A development application has been lodged for a new tower adjacent to the site of St Stephen's Cathedral, at 131 Edward Street in Brisbane. The project, titled Brisbane Place, was designed by Blight Rayner Architecture with landscape design by Wild Studio.
Proposed by developer JGL Properties, the submitted development seeks to deliver 28 floors of commercial and retail office space, totalling approximately 43,500 square metres of floor area, alongside reused heritage places, which include the Stock Exchange Hotel, Penola Place and the F. H. Faulding Warehouse.
According to the urban context report prepared by Blight Rayner, "the development aims to rejuvenate underutilised heritage structures while creating new public connections and modern workplace environments."
In the scheme, each of the site's three heritage buildings are connected on the ground plane, with new cross-block links and laneways aimed at improving inclusive pedestrian accessibility to the site. Interfacing with St Stephen's, a new plaza and amphitheatre serve as the centrepiece of the public realm, while on the street side, the project seeks to reinstate the Stock Exchange Hotel as a two-level wine bar as well as locate a new cafe within the warehouse building.
A proposed six-storey podium addition includes two levels of end-of-trip facilities, a gym, a terrace and a swimming pool with two plunge pools above the triple-height lobby. Landscaping along the podium perimeter and rooftop planting atop the gym and terrace would be reflected in the mirrored soffit of the tower's base.
Blight Rayner noted that "the architectural response balances high physical porosity" at ground level with a minimum of 14 metres of separation above the existing buildings providing "visual permeability above the heritage buildings [and] creating a distinctive silhouette that integrates seamlessly with its historic surroundings."
Rising to approximately 160 metres, the proposed tower massing has been conceived with openings at the base, middle and top, also "to enhance visual permeability," Blight Rayner noted. The base of the tower is raised above a web of trussed circular supports, while at the top, a three-storey "urban room" provides a sheltered external space for occupants and visitors to the building's commercial and retail spaces.
Across these porous breakout spaces, the landscape design by Wild Studio is themed in response to the site's Indigenous and colonial histories, and references creeks that once existed in the area. The proposed ground plane features a "creekbed" garden, while the podium top serves as a "waterhole," where, according to Wild, "visitors can swim under tree canopy and enjoy a feeling of seclusion in the middle of the CBD." The tower's various wintergardens are envisioned as "cloud forests" that will support a cool microclimate "not seen elsewhere in the city."
According to their report, Blight Rayner has integrated the city's Subtropical Design Planning Scheme Policy principles in the design of the building's breakout spaces and articulation of the tower's envelope. Louvred facades intended to support mixed-mode ventilation are also tailored with horizontal and vertical sun-shading unique to each elevation.
Blight Rayner contends that, if built, the "project will serve as a landmark addition to Brisbane's evolving cityscape."
The development application is on exhibition on the Brisbane City Council website.
