the Australian Defence Force. They will work on a program to build and launch at least four satellites over the next eight years.
2023: Tarrkarri's Future
A decision about the Tarrkarri Aboriginal centre has been put off until 2024. The government is looking for more funding from private donors. After an early cost estimate of $200 million, a group of experts suggested in April 2023 that between $400 million and $600 million should be spent to make Tarrkarri a truly amazing international centre.
Historic Buildings at Lot Fourteen
Many of the old hospital buildings at Lot Fourteen have been given a new life!
- The Sheridan Kiosk was built in 1925 as a small food shop for the hospital. It was named after early settlers. This restored building was even nominated for architectural awards in 2021.
- The Hanson and Eleanor Harrald Buildings now host companies like Inovor Technologies (space tech) and Presagen (health tech).
- The Bice Building, McEwin Building, Women's Health Centre, and the Margaret Graham Building have also been updated. Some parts are even used by the nearby University of Adelaide. Other old buildings have been or are being 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 light at the top. This artwork was specially made for Lot Fourteen and is located in front of the Australian Space Discovery Centre.
Who is at Lot Fourteen?
Many exciting companies and organizations are based at Lot Fourteen, including:
- Australian Space Agency HQ and the Australian Space Discovery Centre (in the McEwin Building)
- SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (also in the McEwin Building)
- Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (A3C) (in the Eleanor Harrald Building)
- Inovor Technologies (space technology)
- Presagen (health technology)
- Australian Institute for Machine Learning (studies artificial intelligence)
- Stone & Chalk start-up hub (helps new businesses grow, hosts MIT's big data Living Lab and 45 other tech companies)
- Several defence-related companies
- Heavy Industry Low Carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre (HILT CRC) (helps industries reduce their carbon pollution)
- 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
