Buchan To Transform Historic Buildings Into New Urban Retail Precinct

Fortitude Valley’s historic TC Beirne and Burlington Buildings are to be refurbished and reinvigorated into a new urban retail precinct designed by The Buchan Group.

Under the new urban renewal project, the ground floor of the TC Beirne and Burlington Buildings will be transformed into The Arcade and The Beirne Laneway, which together will form a new centrepiece for food, beverage and retail in Fortitude Valley.

The project comes as the upper levels of the TC Beirne and Burlington Buildings are set to be converted into a new commercial start-up precinct at the same time.

The Buchan Group Senior Architect Katrina Tolhurst said the refurbishment of the two buildings provided a unique opportunity to celebrate the architectural heritage of one of the Valley’s most distinctive buildings and reclaim its position as one of the area’s premier retail destinations.

She said the TC Beirne Building’s dual street presence, on both the Chinatown and Brunswick Street Malls, allowed for the two precincts to be linked by a central spine of retail and dining tenants.

“Within these spaces, the architectural focus will be on re-introducing texture and materiality, contrast and surprise, as well as providing intimate spaces with an abundance of natural light,” she said.

"The existing building layout will be strengthened to create a new central arcade with access to commercial foyers above, as well as a repositioned laneway with an expanded food and beverage offering. Within these connections, two multi-volume spaces extend upwards, connecting the retail with the commercial precinct above.

“At the entries from China Town Mall and Beirne Lane, a new mesh screen will fold upwards to create an entry statement that respectfully addresses the textural and materiality qualities of the building’s heritage façade and provides a clear entry node for the retail, food and commercial tenancies within.”

Ms Tolhurst said a Feature Atrium would sit within the central arcade and celebrate the heritage volume that extended upwards into the commercial spaces above.

“In the Atrium, ornamentation will be removed from structural elements to re-invigorate and express the strength of the raw materials used in the building’s original construction. A feature fabric sculpture suspended from the ceiling will help to define this area and its connection to the commercial lift foyer,” she said.

“The Beirne Laneway will extend inwards from the Brunswick Street Mall, between the TC Beirne Building itself and the adjacent building. This will allow for an expansion of the food and beverage offering, with new multi-directional seating areas facing into the tenancy and outwards onto the laneway.

“Moving through the Beirne Laneway and back inside, the Urban Court will link the central arcade to a new commercial office entry stairway, as well as new retail offerings and existing commercial foyers.

“In this space, a multi-volume height extends upwards providing glimpses into the activity of the commercial and dining tenancies above. The existing tenancy walls and structural elements will be stripped of ornamentation to once again express the raw heritage qualities of the existing building."Constructed in 1902, the TC Beirne Building was designed as a department store by Brisbane architect Robin Dodds. During the 1950s, the TC Beirne building and the nearby McWhirters, established Fortitude Valley as the largest shopping precinct outside of a central business district in Australia.