A 274-metre tower that aims to “capture the essence” of subtropical Brisbane will soar above the city’s CBD, after getting the green light from the City of Brisbane.
No. 1 Brisbane by Blight Rayner.
Image: Blight Rayner
Designed by Blight Rayner, the tower dubbed No.1 Brisbane will become the fifth building in Brisbane to reach the city’s maximum building height, as permitted by aviation authorities, including two other towers designed by Cox Rayner where the directors of Blight Rayner previously worked.
To be located in on the corner of George and Queen streets, in the centre of the city, it will house 534 residential units containing 1,102 bedrooms, including two five-bedroom apartments.
The 81-storey tower is designed to be slender and organic in nature, and is distinctive for its series of protrusions that break up its otherwise uniform vertical lines.
Complemented by greenery, these protruding sections will appear as organic growths sprouting out at random. They will house a series of “sky gardens,” which will contain pools, cinemas, wellness centres, lounges and relaxation zones set within an elevated subtropical landscape.
These sky gardens are intended to form the heart of the community for four distinct vertical “neighbourhoods.”
A design statement from the Brisbane-based Blight Rayner Architecture reads “No.1 Brisbane’s ambition is to capture the essence of Brisbane through its organic approach in form, composition, spatial relationships, landscape and environmental performance and act as a building that embraces the subtropics, becoming an emblem for Brisbane as a new world city.”
No. 1 Brisbane by Blight Rayner.
Image: Blight Rayner
In addition to the apartments, a four-storey podium will be dedicated to retail and entertainment, and will be designed to maximize public accessibility.
An urban context response report submitted as part of the development application states that the podium’s design will allow the public to move not only across the site but also up it, via a series of voids and escalators culminating at a landscaped area atop the podium. The report also states that the podium’s Queen Street façade will comprise a series of glass louvres that open the building up, making it “Brisbane’s great verandah.”
The site of the tower, currently occupied by a multi-storey office building set to be demolished, abuts a number of local and state-listed heritage buildings. The development application states that the design of the podium “aligns with the adjoining heritage building to continue the Queen Street scale.”
No. 1 Brisbane by Blight Rayner.
Image: Blight Rayner
Blight Rayner’s design for the building was the winner of an invited design completion, beating three other contenders. A development application for the project was submitted by planning consultant Bennett and Bennett on behalf of the developer 151 Property Core Plus Management on 16 June 2017.
A number of issues were raised by the council, including the height of awnings extending from the podium, and the openness and permeability of the ground plane, but the council approved the proposal on December 15.
