Turbit Nominees, with the consultation of Urbis, have proposed a new commercial tower at 343 Albert Street with the intention of providing a central premium office grade building to the Brisbane CBD.
The building will replace the existing Suncorp Tower, with plans to demolish the building on council approval of the Albert Street proposal.
The building is designed by Guida Moseley Brown Architects and developed by Morris Property Group in partnership with Amalgamated Property Group.
According to Morris Property Group development manager Brodie Lister, office buildings like 343 Albert Street are currently underrepresented in the Brisbane market and in demand by tenants.
“There is always demand for larger floor plates and ‘PCA Premium Grade’ buildings in good locations. The Brisbane commercial market has been in a soft cycle for a number of years due to factors including the mining investment slump/maturity, the shift in State Government departments and new towers built on speculation.
“The building proposed on 343 Albert focuses on a larger 1,500sq m NLA floor plate and the offering of another Premium Grade office tower in Brisbane CBD,” Lister said.
343 Albert is being developed at an exciting time for Brisbane and the development team hopes to add value to Brisbane’s optimistic future.
“The Brisbane CBD growth story is amazing with the Shayer Groups redevelopment, Howard Smith Wharves project, Queens Wharf project, the Cross River Rail project and the AEG Brisbane Live Proposal,” Lister said.
343 Albert Street
The development includes:
- 30-storey tower
- Three basement levels inclusive of 165 car parking spaces and end-of-trip-facilities
- Vehicle access via an existing access from Roma Street into the basement car parking levels
- Addition of three short-term stay and drop-off parking spaces along Albert Street
- A child care centre
- Indoor sport and recreation facilities
- Food and drink outlets
- Function facilities
- Office spaces
- Retail facilities
- High Impact Industry use (stand-by generator).
The integration of childcare and indoor sport facilities into 343 Albert are a sign of how commercial offerings are adapting to modern needs.
“Childcare is an important factor for any working family and in fact will be the defining factor for some employment choices.
“Small or large corporates or government departments all place equal importance on how/where childcare services can be accessed by their employees.
“Much in the same way as the distance to transport or lunchtime amenities like conference facilities, gymnasium or food & beverage offerings are viewed. Agglomerating these uses into a mixed-use tower makes commercial sense,” Lister said.
Site Context
The 49,684 square metre site is currently home to the 25-storey “Suncorp Plaza” commercial tower, which was erected in 1971, remaining the city’s tallest building until the construction of the AMP Centre in 1978. The owners plan to demolish the existing structure.
According to the proposal the development will be located in a strategic gateway position, as the site forms part of the Albert Street Green Spine connecting Roma Street Parklands to the City Botanic Gardens.
The development team intend to utilise this green spine by activating the street frontages along Turbot Street and Albert Street to maximise the sites potential.
“The proposal also abounds the Albert St green spine urban regeneration proposal and the AEG Brisbane Live Proposal both providing great long term benefits to the land holding,” Lister said.
This will include an extension of the existing publicly accessible landscaped area from the west into the landscaped interior foyer, and a landscaped plaza adjacent to the heritage listed Albert Street Uniting Church.
On the challenge of designing within such close proximity to a heritage listed site Lister explained that the developers met with the states DEHP and the Brisbane Council Heritage department to present our proposal and seek their approval prior to finalising the DA lodgement, “The response was favourable [and confirmed] the design-response was appropriate.”
Design Statement: Guida Moseley Brown Architects
GMB Architects state that in addition to the extensive exterior and interior landscaping, the new tower will incorporate sustainable design initiatives in accordance with premium grade requirements and the Brisbane City Council’s “Buildings that Breath” strategy. The tone for the greater tower will be set through the design of the atrium.
The inspiration for 343 Albert’s atrium is to create public realm that acts like a green room, living and breathing in a subtropical environment. To achieve this the proposal states that GMB addressed three key points, urban flexibility, greenery and adaptive use between different times of the day.
“A key driver behind the design is the creation of a usable space that caters for all. Acknowledging its context, the space will continue to open up to the Albert Street Green Spine to provide a space for relief, conversation and outdoor gathering.”
“The urban plaza creates a subtropical ‘lounge room’ that invites people into its verdant setting. Its soft edges will create a green curtain that draw people to all corners of the site, creating activation across the whole groundplane.”
“The urban plaza will come to life at night through [the use of] curated lighting. Elegant and engaging, the landscape lighting combined with the ambient lighting of the lobby will create a space that glows at night and celebrates its connection to a heritage city gem.”
“The inherent richness of Brisbane’s future as an overtly subtropical city is a key driver behind the public realm and landscape of 343 Albert,” Morris Property Group said in their proposal.
The council will now assess the development application.
Originally Published: https://www.theurbandeveloper.com