Brisbane City Council has given the nod to the final stages of the $600 million South City Square (SCS) development at the inner-city suburb of Woolloongabba.
Designed by DBI architects, SCS is a new 21,444sqm mixed-use precinct comprising seven buildings – six residential and one hotel – and an assortment of retail, hospitality, outdoor, and health and childcare facilities.
It will be delivered in seven stages and construction and sales for Stages 1, 2 and 3 are already underway. Developers Perri Projects and Pellicano are now fast tracking the remainder of the SCS development and will be pleased to have received conditional approval from Brisbane City Council for Stages 4/5, 6, and 7.
As the name indicates, central to SCS will be its internal square which will host a mixture of retail, hospitality and public amenity, but all buildings will all have external activation with the surrounding streets.
More detail about each building is provided below.
In its submission to the City of Brisbane DBI provided the following design statement:
The ethos of this project’s design strategy has been to provide a legible yet varied built environment which stimulates and excite through varied linked themes; a place for residents to embrace the Queensland lifestyle vernacular, to enjoy and to be home.
Queensland’s subtropical climate and architectural style is evident within each design component. Usable private balconies, expansive green roofs, connecting awnings, lush landscaping, and access to open green spaces have all been drivers in the architectural built form response.
Privacy and the desire for a green or open outlook has also been central to the design philosophy. Residential dwellings are elevated and contained within tower forms only; above the retail ground plane thereby permitting longer views outward to open sky or across the central green square.
The square itself has been used a privacy barrier – shielding the residents from the ground plane. A focus on providing as much visible green as possible through the use of tree canopies, green roofs, awnings and shade structures is evident in the design solutions of the project.
Retail spaces have intentionally been compressed down to the ground plane where concentrations of use can create a buzz and hubs of activity at various times of the days. The concepts of the neighbourhood retail streets and outdoor lifestyles dominate the ground level design outcomes.
The scale of development has led to a staged project delivery where each part, or group of parts, must function standalone and as a collective. Considerable consideration is therefore given to functionality, but also to interface.
South City Square endeavours to be a unique, exciting, and liveable precinct within the Woolloongabba precinct.
STAGE 1
Stage 1 of the development proposes a 14-storey mixed use building. It will have 118 apartments, a ground level lobby and commercial tenancies, and a rooftop resident’s lounge, kitchen, resident facilities, landscaped gardens and a plunge pool.
STAGE 2
The approved mixed use development of Stage 2 comprises of 15 storeys, with a recreational landscaped roof terrace. Stage 2 accommodates 140 apartments, a rooftop pool and a serious of barbeque areas, a supermarket, and the shell for retail amenities (for future stages of development).
STAGE 3
Stage 3 proposes a 15-storey tower containing 140 apartments, a fresh foods market place, and a roof terrace with landscaped gardens, barbeque areas and a plunge pool. This stage includes the construction of the basement level which will comprise future facilities that is included in Stages 4 and 5 of the development.
STAGE 4/5
Stages 4/5 is the largest addition to the South City Square development, consisting of two residential towers situated on a large joint podium. The 17 and 18-storey towers feature the most intricate façades out of all the proposed stages.
The double story commercial podium features a cinema, commercial and retail tenancies and the integrated Logan Road bus stop which will service the South City Square development. It also has a large green wall which helps to connect Stage 4/5 to the green central square.
Stage 4 has 131 apartments varying from one bedroom to three bedrooms, while Stage 5 has 175 apartments with similar sizes to the other tower. The roof terraces are connected with a sky bridge and have large landscaped gardens, barbeque areas, an extensive pool and a premium penthouse apartment.
Following the completion of Stage 1 – 3 basements, the entire master plan basement will be constructed during Stage 4/5. This basement will link to the previously constructed Stages 1 – 3, and support the car parking and services for Stage 4 – 7.
STAGE 6
The proposed mixed use development of Stage 6, comprises of 15 storeys and a recreational landscaped roof terrace. As the tower faces to the south away from the development, Stage 6 acts as a prominent landmark as it has exposure to patrons arriving towards South City Square.
Stage 6 consists of 117 apartments with a mixture of one and two bedrooms. The roof terrace accommodates landscaped gardens, barbeque areas and a plunge pool. The podium level features two commercial retail tenancies which connect to the park land, while the second floor is a childcare facility for the South City Square development.
STAGE 7
Overlooking the green central square is the 15-storey Stage 7 Hotel development. This stage features 144 hotel rooms, a bar, a day spa, conference rooms, and a rooftop garden, barbeque area and plunge pool.
