'Skirted' building gets go-ahead

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This was published 13 years ago

'Skirted' building gets go-ahead

By Tony Moore

A new $250 million, 160-metre residential tower has been given the green light for Brisbane's central business district.

Brisbane City Council this morning approved the 47-storey Carrington development, which will be built on the corner of Alice and Albert streets, opposite the city botanic gardens.

The 47-storey Carrington development has been given the green light to go ahead opposite the city botanic gardens.

The 47-storey Carrington development has been given the green light to go ahead opposite the city botanic gardens.

The futuristic style design includes a lower level architectural “skirt”, which the council's development assessment chair Amanda Cooper described as innovative and likely to generate considerable general interest “as an entry to the city”.

Cr Cooper said the skirt reflected the buttress roots from the large fig trees in the neighbouring Brisbane Botanical Gardens.

“I think it is an innovative and high quality design which we are about as an organisation,” she said.

The council's planning sub-committee approved the development, with conditions that it have a water–tight, six-storey underground basement car park and a complex back-up pump system to prevent flooding.

The car park will have space for 333 resident cars and 11 visitors.

Plans for the Carrington, a proposal from developer Sunland, include a ground floor restaurant and lobby, 257 units and a gross floor area of 35,000 square metres.

Local councillor David Hinchliffe, of the Labor opposition, asked the committee about light reflecting from the building.

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Cr Cooper said most Brisbane CBD building had to have a “reflectivity” of 20 per cent or less, and the Carrington satisfied that guideline.

Cr Hinchliffe said he was concerned this guideline was not satisfactory.

Seven submission were received on the projects application, raising issues including servicing of the building, flood impacts and disability toilets.

Cr Cooper said those issues were all addressed by the council's planning staff.

“This will be one of the biggest developments Brisbane has seen for years and is important to help us meet the state government's housing targets - bringing over 250 residential units to the market,” she said.

“We've made sure there is ample parking to minimise any impact on local street parking and the traffic congestion that results.”

In November last year Council also approved plans for a 32-storey luxury hotel to be built at 103 Mary St in a bid to boost the city's low number of quality short-term accommodation rooms.

Carrington Tower will be Sunland's first foray in the Queensland residential market since the completion of Q1 and Circle on Cavill at Surfers Paradise almost five years ago.

Last year, Sunland Group managing director Sahba Abedian hailed the design by Wood/Marsh as the developer's finest piece of architecture.

"We will be looking to create a very sculptural, iconographic tower that will really mark the entry into Brisbane from the southside of the city," he said.

"It's a curvilinear building that really personifies the feminine form. If you look at the building it actually drapes out at the base that is not dissimilar to a beautiful dress - that's really the intent behind the tower."

- with Marissa Calligeros

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