CFMEU Plots Brisbane Office Block

Plans have been filed with Economic Development Queensland for a seven-storey office building at Bowen Hills in Brisbane’s inner north. 

CFMEU is behind the development of a 922sq m site at the corner of Jamieson Street and Edgar Street, and opposite its Queensland headquarters. 

NettletonTribe has designed the seven-storey commercial centre to achieve 3295sq m of gross floor area and a total of 13 carparking spaces.

The building would replace lowrise light industrial at the site at 8, 12 and 16 Jamieson Street, close to the Bowen Hills train station and another Bowen Hills development, Cintra Property and Core Property Partner’s $140-million The Abbotsford. 

According to RP Data, the CFMEU spent about $7.75 million on the site, across three titles in August 2024. 

A gentle slope would enable upper levels of the office block to capture views to the CBD and northern suburbs, the architectural design statement said. 

“The site’s strategic location, combined with its topographical features and surrounding developments, positions it as an ideal setting for creating a vibrant, active transportation-focused commercial environment that harmonises with Bowen Hills’ streetscape,” the report said. 

“The integration of the podium terrace as a spill-out space offers employees direct access to an outdoor retreat, complete with shaded seating areas and plantings that create a tranquil atmosphere for breaks or informal meetings.”

▲ Binah Construction will break ground nearby on The Abbotsford project after it was tapped for the job late last year.

Office remains a constrained market in Brisbane’s CBD.

There are just three office buildings due to come online in the next three years, according to Knight Frank partner of research and consulting Jennelle Wilson, who spoke at the Queensland Property Council breakfast this month. 

Wilson said Brisbane’s pre-commitment levels were far higher than any other market, which reflected the heavily constrained market.

New modelling from Cushman & Wakefield points to a bumper 2025 for Australia’s office sector. 

They are predicting that national transactions are expected to reach $13.3 billion in 2025, up from $9.8 billion in 2024, to reclaim the top spot in commercial property transactions.