Brisbane’s first truly subtropical tower, a ‘high rise Queenslander’ that catches breezes and natural light, is about to set a new standard for apartment living in Queensland.
The 47 storey tower, planned for the Queen Street riverfront, will reach new heights in sustainability and become a symbol of Brisbane as a subtropical new world city, its developers claim.
The building will include 264 premium apartments with every apartment enjoying views of the Brisbane River afforded by its unique design.
The development application for the building at 443 Queen Street was lodged with Brisbane City Council today by Cbus Property, the property investment arm of industry superannuation fund Cbus.
The tower has been designed by Brisbane firm Architectus, led by Elizabeth Watson Brown, and the internationally renowned and award winning Australian architect Richard Hassell, of Singapore-based WOHA Architects.
Adrian Pozzo, CEO of Cbus Property said “To date, Brisbane apartments generally have not been designed well to address and take advantage of its subtropical environment. 443 Queen Street is a new generation of design for subtropical living.”
It is about shading, sheltering, greenery and sustainability – a building that ‘breathes’ with natural ventilation and light.
With the commitment of Cbus Property, supported by the creativity and design of WOHA and Architectus and a vision that matches the design objectives of Brisbane City Council, 443 Queen Street will drive the development of a new contemporary urban identity that will distinguish Brisbane as a new world subtropical city.
”In the same way that the Singapore projects of WOHA have become the symbol of Singapore as a centre of green urban design innovation, 443 Queen Street will be a tangible and marketable symbol of Brisbane; a transformative benchmark for the character, quality and sustainability of our city,” Mr Pozzo said.
Architectus Design Director Elizabeth Watson Brown said “The Queenslander – elevated on stilts and open to natural ventilation – was an inspiration for the tower.”
“443 Queen Street represents Brisbane-ness in a truly new way,” she said.
It will be a remarkable Queensland living environment, a true realisation in contemporary architecture of the way we love to live in Brisbane, in the benign climate and our beautiful gardens.
This building demonstrates that we can take the elements of our Queensland lifestyle and create with them a much larger urban community in the sky, to live the way we feel comfortable.
Ms Watson Brown said 443 Queen Street was Brisbane’s first truly environmentally responsible and responsive subtropical living environment at an urban scale in Brisbane.
It will help to create Brisbane as the world’s most liveable subtropical city, and to create a new identity and ‘brand’ for Brisbane.
The development will create new views to the Brisbane River, Story Bridge and Customs House, and a new access to the riverside alongside Customs House.
This site will become a vantage point for some of the most powerful symbols of the city – Brisbane River, the Story Bridge, Customs House and its fig tree, and the Kangaroo Point cliffs. It is visible, connected and open.
The development consists of 264 residential units with the following mix:
- 106 one bedroom apartments
- 106 two bedroom apartments
- 54 four bedroom apartments
A huge 1,576 sqm communal recreation space is planned on level 6 with awe dropping Brisbane River and Story Bridge views. It includes a pool, outdoor dining areas, lounge, gym, deck and passive landscaped areas.
355 sqm of retail is planned for the ground floor while 1,330.9 sqm of public open space is being incorporated and activated with a restaurant, cafe and a laneway on the ground and lower ground level.
The floor plate design of 443 Queen Street is very new to Australia with a large emphasis on natural light and separation of apartments.
According to Public Domain Report, 443 Queen Street is:
A ‘building that breathes’, permeated throughout with lush landscape, with a form and design uniquely Brisbane, expressing our subtropical city and way of life.
The proposed development opens itself up to the city and river, addressing two reaches of the river and, as it sits at the Queen Street river bend, Queen Street in both directions.
The design restores and enhances lost vistas and pathways, framing important buildings, places and natural urban features, and making a powerful new connection through the site via a focussed and generous public walk directly from Queen Street to Admiralty Towers Park and the river beyond.
The major focal points of the precinct are the Customs House, the large fig tree, the Story Bridge, the Howard Smith Wharves, and the Brisbane River. The relationship between these strong anchors and the character of Brisbane itself have been the major drivers and inspiration for the design of the public realm.
Cbus Property is presently developing the 1 William Street office tower and regards this new project as another of its flagship residential projects in Australia.
Further information: 443queenst.com.
The DA number for this development is A004228551.
Might be good design and all that, but I think the base is just ugly. The tower itself isn’t bad. The 4bedroom apartments offers something unique and protected views. Will undoubtedly be expensive.
One sees rather Brisbanity than Brisbane-ness….
This should be a luxry hotel rather than apartments for the reasons stated in the story, the view & the position. I have always thouht that the building slready on that site would make an exceptional boutique hotel.
That said I do like this building a lot. I just hope that they keep the access from Queen St to Howard Lane.
Very nice indeed, and what could be a worthwhile addition to the riverfront – the podium is a carbon copy of WOHA’s Parkroyal Hotel in Singapore, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
This is a wonderful proposal that should be embraced. It reveals elements of subtropical design that will be endemic to Brisbane’s architectural culture. We need to accept the fact that the CBD will be undergoing some radical infrastructure change. This proposal I think is a testament to good design for the location it situates.
1.6M for a 2 bedroom apt and developer is bust! no one is gonna move in by end of 2022 – https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/09/probuild-collapse-administrators-investigate-50m-transferred-to-civil-construction-division
Wow – what a disaster