Design update proposed for Queen’s Wharf precinct 3

A development application has been submitted by Destination Brisbane Consortium for a change of design to Queen’s Wharf precinct 3, also known as the residential precinct near Parliament House.

The proposed amendments to the original application impact Precinct 3, and predominantly involve changing the land usage, mix and designs of towers 5 and 6.

According to Destination Brisbane Consortium, the introduction of a potential commercial tower for Queen’s Wharf aims to diversify the uses of the precinct by providing an opportunity for a commercial building to be located immediately adjacent to 1 William Street which is the largest commercial building in Brisbane by both height and floor space.

Destination Brisbane Consortium (DBC) proposes these changes to keep its options open due to the possibility of shifting market conditions.

There has been no change to the maximum building height provision which is 274m AHD for tower 5 and 195m AHD for tower 6 however the Queen’s Wharf Priority Development Area (PDA) falls within state government planning control, and therefore the exact heights of buildings can often remain completely unknown to the public until completion.

Application documents submitted to Economic Development Queensland show that tower 5 and 6 which were previously all residential will now possibly include commercial space.

Building 6, the closest building to Parliament House is a key contender to become a commercial-only building.

Tower 5 is now proposed to be mixed-use and could contain commercial or retail space on the lower levels with residential in the mid and high rise sections of the building. This differs from tower 4, a cylinder shaped residential-only tower which is currently under construction and mooted to be 90% sold.

Massing documentation in the application show that tower 5 now appears to be a tower of maximum height, compared to the original artist impressions of the residential scheme. In Brisbane, due to airport radar shadowing issues, the maximum building height is 274.3 metres. Illustrations of tower 5 shows the proposed structure surpassing the top of the 1 William Street’s spire which is 259.8m AHD high.

“Currently, Precinct 3 within the PoD is generally referred to as the ‘residential precinct’. The proposed PoD amendments do not seek to alter the original intent of Precinct 3, maintaining a significant component of residential GFA within the Precinct” – Urbis for Destination Brisbane Consortium.

The built form and floor plates of towers 5 and 6 appear to have been altered from the curvilinear nature of the previous design, similar to Towers 1 and 4. Progressively as you move along George Street towards Parliament House, the towers will evolve into a more rectangular form.

Setback transition

Designed by Cottee Parker, the now much shorter tower 6 will feature a setback transition as part of its façade design in order to enhance the view towards Parliament House.

In order to facilitate this change, amendments to ground plan design relating to the proposed ‘Ribbon’ pedestrian laneway alignment as well as the removal of a retail pavilion from Bellevue Plaza is proposed.

According to the application, the primary purpose of the setback transition is to ensure that visibility of Parliament House is maintained from George Street

Bellevue Plaza

The proposed amendments seek to remove the individual retail tenancy component approved within Bellevue Plaza.

The retail component is to be removed to allow for enhanced viewsheds to surrounding heritage aspects through the sites and increase amenity of the public realm as well as provide clear sightlines through a space that is purely dedicated to pedestrian movement.

Bellevue Plaza will provide a minimum size of 900m2 of public realm space consisting of 350m2 of turf and 100m2 of plantings.

According to documents, the changes aim to create a finer ground public realm by reinstating Bellevue Plaza as a key northeast facing urban and civic space fronting key heritage spaces and new contemporary spaces.

“Bellevue Plaza will provide a space that promotes lingering in the space, while the ground floor plane will be better activated with active uses such as retail and food & drink outlets. The remainder of the public realm will comprise lush landscaping, shade trees and urban greenery.” – Urbis for Destination Brisbane Consortium.

A lightweight colonnade screen is proposed to wrap around Bellevue Plaza to act as a threshold into the space and marking the location of the former hotel boundary alignment.

Additionally, the application also seeks to remove a proposed tunnel which was originally planned to connect Queen’s Wharf Integrated Resort with Precinct 3’s basements.

“DBC has determined that this will no longer be pursued and therefore is proposed to be removed. The inclusion of the tunnel in the approved PoD was for the purpose of convenience and it is not relied upon for the development to operate as intended.” – Urbis for Destination Brisbane Consortium.

Tell us what you think about this development below in the comment box. The development application for this project, available to view on Economic Development Queensland’s Planning & Development Online is #DEV2017/846.