ARM’s Bowden build-to-rent project unveiled
ARM is working with RenewalSA on a landmark 84-apartment build-to-rent project in the inner-Adelaide neighbourhood of Bowden – the site of a major urban renewal project.
Eighty-four apartments – 95% per cent of which will be affordable rentals – will be built along Third Street immediately opposite Plant 3 and 4 and next to South Australia’s largest build-to-rent project Kinleaf by Sentinel. Four of the 84 apartments will be Torrens titled warehouse lofts, which will face Second Street and be offered for sale.
The project will be delivered by Renewal SA and operated long term by a Community Housing Provider (CHP), which will manage tenants of the studio, one-and-two-bedroom apartments. Specialist disability accommodation will also form part of the offering.
Reconstruction of Field Lane, connecting Third and Second streets, also forms part of the project and will act as a key pedestrian route, both day and night, between Plant 3 and 4 and the Bowden Train Station. Public art will fill the lane, along with a series of reclaimed bricks from Bowden’s industrial past. Opportunities are also being explored to incorporate Kaurna storytelling as part of a proposed link between Bowden and the former Brompton Gasworks, which is currently being remediated for future development by Renewal SA partner MAB Corporation. Consultation with Kaurna representatives will inform that proposal.
A new public multideck car park will be constructed on the lower levels of the 12-storey building. Designed as an attraction in its own right, it will feature a curated gallery of art as an ode to Bowden’s mural culture. Uniquely, its open-aired upper level has the capacity to serve a dual function as a public activation space. Events that could possibly be hosted within the space include fashion shows, moonlight cinema and urban sporting activities.
Other amenity within the eye-catching development include up to four ground floor retail or commercial spaces, and a seventh-floor private garden terrace for residents. The all-electric development will achieve a 5 Star Green Star Buildings rating and include 12 electric vehicle charging stations and solar arrays on its roof line and parts of the car park.
Site preparation for the multi-million-dollar development will commence in the coming months with the first residents scheduled to move in at the start of 2026.
ARM Architecture Principal and Adelaide Studio Lead Philippe Naudin said his firm had been on a journey with Renewal SA to redefine what makes a neighbourhood feel like home; one that goes beyond meeting the basic criteria of functionality and affordability to weave in quality, history, and in this case, Bowden’s own narrative into the architecture.
“The design is inspired by Bowden’s industrial past, and its significant history contributing to building much of Adelaide. Our architecture translates aspects of this rich narrative through icons and recognisable motifs – house symbols, distinctive sawtooth roofs, repetitive truss patterns, even subtle nods to the iconic Clipsal fittings – creating a playful design language that’s both contextual and distinctive, paying homage to past stories and familiar forms,” said Naudin.