Inner-city Brisbane may undergo a dramatic vertical transformation, with Aria Property Group’s recent application to Brisbane City Council for a three-tower development in the heart of South Brisbane. Designed by national firm Bates Smart with local practice Richards and Spence, the submission revises an application for three 12-storey towers by the architects in 2022, which itself revised a single 17-storey tower proposal (approved in February 2023) from earlier that year.
In their submitted town planning report, the applicants note that consultation with the council over the last three years has resulted “in significant improvements, efficiencies and community benefits” to the previously-submitted scheme. The outcome includes 678 apartments across three towers (24 , 40 and 50 storeys), a hotel and a mixed-use commercial podium.
At almost 7,300 square metres, the wholly-owned site at 164 Melbourne Street has been progressively consolidated by Aria Property Group and is now the largest parcel situated in the suburb’s prominent east-west corridor linking the CBD to West End. The site’s edges on Manning, Melbourne and Edmonstone Streets are bookended by two locally-listed heritage places at either corner: the former Bond’s Sweets Factory designed by architect and engineer Oliver Coleman, and completed in 1951; and Malouf’s fruit shop and residence, built by resident Salem Malouf in 1913. The iconic Skyneedle, a relic from Brisbane’s Expo ’88, is located adjacent to the site.
Within this context, the proposal seeks to restore the site’s two heritage buildings – refitting these with food and beverage tenancies – while locating small-scale high street retail along the site’s 90 metre frontage to Melbourne Street. A network of publicly accessible arcades and laneways – which includes a “dry route” between unflooded evacuation points in times of flooding – are envisioned to connect the retail and dining precinct across the site.
Director of Richards and Spence Ingrid Richards noted, “The contemporary brick facade of the podium provides a flexible framework that engages with the diverse heritage buildings and contributes to the ‘repair’ of Melbourne Street. This deliberately ‘loose fit’ architectural approach aligns with the fine-grain character of the precinct’s surroundings, drawing reference from nearby Fish Lane.”
The proposal’s 3,650 square metres of public space includes a 1,600-square-metre ground level park with north-facing aspect. Having tested a four-tower option for the site, the applicants elected to pursue the park, whose void above “serves as a light-well that allows natural light and air into the site resulting in outcomes that far exceed those which would otherwise be possible,” the report reads.
Topping off over 6,000 square metres of commercial space, a large gym on the second level of the podium is intended to form an anchor to smaller retail tenancies within the site’s arcades. Above, the project will deliver 345 apartments within two east towers fronting Manning Street. The third tower, located on the south and facing onto Edmonstone Street, comprises 333 apartments and a 216-room hotel from levels four to 11 that, according to the report, “will serve the city during the Olympic Games and leave a lasting legacy for tourism beyond.”
The residential towers each host a series of communal recreation spaces and rooftop amenities, including a suite of pools, private and shared dining spaces, hot and cold spas, saunas, a gym, half court, multi-purpose room, cinema and treatment areas.
Architecturally, the 24-storey tower retains characteristics of the approved 17-storey scheme but stands in contrast to the language of the new 40-storey and 50-storey towers. The articulation of these building facades respond to access to views and the varying privacy needs of the building’s floor plates with a progression from single, to double, to triple height.
Director at Bates Smart Mathieu Le Sueur commented, “We’ve designed the three residential towers to read at two scales: the skyline scale and the human scale. Their varied heights, rooftops and facades give them unique identities on Brisbane’s skyline.”
“We’ve also used the facade geometries and layers to integrate smart features that leverage the climate. These include landscape planters, passive self-shading and generous apartment balconies – elements that allow residents to maximise an indoor/outdoor lifestyle,” Le Sueur noted.
The landscape design by RPS features subtropical planting across the park, and vertical planting spines and staggered terraces that extend the landscape from ground to rooftop.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
