Large Heritage Restoration Planned for Herston Quarter

A development application has been submitted for the refurbishment of three heritage listed buildings as part of the Herston Hospital Precinct redevelopment by Australian Unity.

The Edith Cavell Building, a 1920’s hospital building at the centre of Herston Hospital Precinct is set to undergo a significant refurbishment which will accommodate a new child care centre known as ‘Lady Ramsay Childcare Centre’ as well as a range of other commercial based tenancies.

Under the proposal, the Lady Lamington building would be converted into a new student accommodation complex and retail tenancy managed by UniLodge. The Lady Norman building would also be redeveloped into a mix of commercial activities.

According to the application documents, the proposal seeks to re-imagine the buildings for the future, while simultaneously telling the stories of its past by respecting its historical built form, character and setting.

Herston Square

Herston Square is proposed to be a vibrant new heart of the precinct which proposes to provide a public realm that facilitates movement and activity.

Herston Square has been designed to support outdoor events, large groups, informal recreation and events. It is proposed to provide a range of diverse spaces to support a variety of activities, including the following:

• An active and publicly accessible plaza that is capable of accommodating public events and entertainment activities. An at-grade water feature will be integrated into the design of the public plaza, with the ability for the water feature to be turned off in event mode
• Seating platforms will be provided in the space around each of the feature trees which will provide shaded informal gathering areas
• An arbour shelter will be provided to provide shade to parts of the circulation area and continued connection to surrounding precincts and destinations such as the STARS
• A large open lawn is proposed adjacent to the plaza and will ensure a variety of recreation activities can be undertaken by residents and visitors such as a picnic, kick about or extension of the event space for activities such as a market
• A series of landscaped spaces and seating nooks throughout Herston Square will provide continuation of landscaping and encouraging residents and visitors to access various areas of the precinct and support the range of land uses within the Heritage buildings
• Public dining areas are provided adjacent to activated areas of the Edith Cavell and Lady Norman buildings and will support ‘alfresco’ dining whilst embracing the sub-tropical setting of Brisbane
• A revitalised entry forecourt to the Lady Norman building will provide a clearly defined entry that reflects the distinctive character and identity of the Herston Quarter precinct
• The location of required services such as the substation and service area have been located to the north of the Northern Tower of the Lady Lamington building to ensure these are not visually obtrusive and are removed from key public realm areas.

Lady Lamington Building

This part of the site will be delivered by Cedar Pacific Investment Management Pty Ltd. It is proposed that the eight-storey Lady Lamington complex will primarily provide Student Accommodation, a use that is consistent with the historical function of the building which is expanded upon within the proposed architectural plans prepared by Nettleton Tribe.

The proposed development will involve the refurbishment of both the Lady Lamington towers and the Dod’s building and will include a total of 492 rooms and 703 beds, as well ancillary areas such as entry pavilion, communal space and study rooms, kitchen and dining area, management office space and laundry facilities associated with the student accommodation. A retail tenancy is also proposed at the ground level of the southern Lady Lamington tower to provide an active frontage to the adjoining Herston Square.

According to the application, the proposed revitalisation of the Lady Lamington building has been designed to ensure residents are provided within a diverse range of open space areas for the exclusive use of residents of the proposed Student Accommodation, including:

• A roof deck atop the North and South towers of Lady Lamington which will provide elevated outdoor spaces to enjoy city views
• Landscaped Courtyards the east of the Lady Lamington building and adjacent to the new entry pavilion at the west of the Lady Lamington building will be provided for the exclusive use of the Student Accommodation
• The proposed ‘Green Heart Connection’ to the south-east of Lady Lamington will be a transition zone that draws on the natural amenity of the ‘green heart’ to the east of the Lady Lamington building, providing a quiet sub-tropical landscaped setting for residents to retreat and linger

Edith Cavell Building

The adaptive re-use of the Edith Cavell building is proposed to accommodate a range of land uses within the heritage building and new extension in the following configuration:

• Lower Ground Floor: Childcare centre entry (extension building)
• Ground Floor: Childcare centre (extension building) and outdoor play area
• First Floor: Commercial/Centre Activities (Edith Cavell) and Childcare centre (extension building)
• Second Floor: Childcare centre (extension building and Edith Cavell)
• Third Floor: Commercial

According to development application documents, the proposed extension has been sensitively designed in response to the heritage context, whilst providing a distinctive extension to the Heritage building that avoids imitation of the heritage values.

The Childcare Centre will include a range of facilities including, indoor play and activity room areas totalling 278 sqm, art room, sleeping areas and kitchen. The Childcare Centre will also provide necessary staff areas such as office, meeting room and staff room.

Outdoor play area totalling 563 sqm is to be provided for the Childcare Centre and will be to the north of the Edith Cavell building. Removal of the existing pool and ancillary structures at the north of the Edith Cavell building and infill of this area is proposed to provide useable landscaped open space for the exclusive use by the Childcare centre.

The Herston Quarter is a priority development area to facilitate the re-development of Herston Quarter as a new health destination and global benchmark for health precincts.

Australian Unity has entered into an agreement with the Metro North Hospital and Health Service to deliver the $1.1 Billion upgrade to the Herston Health Precinct.

The master plan for Herston Quarter currently includes a new private hospital, surgical, treatment and rehabilitation service (STARS) as well as supporting health services.

The development application number for this project is 1056.