First Look: New forest-laden apartments heading for Hamilton's riverfront
Architecture firm Myers Ellyett says living in subtropical Brisbane is an experience of living on a verandah.
They say being half indoor, and half out, is a life that embraces living with gardens and greenery.
That was their design inspiration for the newest apartment development plans filed in Brisbane, a 14-level tower on a prime site at 92 Kingsford Smith Drive in Hamilton.
The project will have 62 apartments, a mix of 20 two-bedroom units and 42 three-bedroom apartments. It will be crowned with a 1,048 sqm rooftop with swimming pool and spa, gym with sauna and yoga lawn, private dining room, wine room, and barbecue area.
There will also be a first level sky forest with seating nooks, on the same level the apartments start. They will sit above a podium and basement levels which will home 148 car spaces and 78 bicycle spaces, as well as commercial tenancies on the activated ground plane.
The plans have been filed by Industry Corp, an entity linked to local Dennis Tomasel.
The built form above ground level has been separated into two distinct forms, which Myers Elyett have referred to as the trunk and treehouses.
Myers Elyett described the proposal as a "gateway project that embraces Brisbane’s attractive climate & outdoor lifestyle."
"The architecture responds to the natural and urban influences, creating a distinctive architecture adorned with greenery," the Urban Context Report read.
"The project offers an opportunity to enhance and create a memorable experience for those visiting the subtropical city of Brisbane."
The corner site occupies an unobstructed location on the fork of the Brisbane River and Breakfast Creek, with long views from the river, road, and adjoining suburbs.
All 62 apartments are entered through sky gardens. They provide distinctive open-air circulation and private open spaces lush with planting.
Mewing Planning Consultants said in their Town Planning Assessment that the site presents a range of contextual and urban form characteristics that present the opportunity to develop a high density, distinctive residential development that is befitting of its location.
"Having regard to the contextual characteristics and visual values of the site, the applicant proposes to develop a high density and exemplar residential development that embraces Brisbane’s subtropical Town Planning Assessment."
"92 Kingsford Smith Drive, Hamilton climate, takes advantage of site’s high level of amenity and outlook and is of a scale that is generally coherent to, yet sufficiently distinct from (for urban form reasons), its surrounding built form context."
They said the intent of the development is to encourage urban consolidation within a well-located and focal inner city precinct (having regard to recently released Brisbane City Council strategy documents) that will contribute to the diversification and quality of high density residential development, including the provision of generously sized and functional sky homes that are suitable for families who want to live in a highly accessible location close to employment and services."
Wild Studio handled the landscaping, suggesting the project offers an "exciting opportunity to transform a coveted, riverside site into a thriving, complex forest, reminiscent of the pre-existing landscape.
"Refined exterior spaces are sunken into the forest, captivating residents and their guests and capitalising on the salutogenic power of landscape," their submission read.
"Supporting BCC’s Buildings That Breathe initiative, this development will set a new benchmark for living, native greenery, enrich the urban experience and help contribute to a vision of Brisbane that is sophisticated and subtropical."