Aria Property Group has submitted a new application for a taller and more improved ‘The Urban Forest’ development located at 23-25 Glenelg Street, South Brisbane.
The initial application for a 30-storey tower, submitted three and a half years ago, underwent a subsequent reduction to 20-storeys due to a deviation exceeding the then local area plan by 10 storeys. Although the 20-storey proposal received approval from the Council, Aria contended that this downsized iteration proved economically unviable due to elevated construction costs and prevailing market circumstances.
In response to substantial shifts in Brisbane’s housing demand, supply, affordability, and the desire for increased diversity in inner-city regions with convenient access to mass transit, the Brisbane City Council approached the state Government to implement a Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) for the Kurilpa area.
TLPIs are used to temporarily enhance density, building height, and diminish car parking requirements. This strategic move by the Council and state government aims to foster development in areas capable of meeting specified design and sustainability benchmarks.
As a result of the Kurilpa TLPI, Aria has re-submitted a new 30-storey design designed by Koichi Takada Architects, adding an additional 10 metres to the tower which is predominantly due to a taller ground floor public 24hr space and rooftop structure.
According to the development application, the development team claim that the project would be ‘one of the world’s greenest residential buildings’ and is in itself a piece of public art on the largest scale possible with a green plot ratio of 200%.
The project landscape architects, LatStudios, have analysed the world’s most recognisable and acclaimed green buildings to confirm that the proposal does indeed provide the most landscaping for any residential building in the world
Urbis
Urbis also states that the proposal goes above and beyond the usual offering for a residential building with a level of community and public benefit that is unprecedented for any development of this scale in Brisbane, adding that it would be “a true landmark for the city” and a new benchmark for innovative subtropical design in Australia.
This community and public benefit is made possible through the additional density allowed for by the TLPI and is more than justified through its suburban, precinct and site-level context.
Aria proposes to achieve this public benefit by proposing to create a world class visitor experience and tourist centre with the ability to educate patrons on the building, plant types and biodiversity.
The centre will provide the opportunity to engage with local schools, universities and visitors on an educational basis.
Historically cities like Singapore have been the international benchmark for green urban centres and sustainable architecture. The Urban Forest will become the world’s greenest residential building, and at the same time provide visitors with an information centre to learn about this unique world class project.
Aria Property Group
The total number of apartments has been reduced from 383 to 321 in comparison to the initial design. The city-facing apartments in the tower have been enlarged and distinctively separated from the rear half through the incorporation of a natural air void. Despite this separation, a primary louvered corridor ensures connectivity between the two sections. Additionally, the revamped front section of the floor plate also incorporates one extra ‘executive elevator’.
More than half of the ground floor is unencumbered 24-hour public access with a 1,452m2 lush subtropical forest environment filled with a variety of plants and water features to create a mini Botanical Gardens in South Brisbane
Project rundown
- Site Area: 2,784m2
- GFA: 217m2 total non-residential GFA
- Height: 30-storeys + recreation level / RL 145.55m
- Apartments: x321 total
- 1 Bedrooms – x39
- 2 Bedrooms – x94
- 3 Bedrooms – x108
- 4 Bedrooms – x74
- 5 Bedrooms – x6
- Elevators: x5 elevators + x1 podium only goods lift. Lift-to-unit ratio of 1:64.2
- Retail: 217m2 total
- Ground level community garden – 55m2
- Visitors centre – 37m2
- Community rooms – 94m2
- Retail cafe – 37m2
- Communal Space: Publicly accessible ground floor park – 1,452m2
- Car Parking: x467 total
- Residential – x451
- Visitor – x16
- Bike Parking: x402 total spaces provided, comprising:
- x321 resident spaces
- x80 visitor spaces
- x1 retail space
- Developer: Aria Property Group
- Architect: Koichi Takada Architects
- Town Planner: Urbis
- Landscape Architect: LatStudios
- Sustainability:
- Unparalleled to anything in Australia with 30,000+ Plants, 827 trees, 4,300m3 of soil and almost 5,600m2 of garden areas, creating an Urban Forest which will set a benchmark for sustainable and subtropical built form, not only in Brisbane – but in a global context
- The green plot ratio of the building equates to 200% of the site area
- Targeting Queensland’s second five star green star building, with sustainability attributes exceeding anything achieved in Queensland to date
- Plantings: 312m2 of deep planting in natural ground (12% of site area), 5,288m2 of other containerised planting (188% of site area)
- Car sharing: x13 shared EV cars for residents use
- The apartments throughout the tower will have the highest level of design specification, including their larger than average square meterage, high ceilings alongside unparalleled levels of natural ventilation, breezeway spaces and glazing treatments
- A 52 panel strong roof-mounted solar farm will generate renewable energy to reduce the building’s ongoing and peak power demand
- Home energy and water metering systems that will allow occupants to track water and energy use
- A Specialist Greywater Harvest Hydraulics capturing apartment Laundry, Kitchen and Bathroom runoff water. Centralised Greywater treatment for highest quality potable grade water reuse feeding the primary 24/7 irrigation cycle. Rainwater harvesting also.
- Specialist care team of experts with a history on the project and leaders in the fields of Botany, Horticulture, Arboriculture, Soils, Agronomy, Water quality and Silviculture.
- 2 Full-time building landscape specialists supported by 2 landscape apprentices, working solely on Urban Forest providing approx. 4900 hours of labour & care each. A landscaping budget of $423,572.66 each year.
- A pioneering three-garbage shoot system for all levels for household refuse, recycling and garden waste including waste sorting rooms for each.
- Date Submitted: 29/11/2023
Rooftop Communal Recreation
Urban Forest provides an expansive rooftop communal area. The building provides communal recreation area in excess of the standard 2m2 delivered in Brisbane. Combined with the private terraces, each unit has access to a greater portion of open space than any other apartment development in Australia.
The permeable and sculptural collection of rooftop forms interspersed with lush vegetation give the skyline a unique subtropical crown that will be lit like a cluster of lanterns punctuating the South Brisbane silhouette.
The crown also provides a practical function in shading the external open space and amenities for residents to enjoy. The outdoor space allow residents the opportunity to celebrate and embrace Brisbane’s mild climate with a multitude of options for communal recreation with spectacular views in all directions.
A considered mix of indoor and outdoor spaces provides a variety of recreation options for residents and guests to enjoy, including:
- 50m infinity pool and spas
- Cabanas/sun lounges and day beds
- Yoga spaces
- Terraces seating areas
- Meditation pods
- Barbeque areas and outdoor dining
Urban Forest fits within the Kurilpa TLPI envelope and is a code accessible DA, meaning approval is almost automatic provided it has met the requirements of the TLPI, which in this case it has exceeded.
Plans
PlansPlans2
It is certainly good to see some larger apartment sizes.
But if I were to be spending millions of dollars on a skyhome, I would want to know the design engineers had at least 10 years of experience with that volume of plants, roots and water in the building structure. And to know where the water is coming from.
I’m so confused, the special planning scheme allows developers to reduce parking from what is normally forced – this is in the article – and yet if you scroll down it says there are 321 apartments, and 451 car parks??? This is the opposite of good design. This type of development should have at most 200 car parks. This is some of the most public transit accessible areas of the region. Car dependency is enforced every time a developer does this. Disgusting, Aria.
I hope the statement about the TLPI is a typo. Whilst a feature of the Kurilpa TLPI is for increased density and building heights it is not what a TLPI is nor its purpose.
TLPI in accordance with legislation are a special planning instrument for Urgent Protection: TLPIs are swiftly put in place to establish planning and development assessment policies, safeguarding all or part of a local government area from adverse impacts in urgent situations.
They are most commonly used for heritage protection and disaster response.
This is the misuse of the TLPI. The Planning Institute Australia raised these concerns with the Minster “Whilst PIA acknowledges the current housing crisis facing Queenslanders, it is not entirely apparent that the use of a TLPI meets these tests. In these circumstances, PIA is concerned
about the potential impacts on community confidence in the planning system.” PIA Submission to Kurilpa TLPI 26.07.2023
The political justification by Council and State Government for the Kurilpa TLPI was affordable housing.The first full application under this scheme is a $300 million dollar tower with no Affordable Housing.
We are in cynical times.
Application withdrawn 14/12/2023 – Surely this is worth follow up discussion?
I agree Jon Seabrook. The application was withdrawn as the project didn’t meet the Code Assessable requirements. The Kurilpa TLPI requires 5 star Green rating. Unfortunately the Green Building Council of Australia don’t issue “In Design” verification of Green Star Rating based on DA drawings. GBCA require more involved documentation to make a proper assessment.
So the following statement should be corrected.
“Urban Forest fits within the Kurilpa TLPI envelope and is a code accessible DA, meaning approval is almost automatic provided it has met the requirements of the TLPI, which in this case it has exceeded.”