A 17-storey apartment tower proposed for the corner of Chester and Morse streets in Brisbane would be delicately tethered to the ground by “a forest of columns,” according to its architect.
To be built between Fortitude Valley, New Farm and Newstead, the development would deliver 142 apartments and 10 three-storey terrace homes. Known as “Chester and Morse” after its address, the tower is designed by Rothelowman with landscape architecture by RPS Australia East.
Rothelowman’s design prioritizes connections with adjacent established precincts by creating new public spaces through the ground plane and reinforcing cross-block links.
Chester and Morse by Rothelowman.
“Built form is arranged carefully to address streets [and] favour the amenity of neighbouring sites whilst acknowledging the desired notions of transition between higher density western precincts and that of lower scale character housing to the east,” the firm notes in planning documents.
Floating above the porous podium and its array of columns, the tower form is “blurred” at the edges, contributing to an “ephemeral and lightweight” expression.
“Eschewing the tendencies of nearby buildings to favour the mass of concrete, the building deliberately seeks a lightness and filigree that layers the thresholds of interior and exterior spaces,” Rothelowman states.
The apartments feature large balconies, operable glazing and lattice-like shading at the periphery of the dwellings.
A communal area on the rooftop would feature extensive landscaping as well as a pool and barbecue area.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
