“The curve is more powerful than the sword.”
While legendary Hollywood actress Mae West—famed for her witty innuendos—wasn’t talking about tower developments, it seems from newly filed plans that Aria Property Group would agree.
The Queensland-based developer, led by Tim Forrester, has proposed a 30-storey tower comprising 256 apartments in its inner-city stomping ground of South Brisbane.
It follows the completion of its nearby 31-storey The Standard—a tower with 264 apartments featuring Australia’s largest green wall.
Both tower designs by architects Woods Bagot comprise sculptural curved building envelopes.
Earmarked for a 1822sq m site at 10-12 Cordelia Street—a short walk from the Fish Lane restaurant, bar and cafe preicnct—Aria's new tower would include a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments.
“The proposed tower comprises eight cylindrical form ... capped with an iconic crown profile that appears like a chandelier in the city skyline,” a design statement said.
Woods Bagot's key design strategy was “to stitch the landscape, architecture and art into a singular sculptural built form”.
It also integrates Aria’s penchant for green walls, sleeving the building’s podium facade, with brick finishes throughout the ground plane referencing South Brisbane’s rich character and heritage.
A submitted town planning report said the development design “continues Aria’s tradition of distinguishing itself from the prevailing rectilinear urban form of South Brisbane”.
“The proposed development provides an architecturally designed podium and streetscape interface comprised of curved vertical cylinder forms and draping lush green walls at the entrance,” it said.
“[It] adopts a dramatic architectural statement of an active, vibrant and intriguing built form and tower design.
“The tower volume is articulated as a series of cylindrical forms, to create an expression of verticality and slenderness in the tower .
“The circular motif presents a striking counterpoint to the immediate urban context ... [and] the verticality of the tower is further enhanced by extending the tower volumes to different heights, creating a feature 'crown': a recognisable feature on the South Brisbane skyline.”
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The scheme incorporates five levels of basement car parking, a four-storey podium, 26 storeys of residential units and an unroofed and unenclosed communal recreation area at the roof level. Communal recreation areas also would be provided on the ground level.
“In addition to the high-quality podium, the development incorporates design measures which activate Cordelia Street by providing communal open space areas directly accessible from ground floor level and the rooftop level,” the documents said.
A total of 1417sq m of communal recreation space would be provided throughout the proposed development.
At the lobby level, work-from-home spaces and private offices for residents have been incorporated into the design surrounded by landscaped outdoor areas.
The communal rooftop garden terrace would span 881sq m with outdoor seating and dining areas, cinema garden pods, lounge beds and a large swimming pool.
Aria Property development manager Michael Hurley said the Cordelia Street tower project had been designed to fit in with the existing style and feel of the surrounding streetscapes—including Fish Lane, which the company had helped revitalise and redevelop along with Brisbane City Council.
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“Our vision was to continue to support and invest in the area, building on our long-term relationships and establishing new connections within the community,” Hurley said. “We’re excited to contribute to its future growth and opportunities.”
Aria's Cordelia Street tower proposal would replace two 2 to 3-storey commercial buildings that occupy the South Brisbane site.
Adjoining the site's north-eastern corner is St Mary's Catholic Church, which is listed on both the Queensland State Heritage Register and the Local Heritage Register. As a result, the development application will be referred to the State Assessment and Referral Agency.
But according to a filed heritage impact assessment the proposed development's form, bulk and proximity would not have any adverse impacts on the cultural heritage significance of St Mary’s Catholic Church State Heritage Place.
“The main views of the St Mary’s Catholic Church from Peel Street and Merivale Street, and the limited views from Cordelia Street, will all remain and will not be compromised by the proposed development,” it said.
