Work under way on 42 affordable apartments at Seaton as Bowden wins UDIA SA award

Construction is under way on the Warri Apartments in Seaton, in Adelaide's western suburbs, where national builder Badge is delivering 42 affordable rental homes for Renewal SA. The five-storey building on Frederick Road, opposite The Grange Golf Club, is a $20 million project designed by Adelaide practice Walter Brooke and is expected to be finished by the end of 2027.

Across town, Renewal SA's Bowden precinct has won the Masterplanned Communities Award at the UDIA SA Awards for Excellence, held at Adelaide Oval on 16 October, and UnitingSA's eight-storey Uniting on Second at Bowden took out the Affordable Housing Award.

Project at a glance

Homes designed for a mix of residents

Warri means "breeze" in the Kaurna language. The building will hold a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, with the ground- and first-floor homes designed to meet disability accommodation requirements. Each apartment comes with car parking, modern appliances and a private balcony.

Once complete, the building will be managed by a community housing provider, and eligible tenants will rent at 75 per cent of market rent.

The project is supported by the Housing Australia Future Fund Facility, a Commonwealth initiative to increase social and affordable housing across the country. Renewal SA says more than 100 tenants already live in similar developments at Prospect Corner, and it has another affordable housing project under construction at Bowden.

Peter Gatsios, Renewal SA's Executive Director of Residential Project Delivery and Assets, said Seaton is being transformed from a suburb of small homes on large blocks into a neighbourhood with housing options across the affordability spectrum, and that the apartments are being built as high-quality, energy-efficient homes. Badge Executive Chair Jim Whiting said the company was pleased to be delivering high-quality affordable units for the local community.

Part of a long-term renewal at Seaton

Warri sits within the first stage of Renewal SA's Seaton project. Next door, 22 two-bedroom public housing apartments are being delivered for the South Australian Housing Trust and are expected to be finished by the end of 2026. Stage 1 as a whole comprises 138 homes.

Over the life of the project, Renewal SA plans a one-for-one replacement of 388 ageing public homes and about 1,452 new private and public homes, with more than 20 per cent of the new homes offered as affordable housing.

Bowden recognised at the UDIA SA awards

The Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) is the property development industry's peak body, and its state awards recognise projects and people across the sector.

Bowden is an 11-hectare former industrial site on the outskirts of the Adelaide CBD. Since work began more than a decade ago, 24 developers, 20 builders and 21 architects have contributed to the precinct. More than 1,000 homes are complete, more than 600 are under construction, and more than 40 businesses now operate there.

Renewal SA Chief Executive Shane Wingard said Bowden had helped change the way people think about urban renewal. "Many developments deliver housing, but few have the opportunity to create an entirely new residential market," he said.

Uniting on Second takes the affordable housing honour

Uniting on Second is UnitingSA's largest community housing development to date. The eight-level building holds 70 apartments, combining affordable rentals with privately owned affordable homes, on a 1,174 square metre site. It was built by Kennett Builders and designed by City Collective, with a budget of $37 million, and was completed in March 2026.

The building includes private outdoor spaces for residents, a communal rooftop garden with views to the city and parklands, and on-site bike storage. It is close to Bowden station and a tram stop, and targets a 5 Star Green Star rating.

More Renewal SA projects recognised

Several other Renewal SA-related projects and people were also honoured on the night:

• Board Presiding Member Stephen Hains AM received the Greg Waller Award.
• Colliers Engineering & Design won the Professional Consulting Award for its work on Prospect Corner.
• Peet Limited won the Marketing Excellence Award for Forestville Terraces.
• Cedar Woods won the Seniors Living Award for Bloom Apartments at Glenside.

Playford Alive was a finalist in the affordable housing category, and Adey Brecknock was a finalist for the Women in Leadership Award.

What's next

At Seaton, the 22 public housing apartments are due to finish by the end of 2026, with Badge's Warri Apartments to follow by the end of 2027. At Bowden, more than 600 homes are under construction as the precinct continues to fill out.

Published 5 November 2026 · Updated 27 October 2026