Tall & Urban News

Aria Property Group has lodged plans to build a 34-story tower with 1,003 trees called “The Urban Forest” at South Bank, Brisbane.

The plans feature 382 apartments, two levels of common rooftop space, an array of greenery as well as a 1,350-square-meter public park at the base of the building and ground floor retail.

The Brisbane-based developer has had the South Bank block under contract since 2019.

Three sites were included in the development application at corner block opposite the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre and Brisbane State High School.

The site was listed for more than AUD$20 million (US$13 million), according to industry sources. 

Aria development manager Michael Hurley said despite the tough conditions for apartments in Brisbane they had to focus on the things they could change, which seemed to be working.

“The market's the market, we can't control that but we can control what we do,” Hurley said.

“You've got to learn and there's lots of takeaways from what we've all been through in the last three or four months.

“There's a lot of lessons and a lot of good feedback and we're making sure that we're consistently evolving our offering and listening to our owners and tenants as to what they want.

“So far we've been fortunate we've had a good following and our peers have said what we're doing seems to be working.”

Hurley said they wanted this new building to set the benchmark for green urban centres.

“In time we want Brisbane to be mentioned in the same breath as Singapore as a global leader in green buildings and sustainability,” Hurley said. 

Architect Koichi Takada said their practice was promoting cities to inspire the next generation to help create mass greening for a sustainable and greener future.

“The Urban Forest is a vertical park which features five times the trees found in nearby Musgrave Park and a Green Plot Ratio [at] 292 percent [of] the site area in gardens; equivalent to taking over 150 cars off the road each year,” Takada said.

“It is important to bring such a building to Brisbane at this time, as unlike more populated cities, Brisbane still offers abundant opportunity to define and shift the city to a more natural and humanized approach.

“The result is the greenest residential building with generous backyards in the sky and offers a healthier way to live.”

The Urban Forest residential tower planting included a variety of tree species which would flower in different seasons.

The ground level Glenelg Street park plans also featured a number of trees along with a stage, outdoor classrooms, amphitheatre and event space.

For more on this story, go to The Urban Developer.