Client Brief

A development application for a mixed-use development on Browning St was to be undertaken to meet Brisbane City Council City Plan 2014 and additional client requirements. Two commercial tenancies were to be provided at street level; a café, including and active street frontage, and a fitness gym.

​

The residential apartments on the storey above were to be of a high quality, and 'luxurious' where possible, and it was requested that a mix of apartment types be provided. Opportunities for passive design were to be optimised in terms of orientation for natural light and natural ventilation, and sustainable building initiatives were to be implemented where practicable.

​

Design Response

Such innovations as translucent, carbon-dioxide-absorbing concrete, air-cleaning paint, and autoluminescent plants were considered to push the boundaries of conventional sustainability methods.

​

Built form, whilst predominantly rectilinear, incorporates occasional curvilinear elements in juxtaposition, the motif of which is carried through in the façade, internal walls, the staircase, shade sails, and a variety of finishes.

​

Timber battens feature predominantly throughout the design and are interpreted and reinterpreted as screening, cladding, balustrading, ceiling, and fencing, and in the definition of the building's form.

​

The ideas of naturalness and sustainability already established are furthered in the inclusion of a green roof and a sizeable photovoltaic array.

​

Connection to the existing site and surrounds was particularly important in such a characteristic area as South Brisbane and West End. The commercial tenancies on the ground floor are located and designed specifically to draw in passersby and foster a sense of community.

 

The latter-mentioned sense of community is also enhanced between residential tenants in the inclusion of a generous and attractive rooftop communal area, including an outdoor kitchen and dining area, a pool, and the aforementioned green roof.

​

The residential tenancies are generously proportioned, with large outdoor living areas, open-plan Living, Kitchen, and Dining areas, and generous walk-in robes and ensuites.

​

The design aesthetic expressed in the built form is continued throughout the interior design of both retail tenancies. Organic, curvilinear lines and forms are created in multiple elements, and the motif of timber battens is repeated in the ceiling, furniture elements, and lighting fixtures. A subtropical plant with outstanding air-purifying qualities has been selected for inclusion in both ceiling- and wall-mounted elements. These elements are used to partition and zone the spaces, and to define various levels of intimacy and privacy through volumetric variation.

​

The use of colour, material, texture, and natural light also develop the theme of environmental sustainability. Paints in varying shades of green reflect ideas of the environment, as does the use of a number of species of timber, which provide variations of texture and colour. Openness is created through the use of high ceilings and fixed and openable floor-to-ceiling glazing, which furthers the tranquility of the interior experience.