New Residential Tower unlike any other so far in South Brisbane:

Application number: A003131140
Aria Property Group (Primary Applicant)

2 EDMONDSTONE ST SOUTH BRISBANE QLD 4101
4 EDMONDSTONE ST SOUTH BRISBANE QLD 4101

http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/2665/91345208.jpg
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2263/93099877.jpg
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/2691/43961439.jpg

cue the nimbys

^^ Nimbys be gone! This looks quite cool!

Here's a closer render of the podium. That's a nice looking green wall!

http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/6465/edmondstoneststhbris3.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/804/edmondstoneststhbris3.jpg/)

Looks pretty decent, I quite like it :)

does look pretty good, and great location.

It'll stand out like a sore thumb for a while if built, but the zoning for all that area up to the cultural centre is for large buildings like this. It'll be the catalyst to turn south Brisbane into high density.

Too much painted concrete IMO, the glass curtain on the side is fine and the gardens are a nice if they actually turn out like that, but otherwise it's a pretty slabby sort of a box isn't it.

Interesting. It will be quite visible looking up the street in West End. Yes NIMBY's will hate it.

Looks like a modern version of the hilton

Looks awesome! Love it!!

my exact thoughts brizguy. Does look cool from the renders, but something about the sloping concrete boxy balconies is reminiscent of the hilton (which is shit ugly)

Great height for the area, south brisbane needs some more height and density

Considering this complies with the neighbourhood plan, would this be code or impact?

I hate it. A lot.

It reminds me of everything that's bad about the Hilton and similar buildings. Concrete overload, no glass, gardens that won't work the way they're supposed to.

It's not what Brisbane needs. We got enough of it in the 70s and 80s.

I hate it. A lot.

It reminds me of everything that's bad about the Hilton and similar buildings. Concrete overload, no glass, gardens that won't work the way they're supposed to.

It's not what Brisbane needs. We got enough of it in the 70s and 80s.

Yeah, the thing is, how will those big sections of painted concrete look in 10 or 15 years once the weather has taken it's toll on them, like others have mentioned, Hilton-ish, which is not good.

You know, with the shape, the visible lift wells etc and the simple balconies I think it has the potential to look, rather housing block-ish down the line, a future eye-sore, which given the uber prominent location and height is not good.

So all in all, if I were the BCC I'd make them go back to the drawing board. More glass, a more interesting shape, all of this is do-able, certainly it's cash cow for the developer to be allowed to go tall in such a location and as a result the design should be first rate (see Balencia in Melbourne as a good example).

It's an uber-prominent location, it needs to be better.

Good initiative for the area. Um. Yes, concrete slabby, but I am not so hot on glass solving the problem. Masonry does not have to be 'articulated'(?) in such a heavy way. But then, are we just being fussy?

I think the height is incorrect. The vehicular entrance is at 7.45m and the height of the top is 107660 + a bit extra, lets say 108. Therefore the height would be almost exactly 100m.

I'm on the fence. It entirely depends on how it looks post construction. I couldn't quite see the palate, is the brown copper or concrete?

kill it. kill it with fire.

I'm undecided. I had the same feeling as everyone else ie. hilton-ish. However finishes could make it turn out ok. Then again it has the potential to be an eyesore. And the white concrete? balconies with planters are a sure way to make it look ordinary in a few years after the concrete get some water marks and dirt marks creeping down them. I'm sure a redesign of the balconies would address most of these points. Glass definitely holds it's age better, but Im with Brizzy-Mike on this one in that maybe there is another solution that still holds true to the architects intent - ie. the brutalist elements

The concrete balconies start thicker at the bottom then gradually get smaller as it gets higher, this looks quite cool imo. Its different to the typical glass boxes we're seeing around the place.

I like it... finishes today I can't imagine looking much like hilton. As SVQ1 said, the way the balconies on the lower levels are thicker then get thinner as they get higher looks rather cool.

I wouldn't be against this.

I'm on the fence. It entirely depends on how it looks post construction.

Same here.

This will have amazing views of the city.

Great location. Just across the road from the West End Markets shopping centre and a minutes' walk from the Melbourne/Boundary Streets Intersection.

Good god, all I can see is concrete - words like "light" and "airy" would not be the words I'd use to describe the street frontage and people scale

Great location. Just across the road from the West End Markets shopping centre and a minutes' walk from the Melbourne/Boundary Streets Intersection.

You can see the site from the Markets driveway :)

Right on time que the NIMBY's:

Tensions rise over tower plan for West End
Marissa Calligeros
July 22, 2011 - 3:01AM
Comments 2 Vote

A proposal for a 30-storey apartment building in the heart of West End has drawn the ire of local residents.

The application for the Aria Property Group tower on 2-4 Edmondstone Street is the first lodged under Brisbane City Council's new Riverside Neighbourhood Plan, which allows maximum building heights of 30 storeys in South Brisbane.

West End Community Association president Darren Godwell said the proposal was out of step with residents' expectations for the area.

"This is certainly consistent with the concerns residents had about what is likely to be there," he said.

"You could not find a more dramatic demonstration of inappropriate development."

He said the tower could be the first of many to erode the character of South Brisbane and West End.

"The character of the neighbourhood seems pretty clear - it's high density residential in medium-rise form," Mr Godwell said.

Under the proposal, the apartment tower will feature a four-level vertical plant "green wall".

The ground floor will also house a mix of shops, cafes and offices, with 150 one-bedroom units, 75 two-bedroom units and 50 three-bedroom units above.

Council's Neighbourhood Planning chairman Amanda Cooper said the proposal was sensible.

"This development makes sense because South Brisbane is not only close to the CBD, but also has access to a wide range of public transport options and some of the best social and community services in Brisbane," she said.

"That said our officers will be going through this development application with a fine-tooth comb to ensure it meets the high standards of development set by our neighbourhood plan."

Cr Cooper said buildings of 30 storeys were necessary in part because the state government has said it needs to find space for 156,000 new homes in southeast Queensland.

"Putting high-density living in old industrial areas close to the CBD means we can protect our tin and timber suburbs," she said.

However, Mr Godwell said 96 per cent of 5487 submissions made to the council in response to the Riverside Neighbourhood Plan rejected the development of 30 storey high-rises in the suburb, but supported medium-rise [six to eight storey] developments.

"This will be the most blaring illustration of how planning in this city has seriously gone off the rails," he said.

Aria Property Group yesterday declined to respond to the criticism.

Brisbane City Council estimates the population of South Brisbane and West End will increase by 312.5 per cent over the next 20 years.

The Riverside Neighbourhood Plan, which allows heights of 30 storeys around Peel Street, South Brisbane, 12 storeys along the Brisbane River south of Davies Park and 15 storeys in the Boundary Street precinct.

Mr Godwell also expressed concerns about the development's impact on traffic in the area, although the proposal includes 306 car spaces for the 275 units.

"The traffic impact will be insurmountable for the neighbourhood," he said.

"Local residents are going to pay for this mishmash of neighbourhood planning."

Gabba ward councillor Helen Abrahams said she shared the community’s concerns about the proposal.

“A 30 storey building will cause overshadowing with [neighbouring] units being in shadow for much of the day,” she said.

“I did not support the South Brisbane Riverside Plan and I do not support this application. I am of the strong belief that high rise buildings do not create high density, but they do create unacceptable impacts for the existing local community.”

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/property/tensions-rise-over-tower-plan-for-west-end-20110721-1hqm4.html#ixzz1SmUdeSBq


Brisbane Times (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/property/tensions-rise-over-tower-plan-for-west-end-20110721-1hqm4.html)

Hang my objections - I want this one to go ahead just so I can thumb my nose at the nimby's.

^^ Hopefully it will be the first of many in that area to make it up to the 20 – 30st height bracket in that "Kurilpa precinct".

I really don't get the West End NIMBY's...yes, there are some nice heritage buildings that shouldn't be knocked down (and in a lot of cases, I imagine won't), but a lot of the areas are these old 70-80's era single story commercial junk that the sooner we can get rid of it, the better.

Hang my objections - I want this one to go ahead just so I can thumb my nose at the nimby's.

Yeah same, if there is one thing I hate more than too much painted concrete, it's frakkin nimbys.

So build it, just to teach em a lesson!

agreed. i change my stance. build it.

I agree now, if anything it isn't ugly enough.

^^ Hopefully it will be the first of many in that area to make it up to the 20 – 30st height bracket in that "Kurilpa precinct".

I really don't get the West End NIMBY's...yes, there are some nice heritage buildings that shouldn't be knocked down (and in a lot of cases, I imagine won't), but a lot of the areas are these old 70-80's era single story commercial junk that the sooner we can get rid of it, the better.

As someone commented on the BT article, it's because they enjoy their suburban lifestyle in an inner city location and do not want it to change. Unfortunately for them, you can not resist change in the face of population growth. These pseudo-green residents would rather see the government cut down trees between here and the Gold Coast to build dwellings, increasing the reliance on fossil fuels and clogging our arterial motorways. Urban sprawl is a horrible alternative, but as long as it isn't in their backyard they don't care.

But the building that's currently there has no aesthetic qualities at all!!!

Fucking NIMBYs!

Very true Dannydeckchair. The NIMBY's often use the green argument against there sort of developments without realising/caring the alternative is urban sprawl. As long as it's not happening near them, then it's not their problem even if they are the cause of it!:bash:

Developers would of been aware to the NIMBY backlash. Makes me wonder why this building is not a far, far, far better one.

LOL @ NIMBY's - "Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children"...:bash:

@Neslom: "people of west end and south brisbane up till now have been able to enjoy a Suburan lifestyle within the city but that can not last". Why not? Why can't they build it on the other side of the CBD? In Bowen Hills, Spring Hill or somewhere... Plenty of space on the OTHER side! Preserve West End as a village-type suburb within the city. It would be unique and perhaps tourist attraction. I think it is great, refreshing and a bit more relaxing to so close to the city and not be surrounded by high-rises. And look at the modernist gas chamber..so uninspiring, just like every other building.. this city has no soul..all the old buildings get removed, anything a little bohemian or interesting is torn down for glass, concrete and aluminium! Cloudland, Bellvue, Festival Hall, the little coffee warehouse cafe down the lane, under the boomgate in between Elizabeth and Charlotte streets,, Come on! West End is the most interesting suburb Brisbane has- community, bohemian,relaxed, character buildings... it's like a little town inside a big city; an oasis. Please don't do this. This city is depressing enough with it's developments that erase our history.
Whynot? | Hill End - July 22, 2011, 9:05AM

Oh dear :bash:
Bris Times commenters shit me off..

West End is hardly a 'village'. Give me a break.

As for Helen Abrahams:
“A 30 storey building will cause overshadowing with [neighbouring] units being in shadow for much of the day,” she said.
“I did not support the South Brisbane Riverside Plan and I do not support this application. I am of the strong belief that high rise buildings do not create high density, but they do create unacceptable impacts for the existing local community.”


High rise =/= high density???

Oh dear :bash:
Bris Times commenters shit me off..

West End is hardly a 'village'. Give me a break.

As for Helen Abrahams:


High rise =/= high density???

New Farm is our village, and it is much nicer :)

Level West End and build us a 2nd CBD there ... So I have something to look at from my office desk rather than some crappy houses and a cement works.

Demolish that cess pool under the railway line near the Parmalat factory too. I've never felt safe down there.

I just don't get what the big deal is , It's not like there are stunning houses etc, just a bunch of fibre shacks.

I just don't get what the big deal is , It's not like there are stunning houses etc, just a bunch of fibre shacks.
The "deal" is that those tie dye wearing, dreadlock encrusted West End bohemian types are the biggest snobs around.They hate the thought of anyone unlike them in their neighbourhood. Their hypocritical narrow mindedness is truly astonishing. A project like this just detracts from their digs, in their opinion, because it brings in more people. It truly is based on snobbery.

The "deal" is that those tie dye wearing, dreadlock encrusted West End bohemian types are the biggest snobs around.They hate the thought of anyone unlike them in their neighbourhood. Their hypocritical narrow mindedness is truly astonishing. A project like this just detracts from their digs, in their opinion, because it brings in more people. It truly is based on snobbery.

I wonder what jobs they all do, chances are 85% of them are the useless bureaucrats we keep hearing about in government.

I love apartment buildings but hate this one. Ugly. Horrible podium. Wrong location for this building. Move it to the Gold Coast.

^^maybe in the 90s it would have been accepted on the Gold Coast, but most of what's going up is far higher quality than this. It would fit in with Brisbane, actually. Midtown.... the one on Manning Street... kuwalahteee.

Any fool living within 10KM of the Brisbane CBD has to know by now that the days of inner city suburbs with one and two story dwellings is coming to an end!! Think about it, The Gabba, West End, Kelvin Grove, Toowong, Hamilton, Bowen Hills, Chermside, Newmarket, Stones Corner, Upper Mt Gravatt etc! If i was the owner of a inner city house i would be holding on only to sell to a developer in the years to come!! Whilst i would hate to see the inner circle of Brisbane become Manhattanised (look at what Melburnians did to their Southbank), inner Brisbane is increasing its density and this isn't going to stop just because a few residents want to keep things the way they are. Individual projects may be blocked but the trend over all is UP, UP, UP!

Any fool living within 10KM of the Brisbane CBD has to know by now that the days of inner city suburbs with one and two story dwellings is coming to an end!! Think about it, The Gabba, West End, Kelvin Grove, Toowong, Hamilton, Bowen Hills, Chermside, Newmarket, Stones Corner, Upper Mt Gravatt etc! If i was the owner of a inner city house i would be holding on only to sell to a developer in the years to come!! Whilst i would hate to see the inner circle of Brisbane become Manhattanised (look at what Melburnians did to their Southbank), inner Brisbane is increasing its density and this isn't going to stop just because a few residents want to keep things the way they are. Individual projects may be blocked but the trend over all is UP, UP, UP!

While making your point you seem to have over generalised...masses of the inner city 10km will remain low rise residential with no need, or in many cases planning permission, to sell to a developer - in fact the majority of it. Yes some pockets of the suburbs in the first 10km will contain high density but still a low proportion overall. Maybe I am taking you too literally.

^^ I agree fish.01. There are still a lot of Demolition Controlled Precincts within many inner suburbs, for example, that won't be redeveloped, and nor should they. We can't have the whole city becoming a jungle of high density apartment complexes. Different suburbs must continue to retain their history and character.

Parts of areas such as New Farm, Fortitude Valley, Woolloongabba and West End, as examples, should be protected because they do have amounts of character buildings which are unique and irreplaceable. However, all these suburbs also have areas where higher density can and must be added to accommodate a growing population.

It's a balancing act, and the people of West End, and indeed other NIMBY suburbs need to get off their high horses and realise that the parts that are worth saving will be, but they can't have their cake and eat it - their suburb will have to change with the times!

^^ I agree fish.01. There are still a lot of Demolition Controlled Precincts within many inner suburbs, for example, that won't be redeveloped, and nor should they. We can't have the whole city becoming a jungle of high density apartment complexes. Different suburbs must continue to retain their history and character.

Parts of areas such as New Farm, Fortitude Valley, Woolloongabba and West End, as examples, should be protected because they do have amounts of character buildings which are unique and irreplaceable. However, all these suburbs also have areas where higher density can and must be added to accommodate a growing population.

It's a balancing act, and the people of West End, and indeed other NIMBY suburbs need to get off their high horses and realise that the parts that are worth saving will be, but they can't have their cake and eat it - their suburb will have to change with the times!

Like most things in life I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. Some people in west end are against development at all costs but I think the population is a lot more diverse already. Many a run down home is $800,000+ and owned by someone who never see's the end of a splif. Likewise some developers couldn't care what state they leave brisbane in as long as they pocket their money while other developers have the vision and get up and go to make an honest profit while leaving us better street activation, density etc. - and risk their own money in the process.

I have noticed there are serious town planning arguments that more modest sized medium density apts give a better more liveable result in the long term - e.g. tenerrife/powerhouse area but then I'm guessing they may not provide enough density everywhere?

I am in favour of density and an interesting city, but dumbass concrete blocks don't actually achieve that. Kangaroo Point anyone? It is not unreasonable for West End people to want to protect part of the city that is actually a little different from all the rest of it. One of the worst things about Brisbane is the seemingly relentless drive to make everything and everyone the same, often disguised as so called progress. We should actually be encouraging diversity in neighbourhoods, not trying to destroy it. I find it a little difficult to understand why one suburb that is slightly more friendly towards a different kind of person results in such a lot of bile.

Should the title of this be changed to approve?

Anyone know how this is travelling?

Jesus we missed that - it was approved on the 15/11/11.

Aria seem to have a lot on their plate... Station 16, Artisan, the Vine and this one. Seems like this may go to market later on in the year?