Brique Thrives in Cauldron of SE Queensland Development

“If you’re trying to get a foot in the door, you have to pretend it doesn’t exist.” So says Natalie Lewis, the founder of Brisbane-based Brique Projects, that has now filed plans for a luxury townhouse development at Burleigh Heads and has a string of Sunshine and Gold coast projects to its credit. A relatively recent addition to the competitive south-east Queensland market, which is dominated by major players, having a family of development-adjacent professionals behind her as part of the Barclay clan has provided something of a leg up for Lewis. Brique itself is part of the Barclay Group, founded by Clyde Ian Barclay, who alongside brother Don grew their Barclay Bros Pty Ltd into one of Queensland’s biggest construction firms. ▲ Barclay Mowlem had an order book of $900 million and employed 2000 people at its height. Image: Weston Langford Railway Photography Later known as Barclay Mowlem, it was taken over by Carillion before being absorbed by Laing O’Rourke in 2006. Natalie is one of Ian’s grandchildren, so with such a pedigree it’s perhaps not surprising Lewis turned to property. Now, after launching Brique Projects in 2020 after a career in property-associated roles, the developer’s teething stage is over and the next phase is under way. “Any sort of business infancy stages, it’s fair to question whether or not it will work. But we’ve moved past that, we can see that it’s working. So how can we become more sophisticated, and what do we need to grow it?” Lewis says. Getting to that growth stage is no mean feat for any young business, and it certainly wasn’t a straightforward journey for Lewis. Taking the plunge Not everyone knows exactly what they want to do when they’re at university, and despite her family background, Lewis was a typical early 20-something. “To be totally honest, I kind of floated through university for a couple of years before property became interesting to me,” she says. “Once it did, I switched to a property major and things started to click.” Helping out in the family office in the early 2000s while studying ignited her passion for property. “That’s when I really started to appreciate how layered and challenging development can be. From there, I knew that’s where I wanted to build my career.” ▲ Brique ’ s Ame on Riviera project at Miami. Image: Andy McPherson. Lewis began growing her experience in ancillary sectors, first at a real estate agency and then a display house for a small-lot home builder before becoming a marketing assistant at Citimark Properties. The big jump came when Lewis got a shot as assistant development manager at Pointcorp Group. “I was fairly fortunate, to be honest, to get the role with Pointcorp, because going from marketing into development management isn’t traditionally the pathway to get into development management,” Lewis says. Then a serendipitous Instagram message to Brent Thompson of Siera Group led to another role. “Back then, in 2018, he was doing smaller projects, similar to what I’m doing now. I didn’t have a job, and I said, ‘Hey, like, really love what you’re doing. Love your videos. Are you looking for any help?’ and he took me on. ▲ Brique's Fiano project at 37 Hinley Avenue, Maroochydore. “Working for him for 18 months, I just absorbed as much as I could ... and he was so generous and transparent with his knowledge,” Lewis says. Then the pandemic put a spanner in the works. “I was made redundant just as Covid hit in 2020. I started looking for another job, but then decided hey this might finally, actually, be the time for me to have a crack at going out on my own. Et voila , here we are. “I’ve always had entrepreneurial aspirations. I am (now) not shy about the fact that I like to be in control and set my own pace, I want to deliver on my own goals and ideas, not someone else’s.” Industry support Until nine months ago Brique was a one-woman band before Lewis’s husband, Jacob Webb, an RPEQ engineer, came on board. “I’m also fortunate to receive high-level governance and strategic support from within ‘the family’,” Lewis says. But help was forthcoming outside the family too. “When I first started looking at sites I spoke to anyone and everyone,” Lewis says. “I was also very honest in saying, ‘Hey, I’m new here and don’t know everything and am looking for help’.” ▲ Brique’s Cypress Terrace Project at Palm Beach is under construction. But that’s not to say it’s an easy market to enter, especially as a female developer. “It’s still very much a boys’ club, and I’ve had many disheartening experiences throughout my career,” Lewis says. “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that not everyone believes in you and sees your potential, so if you do find those people, hold on to them. “It can be hard trying to enter an industry where you still don’t see many other women in leadership positions, and for the younger gals walking into a meeting where nine out of 10 are still men, it can be daunting.” That’s particularly the case when visiting Brique’s sites and being mistaken for the real estate agent. ▲ Brique’s Miami project was completed in 2024. Image: Andy McPherson “At this stage in my career I love when people underestimate me, so I use that as much as I can to my advantage. But the more women that are a part of this industry the better, I hope we see more having a go and we still have plenty of work to do.” Lewis will be presenting at The Urban Developer ’s Urbanity conference at The Star Gold Coast this week. “So, even though we’re a small developer, if there’s another young woman in the crowd there that can see me on stage and think, like, maybe that could be me, that’s why I’m doing it.” Developing in south-east Queensland As any new or veteran developer will know, Queensland’s south-east is running hot, making it harder to move in the market. “It’s incredibly competitive and there are so many brilliant developers operating on the Gold Coast as well,” Lewis says. “The timeframes are still way beyond what they were but to be honest that’s not of too much concern to us. “We like to spend a sensible amount of time on the design to ensure the end outcome is going to be appealing. Our model isn’t churn and burn.” ▲ Rendering of the Burleigh Street project by Brique. But being a smaller developer means that not all doors are open and Brique doesn’t have agents looking for sites, so while occasionally off-market sites come up, they are not the norm, Lewis says. “Anybody who is selling off market at the moment ... it seems as though they’re expecting a premium like everyone else, when it’s supposed to work in the reverse, and two of the sites I bought have been via auction. “But because we’re funded by an internal company within the group, we have the ability to move really quickly and pay cash, and settle within 30 days, if not sooner.” ▲ Brique specialises in townhouse developments in prime coastal locations. Being part of the Barclay Group means the company is funded by the family office, but this won’t always be the case. “Just as a builder/developer is not beholden to a construction margin, we’re not beholden to an external funding interest,” Lewis says. “We’re hoping to get a little more strategic with our funding scenario soon however, so that will be interesting. “But I love where Brique is at, and am hoping to continue working on projects of a similar size in the same epic locations.”

Brique Thrives in Cauldron of SE Queensland Development

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