Developer Sunland Group has abandoned Zaha Hadid Architects’ plans for three residential towers in Toowong, Brisbane, after losing a long legal battle over the design.
Zaha Hadid Architects unveiled its design for the $430 million project in 2014, with Zaha Hadid stating that it would create a “vibrant civic space” in the city. The design featured three towers ranging from 24 to 27 storeys with a total of 555 units, as well as parkland space and ground floor retail. The buildings’ design was to feature a curtain wall glazing overlayed with a quilted diamond pattern made from glass reinforced concrete.
In 2015 however, Toowong resident Kate Peta Bell appealed against the project’s planning approval, stating that the towers exceeded the height limitations posed by Brisbane City Council. Indeed, it was found that the Council’s height limit for the site was 15 storeys and the planning application was ultimately rejected.
Sunland is now seeking new designs for the 15,000sqm site, which was the former home of an ABC studio that shut down in 2006 due to an unexplained breast cancer cluster.
