Brisbane Quarantine Facility Gets Green Light

A 1000-bed facility to “end to leaks from hotel quarantine” got the green light near Brisbane Airport.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by the state and federal governments for the facility to be built by mid-2022 on a 29-hectare site.

The Pinkenba Army barracks, used since WWII as a defence storage and warehouse facility, would be converted into the facility which would allow for two repatriation flights a week.

ACEOM were appointed lead consultants on the project which would quarantine up to 1450 people at a time.

A detailed plan had already been developed for a regional quarantine facility at Wellcamp, Toowoomba however funding disagreements curbed this project.

Deputy premier Steven Miles said signing for the Brisbane quarantine facility was a significant milestone and necessary to prevent new strains of Covid from entering the community.

“That means the Australian government can get started building it, and once constructed, the Queensland government will provide services to the facility,” Miles said.

“Following countless breaches from the nation’s hotel quarantine system it’s clear there is an urgent need for more fit-for-purpose quarantine facilities throughout Australia.

“With NSW and Victoria in lockdown, we cannot afford more leaks from hotel quarantine.”

Mandatory hotel quarantine for returned travellers has been in place since March-2020.

The Commonwealth Department of Finance identified the Damascus Barracks as a suitable site, due to its size, access to an international airport and its proximity to a principal referral hospital.

The site was developed by the United States in the 1940s with bulk-fuel storage and a refuelling station located on the property.

According to the Department of Defence “anecdotal evidence suggests potential buried military hardware exists at unknown locations”.

Article Source: www.theurbandeveloper.com

$130 million Wynnum CBD apartment development proposed

Wynnum CBD apartment development, Ora tower

The Brisbane-based property developer, HamBros, led by local developer Justin Ham, has lodged plans for a 27-level mixed-use development in the heart of Wynnum.

Ora, which will spread across a 7,278 sqm site at 74 Charlotte Street and 89 Bay Terrace, will be built behind the existing Wynnum Shopping Centre.

Ora, meaning ‘edge’ in Latin, has been designed by Ivory Collective and will comprise 275 apartments, with the amalgamation also planned to be home to retail space, as well as two-levels of commercial space.

“Ora is a development that intertwines the beautiful bayside environment of Wynnum with the ease and luxury of unit living,” architecture firm Ivory Collective noted in their design statement in the development application.

There will be 275 apartments in the development, made up of 54 one-bedroom, 148 two-bedroom and 67 three-bedroom apartments, along with six three-bed plus multi-purpose-room penthouses.

Ora’s floor plate is designed to orientate and capture as much of the East as possible, allowing for maximum exposure to the easterly breezes and bay views.

A full recreation level is planned for level five, with a 528 sqm restaurant and bar, set around an expansive pool terrace as well as a wet deck, space, sauna and steam rooms, private cabanas, a cinema, barbecues, meeting rooms, wine rooms and function spaces.

“The recreational level on Level 5 creates a space for both the public and residents alike to enjoy the beautiful bay views and surroundings,” the statement added.

Drawing inspiration from the Wynnum foreshore in both its material and palette and building form, Ora is made up of clean off-white concrete and bronzed feature cladding and batten, reflecting the warmth and clarity of the Wynnum/Manly beach front, Ivory Collective noted.

Article source: www.urban.com.au

Brisbane

Barwon secures Princess Alexandra Hospital car park

Barwon Investment Partners has snapped up a multi-level car park and medical centre on a site with significant development upside opposite Princess Alexandra Hospital.

The Woolloongabba asset at 250 Ipswich Road is setting the healthcare focused fund manager back around $95 million, reflecting a circa four per cent net passing yield.

The property contains an eight level, 773-bay garage attached to a two floor wellness centre with 21 tenancies, anchored to Gabba Dermatology, Brisbane Cardiology and Allied Health; the Weighted Average Lease Expiry is nearly seven years.

A pedestrian overpass connects the building to the Princess Alexandra Hospital, also a major teaching campus, employing 6810.

The 5106 sqm block has significant upside – up to 15 storeys based on its zoning, according to JLL’s Seb Turnbull, Elliott O’Shea and Simon Quinn, who marketed the asset with a Blight Rayner scheme.

BIP invests again

Established in 2006, BIP holds a property portfolio worth $2.3 billion.

Its medical related product, much held in a Healthcare Property fund, is priced at about $1.4b as at March, 2022.

Seven months ago, for the trust, the manager paid Forza Capital $34.7m for a South Brisbane medical centre – not far from 250 Ipswich Rd – and two Canberra assets including Belconnen’s Ginninderra Medical & Dental Centre on nearly a hectare.

Also late last year BIP spent $75m for a 12 level St Kilda Rd office majority leased to Alfred Health.

More to come.

Article source: www.realestatesource.com.au

Brisbane

Brisbane’s Office Market Greenlit for Business

Brisbane’s office market continues to shake off the pandemic doldrums with two new commercial towers approved in the CBD and fringe suburbs.

Property owner PGIM and development partner Indema’s plan for a bold adaptive reuse of a 1970s commercial building at 444 Queen Street has won approval.

The bronze 22-storey tower opposite Customs House will be stripped back to its core structure and completely remodelled with a new podium, curtain wall facade and an additional two-storey sculptural canopy.

Indema director Michael Bruderlin said they would be targeting a net zero certification for the building upon completion in the first quarter of 2024.

Bruderlin said Hutchies had been engaged in an early contractor design and construct contract to help de-risk the project and better understand the technical requirements.

The Fender Katsalidis-designed tower follows in the footsteps of another of its commercial adaptive reuse projects in Brisbane, Ashe Morgan’s Midtown, now the headquarters for Rio Tinto.

Bruderlin said retaining and repurposing the existing building is 400 per cent more environmentally friendly. Retaining the existing concrete structure provides a 70 per cent saving in embodied carbon.

The project will rejuvenate a 48-year-old building at the end of life into an A-grade commercial office asset and increase the net leasable area 40 per cent.

Bruderlin said the project would have a quicker turnaround than a normal demolish and build project and it would use clever design initiatives to increase floor plates and create a better value proposition for the asset.

PGIM purchased 444 Queen Street for $54.4 million from the Public Trustee of Queensland and Abacus Property Group in October last year.

Cornerstone has also won approval for a commercial development in the city fringe suburb of Fortitude Valley.

The Bureau Proberts-designed tower will capture the heritage brick character of the Fortitude Valley centre “borrowing from the intent of these buildings but with a stridently different and contemporary expression”, planning documents said.

“This approach is a deliberate counterpoint to the strong and solid brick structures of the immediately adjacent 47 Warner Street and McWhirters buildings.

“Brickwork or masonry is not used as a material in deference to these neighbouring buildings allowing them to become more evident and make a clear statement about the era of their inception.”

The 28-storey commercial tower at 251 Wickham Street features a stepped slanting facade fronting Warner Street, with a four-storey lobby, and an inverted podium.

There will also be a rooftop terrace, 20m pool and open-plan gym in the commercial tower, with retail offerings at the base of the building.

Brisbane’s metropolitan office market vacancy was at 16.3 per cent at the end of March and there were few transactions across the quarter, according to Colliers research.

But yields remained steady, and well above other capital cities, while incentives remained stagnant at 40 per cent.

Article source: www.theurbandeveloper.com