Ground breaks on Brisbane's largest ever office tower

This week marks an important milestone for Brisbane’s construction industry with the ground breaking of the largest commercial tower to ever be constructed in Brisbane’s history.

Cbus Property and the State Government of Queensland have now commenced site works on the 75,000sqm government tower, 1 William Street.

Located at the northern end of the Brisbane CBD near State Parliament House and the public service precinct, the

Woods Bagot-designed tower will rise 43 levels (258 metres) above William Street.

The Queensland Government has committed to 60,000sqm of net lettable area with the balance available for sublease to the private sector.

1 William Street will also feature 1,169sqm of retail space along with 318 car bays.

"Our vision for 1 William Street is that it should be emblematic on the Brisbane city skyline," says Mark Damant, Principal in Woods Bagot’s Brisbane studio.

"As an organic fluid form, the tower will also be inclusive to the state and will sensitively mediate the rich environmental, architectural and social heritage of the site and the city," says Damant.

At ground level, the building is lifted so that the building appears to float over a dynamic network of pedestrian and view corridors that will connect the site to its surroundings.

Inside, an exceptional workplace is planned to encourage transparency, accessibility and collaboration, built around a central core that allows daylight and 360-degree views.

The site is ordered into eight “platforms” of public engagement, each with its own design signature: an urban retail laneway, intimate sub-tropical botanical spaces, a formalized entry space off William Street, and so on.

Acknowledging the complexity and context of the site, including nearby Parliament House, the tower’s ground floor will be elevated, appearing to hover over a network of pedestrian and view corridors.

“Cbus Property’s development will revitalise the site and is the first stage in delivering a mixed-use precinct that will facilitate greater community use of the northern bank of the Brisbane River,” Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff Seeney said.

The 6,778sqm site is owned by the State Government of Queensland and has previously been used as a car park for public servants.

After being elected to power in a landslide victory in early 2012, the Newman Government announced an ambitious plan to reinvigorate the Government Administrative precinct to meet the accommodation demands of the Queensland Public Service.

CBus were awarded the development rights in December 2012 after a competitive tender process involving most of Australia’s largest development and property firms.

“More than 1,000 direct jobs per year will be required on site as the development proceeds, which will also have a positive impact on indirect jobs and the overall economy,” Treasurer and Minister for Trade Tim Nicholls said.

It is also expected to rationalise the Government’s CBD office portfolio and save taxpayers about $60 million every year.

It is expected that CBus Property, and contractor

Brookfield Multiplex, will commence excavation in mid-2013 and target completion by the end of 2016.