Australia's first twin tower conversion and refurbishment is underway
Brisbane’s approved Midtown Centre development is underway with facade demolition occurring this month in preparation for Australia’s first conversion and refurbishment of existing twin towers.
The Midtown Centre development will merge two outdated office buildings into a single new commercial tower with new public laneway, designed by acclaimed architecture firm Fender Katsalidis.
This transformation will deliver 42,000sqm of A-Grade office space with Brisbane’s largest office floor plates of 2,500sqm, allowing highly flexible and connected workplaces and raising the number of levels from 19 to 26.
The project removes the facade of the existing structures, infills the gap between the towers by expanding the floor plates, fusing into one tower and will be wrapped by a healthy new glass facade.
Connecting and refurbishing two existing structures is over 230% more environmentally friendly than demolishing and building anew according to Green Star.
The project also includes the refurbishment of the Heritage Charlotte Street Facade to be guided by Urbis and in strict accordance to the Brisbane City Council’s Heritage guidelines.
Midtown Centre will have a range of first class integrated amenities to serve the modern workforce of today with a sky bridges to connect workers encouraging collaboration, an array of sky gardens to achieve a 5 Star Green Star rating as well as Queensland’s first rated Silver WELL core and shell.
The joining of two buildings together and the adaptive reuse of existing fabric and some of the infrastructure is far more sustainable whilst also lowering the wait time for tenants to move back instead of creating a completely new building. This technique is fairly new to Australia and is amongst a handful of modern developments such as the Quay Quarter Tower in Sydney that is using this up-cycling method to create a completely renewed and sustainable building whilst retaining its structural shell and most floor plates.
Built in 1890, the heritage facade facing Charlotte Street will be carefully restored and enhanced and will make way for the 3 storey mixed use podium separated by a central naturally ventilated glass atrium.
The facade of the existing structures will be replaced by floor-to-ceiling glass, oriented towards the sun which will let in a great deal of natural light. The design includes green atriums and three storey voids to bring in more sunlight, allowing for the comfortability of workers in the expanded floor plates.
Rio Tinto was announced as the anchor tenant in March 2019 and will occupy 20,000sqm of the building, relocating from its former home at 123 Albert Street.
Midtown will use locally sourced Queensland materials featuring subtropical inspired fitouts with numerous outdoor terraces, inter-floor mixed mode atriums, state of the art end of trip facilities, a complimentary wellness centre and a 840sqm sky terrace garden on the 20th level.
The new laneway connecting Mary Street to Charlotte Street will include a mix of retail and hospitality spaces that activate the ground floor precinct.
Internationally renowned Fender Katsalidis embraced the ‘Buildings that Breathe’ philosophy through the design of this tower. Interiors and workspaces will be designed by Hassell, while Landscape Architects Lat27 will be responsible for shaping the outdoor green spaces incorporated into the building.
The tower is committed to creating a healthy work environment and brings Brisbane to the forefront as a World Class City to which it has progressed greatly to becoming in the past few years. The building will be completed by mid 2021, delivered amongst new supply in the Brisbane CBD office market.
