#Brisbane: Brisbane Square (Part 1)

[JayT]

Just thought I'd bring this over here - Picture of proposed Queens Square tower in Brisbane.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid40/p94e768d04245ccfee97b0336c216028f/fcff764f.jpg

I have been constantly thinking about this building for a week now - wierd?
I think I am going to love it. Construction may start sooner than we think because the building on the corner doesn't have to be demolished right away - as its not in the way of the main tower.

JayT

[CULWULLA]

yeah it certainly a big project for brissy! Its mass and height of 165m should really impact the skyline. cant wait for construction pix.
cheers;)

[WÆROM]

hey, yeah, this tower will be great for brisbane, would be good it it were another 200m, but i guess this is a start of the beefing up of the southbank side of the cbd.
And is the site the one that housed the 200m cylinder shaped tower, seen in the brisbane city model pics, in the last forum.
I think it is, but i'm not sure?

[Dale]

JayT -

You've constantly been thinking about this building for a week now ? Have you considered getting help ? ;)

[RUM]

What percentage of the site will this building take up?

For some reason, i think it is a triangle shape!

Does someone want to check out those plans at the BCC. What is its address?

[BrizzyChris]

From the rendering, it looks to cover about 1/3 of the site. I think its just the way the pic is drawn that it looks triangular. I hope it will be a rectangle though.

[Fountainhead]

I think it is a twisted rectangle in plan, with the sides chamfered off.....a bit like Waterfront Place but with straight sides instead of curves if you get my drift:

[the master]

For some reason that pic makes it look shorter than 165m to me?

[BrizzyChris]

The MLC building just to the right is 112m remember.

[chrisaus]

i think i like it ?
:?

[aussiestu]

it looks kind of weird, but i like it. :cool:

[BrizzyChris]

This will probably be one of the few renderings we will see too, since office buildings obviously don't get marketed like residential buildings.

[Fountainhead]

Hopefully the BCC will have some model of it in Ann Street. Maybe about a year after it is built, we will see a model on display!!

[Brizbane2]

Queen's Square is definitely my favourite CBD development.
The reasons

- The three letters 'DCM'
- Im interested in the tower's representation of 21st century civics
- Its an all office tower
- The bold and potenially risky creation of the six storey under building zone.
- Im interested in DCM's take on what a civic square should be and how it will relate to/contrast/reinterpret the formality of Brisbane's main civic square. (King George Sq). It seems to me that the council effectively will have a 'frontyard formal square' (KGS) and then this new more casual 'backyard' square. This is quite amusing in an urban design sense. :)

[Rusty]

One of the reasons its good is because it's so chunky. It is a very big building, maybe not that tall, but very big.

I wanna see what this glass thing looks like.

[Orodreth]

In the render, there are blue, orange and green fluro bloxes around its base. What are they?

[JayT]

brissyThomas In the render, there are blue, orange and green fluro bloxes around its base. What are they?

In the paper they said that is going to be where the council has its customer service facilities - the same as the ground level of the old tower near city hall.

jt

[BrizzyChris]

I hope the materials are nice and reflective.

[Kas]

Originally posted by brissyThomas
In the render, there are blue, orange and green fluro bloxes around its base. What are they?
The open space square at ground level will have low level pavilions containing library & customer service facilities & retail & food court facilities.

[hoffburger]

i walked past the block yesterday and properly had a look at it. God its guna be one mother of a fat building. Is is going to take up the whole area of the land?

[BrizzyChris]

No, only about 1/3. From the rendering it looks like it will stretch from George St - North Quay, but only about 20m wide.

[Fountainhead]

I love that it is so wide / narrow. It will stand out so much, it is really different.....I like it

Hey, 2005 is going to be a big year for Brisbane buildings. To be completed in 2005:

- Queens Square
- Aurora
- Emerald - hopefully
- The Georgian
- Festival Towers??
- Millenium Library and GOMA (shame about the design, but still..)

Anything else????

[the master]

wtf is with the building behind MLC? Its the shittest highrise in Australia!

[Fountainhead]

I think you mean Lennons Hotel.....the one that gets thicker about half way up????

BTW, another good thing about Queens Square is the crappy little 1970's 10 storey building on the corner of the site will be demolished.....

[the master]

Originally posted by Fountainhead
I think you mean Lennons Hotel.....the one that gets thicker about half way up????



yeah thats the one. Sometimes I wonder what they were thinking when they designed that thing...it wins my award of the most ugly, unimaginative, boring shitbox in oz.

[Orodreth]

Country Comfort Lennons Hotel is THE most ugliest building. Its in Queen St. Ive always wondered too what they were thinking too!

http://www.australia.travelmall.com/images/37985.jpg

[BrizzyChris]

Its pretty famous though. I know a lot of "big" people used to stay there when they came to Brisbane.

[FLAMBOYANT]

COOL!!!

[CULWULLA]

Originally posted by brissyThomas
Country Comfort Lennons Hotel is THE most ugliest building. Its in Queen St. Ive always wondered too what they were thinking too!

http://www.australia.travelmall.com/images/37985.jpg

i suppose for 1975 it wasnt too bad a design! cutting edge if you will!lol
:D

[Dale]

I think it's brilliant ! ;)

[the master]

Its not so much the front I despise! Its the sides...and what the **** is with the kookaburra painted on the plain concrete walls....agghhhhh I hate it!!!!:bleep:

[Orodreth]

Originally posted by Dale
I think it's brilliant ! ;)

I'm all for free speech and individual opinions, but that is not BRILLIANT! :D

[the master]

I can't believe someone actually likes it....its defies all logic...what is the world coming to...

:)

[bribri]

oh get over yourselves!!

along with the brissie hilton its very 'logans run"

[hoffburger]

it is a bit of a shithole but i dont despise it that much.

[Gester]

God im happy that this blocks the MLC building and the Country Comfort building. They are the WORST buildings apart from anything Seidler designed :D

[MajikShoe]

Actually they need to get rid of that shocking government building near (in?) the QUT campus, similar to the Country Comfort except even more ugly. I cant beleive that people designed buildings to look so bad :bash:

[Fountainhead]

Queens Square will be a BIG link into Northbank - see the separate thread in this section. I think it will form a pretty amazing "gateway" to this future stuff being proposed over the freeway

[airwave86]

i walked thru that site on sat nite coming home from the JAPANIME festival and its sucha waste of land and try-hardness of landscaping .......... the sign says the landscaping was doen by suncorp metway ....... since when does a BANK know how to landscape

but it'll definitely give that area some liveliness its drab now with t he casino, law courts, bustunnel to queen st mall and kinda leftover northquay area that no one wants to walk around because its scary

[chrisaus]

i agree with thomas for once !

[BrizzyChris]

I actually don't mind the parliament house annexe, but the Lennon's Hotel place is pretty damn ugly.

[nagelixin]

http://corporate.suncorp.com.au/news/news0160.asp

The official Suncorp press release regarding the design....

[Fountainhead]

Courier Mail
Edition 1 - First with the newsFRI 27 DEC 2002, Page 036
The key to North Quay
By Bob Wilson


Suncorp's $200 million Tritton's site development will be the catalyst for the rebirth of Brisbane's North Quay and the western CBD corridor. Bob Wilson reports
BRISBANE City Council's agreement in principle to take up 34,000sq m of office space in a new office building on North Quay by 2005 will kickstart the long-awaited rejuvenation of the western CBD, developers say.
Council met last week for the purposes of delegating responsibility to its executive team to start negotiating a 20-year lease in the new building, to be built on the 8000sq m Trittons site owned by Suncorp.
Once this has been agreed, BCC will then be free to proceed with the sale of its existing premises, the Ann St administration centre. Council plans to lease those premises back until the new building is completed in 2005.
Suncorp general manager investment Maurice Kluge said that although the project was still subject to development approval, last week's agreement was the green light Suncorp had been waiting on since amalgamating the site in the late 1980s.
Council will occupy all of the 34,000sq m lower tower, designed by Melbourne architects Denton Corker Marshall.
Suncorp itself may ultimately be the tenant occupying the ``sky level'', taking up between 15,000sq m and 30,000sq m.
The entire building and associated retail and commercial space and public plaza area is still subject to development approval.
But the enthusiasm with which both council and Suncorp talk of the scheme gives the sense that everyone involved will be working hard towards an approval.
Mr Kluge said Suncorp was delighted to work with the council on the project which was set to bring enormous benefits to the people of Brisbane.
``This development will be at the forefront of building design in this country with its cutting edge environmental sustainability and its commitment to maintaining a significant area of retail and public space,'' Mr Kluge said.
``This will be one of the most significant developments in Brisbane for many years and we're looking forward to working with the City Council to create something very special for the whole community.''
Arguably one of the best development sites in the CBD, the 8000sq m site which fronts North Quay, has been on Suncorp's books since the SGIO days.
The classic site amalgamation, the so-called Tritton's site is actually nine parcels of land acquired since 1981, so long ago few people would remember the first site bought by Suncorp, which was occupied by the Tritton's furniture store.
Today eight of the parcels of land are vacant and used as a public park. The ninth property, the old Prudential building, earns some income for Suncorp but will be knocked over some time next year.
There have been numerous grand schemes to redevelop the site, including a plan in the 1980s to extend the property over North Quay to the river, including a marina and a five-star hotel.
As recently as last year, Consolidated Properties and Devine Ltd were discussing carving the site up between them, with Devine proposing two towers of at least 750 apartments on the North Quay and George St sides of the site.
The key to Suncorp's scheme in 2003 is that much of the site will be devoted to public space, including a link under North Quay to the river.
Lord Mayor Jim Soorley said the building would be an important social and cultural hub for the city, featuring world-class environmental design principles.
``This development will provide an exciting new gateway to the CBD and create a strong connection between South Bank, the Brisbane River and the Queen Street Mall,'' he said.
``The design retains half of the site as open space and features a new public square and direct connection to the river via a river access under North Quay and the Riverside Expressway.''
Council will lease space in the building to relocate the council's CBD office accommodation, customer service centre and library.
Council called for expressions of interest in February to develop a new administration centre to house its CBD functions. In August council granted approval to appoint Suncorp as ``preferred registrant''.
``The Suncorp proposal on the site was clearly the most outstanding design submitted during the expressions of interest phase,'' Cr Soorley said.
Mr Kluge said he was confident of a good commercial outcome from lease negotiations.
``The agreement to lease is fairly well advanced and obviously the commercial terms are the most important ones.
``There are so many compelling reasons why it is a natural home for the council.
``It is such a sensitive site and council has always been very careful about what's built there.
``From our point of view the site has taken a long time to sell or to develop because it is just too big.
``There's nearly two acres of land and it has the capacity to develop 120,000sq m of space.
``What's happened as a result of this precommitment from council is that we have a 20-year lease for 35,000sq m with predetermined (rental) increases.
``That's the sort of catalyst that was needed and as a result we will have 60,000sq m of development, half the density it would have otherwise been.
``The balance of the space is available to the public -- it's a win-win for everyone.''
Suncorp's project consultant Tim O'Neill said part of the proposal involved closing off Queen St and moving the taxi rank into George St.
``We will be redeveloping all of that and taking out some of the blockages which are there now,'' he said.
``We've got an additional 2700sq m of public space over and above what we would normally be required to provide.
``There's another 3000sq m available in Queen St, so all up it will give us 7800sq m of public space.''
Mr O'Neill said Denton Corker Marshall had designed a ``highrise'' portion of building which would provide between 15,000sq m and 30,000sq m of additional office space.
He said the project would be the equivalent to a 40-level building, with a five-level undercroft, lowrise and midrise then sky level.
Continued opposite
Key to North Quay
From facing page
Environmentally sustainable development is a big focus with plans to use solar energy, screens, stormwater harvesting, greywater recycling, recycled water for toilet flushing and use of waste water for landscaping.
Whatever the tenancy mix, Suncorp will close the site off and start demolition early in 2003. Mr Kluge is expecting a bit of public flak, because the site has been a public park for some years now.
The first stage is demolition of existing buildings, followed by excavation for an underground car park.
``Without this project the site wouldn't be developed because the residential market has fallen over,'' he said.
``The other option for Suncorp was to sell it off in pieces, but that would have been a sub-optimal outcome for the city.''
The counterpoint to the Tritton's site is work on the $100 million Magistrates Court project now started on Queensland Place at the other end of George St.
``The western part of the CBD had been dead for a long time and it needed a catalyst to get things going,'' Mr O'Neill said.
``The Magistrates Court project on its own won't do that, but this (Tritton's) project will be the catalyst to stimulate growth.''

Caption: Buildings in the city
Illus: Photo
Library Heading: REAL ESTATE, BRISBANE CITY COUNCIL
Column: Prime Site
Commercial Property
Section: REAL ESTATE

[Fountainhead]

ok, now here's my conspiracy theory:

if suncorp take up the extra space in Queens Square, they will probably take the full 30,000SqM of additional space. Look closely at this pic:

http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,203460,00.jpg

the lower "tower" which the bcc will occupy is 22 levels and 34,000SqM. The "sky level" in the pic is 12 levels (the ful height glass bit) and 15,000Sqm so about half of the lower tower.

The article mentions the sky level is between 15,000 and 30,000Sqm so that means this render is for the smaller 15,000Sqm which is 12 levels of high rise above the council space. I think if suncorp take the option then it will be the full 30,000Sqm which would make the building an extra 12 levels high (double the top bit).

Level breakdown is then:

1-5 Public / undercroft
6-28 BCC administration
29-40 Sky level 12 storeys
41-52 Additional sky level 15,000Sqm

So, we could be eventually looking at a 52 storey skyscraper here instead of a 40 storey, depending if they get a precommitment for the additional 15,000 in the sky level:D :D :D

That means the grand scheme could be a 215M tower!!!!!!!

Anyway, that is my theory:cheers:

[JayT]

That would be nice:)

jt

[hoffburger]

i like the sound of that, thanks for getting my hopes up fountainhead:bash:

[Blabbyboy]

Hey hey, that render actually looks quite good.

[Noonos]

bugger me thats one huge mother fucker!!!

it'll defiantely impact brizzy.:cheers:

[BrizzyChris]

As much as a 215m tower would be awesome, if its at the expense of another potential big office tower somewhere else in the city, then I would personally rather see it stay at 165m.

[hoffburger]

<table cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=98% class="quoteBox">
<td align=left valign=center> <smallfont> <b>Quote</B> <I>originally posted by Noonos </i></b> </smallfont> </td>
<tr><td align=left valign=top>bugger me thats one huge mother fucker!!!

it'll defiantely impact brizzy.:cheers:</td></tr>
</table>

combined with casino towers close by, itll definately boost that side of the city

[Fountainhead]

<table cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=98% class="quoteBox">
<td align=left valign=center> <smallfont> <b>Quote</B> <I>originally posted by BrizzyChris </i></b> </smallfont> </td>
<tr><td align=left valign=top>As much as a 215m tower would be awesome, if its at the expense of another potential big office tower somewhere else in the city, then I would personally rather see it stay at 165m.</td></tr>
</table>

well, I would like to see it go ahead at the expense of finishing macarthur place tower........have you noticed that nothing has happened there since the shopping centre was finished?

I would rather queens square get bigger, which would destroy any chance of macarthurs going ahead now, then......wait a couple of years, and get macarthurs built as the 35-40 storeys it should be instead of the pissweak 15 storey thing they want to go ahead with now
;)

[Mr MacPhisto]

I just wrote in another thread on this tower that a friend of mine who works for Suncorp had been told they were eventually shifting to a new tower on the trittons site which would be Brisbane's tallest building. He told me this after Queens Square had been announced.

I thought at the time he was perhaps refering to that old cylindrical proposal. Maybe Fountainhead is right!

I hope so. Such a building would look supurb from Southbank :)

[BrizzyChris]

<table cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=98% class="quoteBox">
<td align=left valign=center> <smallfont> <b>Quote</B> <I>originally posted by Fountainhead </i></b> </smallfont> </td>
<tr><td align=left valign=top><table cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=98% class="quoteBox">
<td align=left valign=center> <smallfont> <b>Quote</B> <I>originally posted by BrizzyChris </i></b> </smallfont> </td>
<tr><td align=left valign=top>As much as a 215m tower would be awesome, if its at the expense of another potential big office tower somewhere else in the city, then I would personally rather see it stay at 165m.</td></tr>
</table>

well, I would like to see it go ahead at the expense of finishing macarthur place tower........have you noticed that nothing has happened there since the shopping centre was finished?

I would rather queens square get bigger, which would destroy any chance of macarthurs going ahead now, then......wait a couple of years, and get macarthurs built as the 35-40 storeys it should be instead of the pissweak 15 storey thing they want to go ahead with now
;)</td></tr>
</table>
That is true, I would like to see the current MacArthur proposal die. And then after that, lets hope something on the Queen and Wharf St corner gets proposed and shuts down MacArthur again. :D

[CULWULLA]

As i quoted in other Queens Square thread, the official height now is -
roof-155m
plant-161m
RL-175m (or 5m lower than central plaza).
apparantly the large plant was 'refined" and lost 4m of its height!

the office tower has a rectangular floor plan.
construction to start in October,2003.

:D

[Brisvegas]

hmmm i really dont know about this one. first things first, ive been watching that site for years now...and its about time something happened there. Its a perfect opportunity to add to the skyline from that angle. I keep looking at the pic tho, and i just really cant imagine it. im trying lol but it doesnt seem 165m. i think seeing the clouds in the pic in the top part of the building makes it hard. makes it seem like that top part isnt part of the building. now, i read alot of the past propsals for that site, i think one of them was twin residential towers of 40 stories by devine. hehe, so i guess anything is better than devine residential towers. well i certainly cant wait to see this one in action anyway, the city will look great from southbank with queens square, casino towers....and not to mention northbank.... :)

[Fountainhead]

the courier mail on saturday had public tender notices for subbies quotes from all the major contractors (baulderstones, watpac, etc - nothing from multiplex but they are probably too busy to take on another project) .......in otherwords - they are probably about a month or so away from selecting a builder!!!

After that, I imagine they will start demolition and excavation fairly quickly

[RUM]

It's not going to be taller than 41 stories.

The structural engineering has been done for a 41 story building, so unless someone wants to pay a couble of hunder thousand $ more to get a higher design, it won't be taller than whats planned.

[Chrisso]

Are there anymore renderings or pictures out there yet? I've only seen the one picture that's been around for ages.

[Brizbane2]

Hey Chrisso.
I've made a simulated image of Queen's Square in Context. Its not official in any way, but its as detailed as I can make it with the information that we currently have.

Click here and go to the future shots section
http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_australia2000/BrisModel/3DModel.html

I've been infomred by geocities that people may not be able to access my site for an hour or so. My site has temporarily exceeded its allocated data transfer.

[Fountainhead]

Great work Briz2, keep it up!!!

[Chrisso]

Thanks Brizbane2, love your work!!!!
Looks like it's going to be huge from that angle :guns1:

:cheers:

[duke]

From today's City News

Council eyes off new HQ

29may03

MAY 29: Brisbane City Council is on the verge of approving its new headquarters at the top of Queen St.

Suncorp Metway plans to build a 38-storey office block on the former Tritton's site opposite the Treasury Casino.
The plans are expected to be approved by council next Tuesday.

The high rise, designed by Melbourne architects Denton Corker Marshall, will replace a park, 12-storey shop tower and taxi rank on the site bounded by North Quay, Queen, George and Adelaide streets.

Most of the bottom level will be given over to a public mall with four three-storey "pavilions" of shops running parallel to the river.

The other 35 floors will be suspended parallel to Queen St, creating a gap between the pavilions and the upper floors.

The low rise pavilions will house council's customer service centre, library and shops, restaurants and offices.

The rest of the council departments will take up space in other floors.

Urban planning committee chairwoman Helen Abrahams said the building would be the most environmentally and energy efficient in the CBD.

Cr Abrahams said it would be an impressive gateway to the CBD along the soon to be revamped Melbourne St precinct.

According to a council report, the building had been designed to extend the Queen St Mall and maximise its distance from the heritage-listed Treasury Building.

A plan to include 12 residential units in the pavilion facing North Quay was rejected because council believed the area was too noisy.

A sunken mall beneath the building was dropped after council concerns it would not be safe at night.

[Kushantaiidan]

Its a red x.

This place is full of friggin red x's. Keep your image hosts up to date guys.. -_-

[Fountainhead]

from today's afr:

Suncorp is finalising negotiations to occupy about 21,000 square metres of its $250 million office development on Brisbane's North Quay.

The project was announced in August last year after Suncorp snared a precommitment from the Brisbane City Council for up to 34,000 sq m on a 20-year term.

However, the local market was concerned about how the remainder of the 45-level tower would be filled at a time when the MacArthur Centre and Riparian Plaza towers were already under construction and only partially filled.

Suncorp had been shopping around for a number of years to consolidate its presence in Brisbane into a central location, but analysts said the North Quay space would only accommodate about half its requirements and the institution was likely to stay in the former Metway building on Turbot Street.

Suncorp hopes to gain development approval for the project on Tuesday and to start work on the site by the end of September. The tower is scheduled for completion by the end of 2005.

Builders Baulderstone Hornibrook and Watpac have been shortlisted for the project.


Suncorp also recently resolved legal action hanging over the development, which followed an earlier deal to sell the North Quay site to Consolidated Properties and Devine Ltd for $29 million.

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The sale collapsed when Suncorp opted not to extend the option when it lapsed on December 31, 2001. Central to the legal action was the return of bank guarantees supplied by developer Consolidated Properties as security for the $1.45 million purchase option.

Suncorp argued that it had not returned the guarantee because Consolidated Properties had not handed over design and development documents relating to the site.

The action was resolved in March.

General manager of Suncorp Investment Management Maurice Kluge said it was hoped the tower would be fully committed before construction began.

The development resolves a long-standing issue for Suncorp, which spent 19 years and close to $37 million amalgamating the site, opposite the Treasury Casino.

When Suncorp merged with Metway and the Queensland Industry Development Corp in December 1996, the site was entered in the books with a value of $24 million.

The parcel, along with the 160-room Sheraton Hotel at Noosa, are Suncorp's last direct property holdings after a $767 million property disposal program kicked off in 2001.

In 1999 Suncorp had decided to offload the North Quay site and gave Multiplex an option to buy the property for a proposed $150 million entertainment and retail centre.

Consolidated Properties optioned the parcel in September 2000 with a scheme that involved a multi-level car park. When this plan was rejected by the Brisbane City Council, the developer's original option lapsed

Devine then contracted to buy the site in partnership with Consolidated Properties but this deal also failed.

Last year Suncorp had initial discussions with Investa and Stockland to pre-purchase the complex

[JayT]

I noticed a truck and crane doing soil samples on the proposed Queens Square site yesterday!!!!

anyway this article found today.
____________________________________________________________

Brisbane council's HQ sold for $37m
Jun 4
Kathy Mac Dermott

A consortium comprising Ariadne Australia, Watpac and the private Seymour Group has bought the Brisbane Administration Centre for $37 million.

The deal will settle in November 2005 when the Brisbane City Council relocates to its new 28,500 sq m headquarters being developed by Suncorp nearby at North Quay.

After taking vacant possession of the 33,491 sq m BAC, the consortium will spend 10 months refurbishing the premises to A-grade quality, Ariadne chief executive Murray Boyte said yesterday.

Ariadne and the Seymour Group each have a 40 per cent stake in the vehicle buying the BAC, with Watpac holding the remaining 20 per cent.

"We think we can bring on a pretty cost-effective option for the leasing market," Mr Boyte said.

At that time in 2006 a series of Brisbane's CBD towers, including Riparian Plaza and the MacArthur Chambers, will be completed.

The Ariadne-led consortium had previously tried to buy the 22-level BAC with an offer last year of about $51 million, which involved a quicker settlement and a rental income of about $7.84 million, of which 86 per cent was to be sourced from the council.



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In February the council namedLend Lease Real Estate Partners as its preferred bidder with an offer of about $55 million, but Lend Lease's exclusive period expired mid-May.

The Ariadne-led consortium's revised purchase price of $37 million reflects the fact that the tower will be acquired empty of tenants.

The 27-year-old tower is on a 7073 sq m site which fronts George, Adelaide and Ann Streets.

Jones Lang LaSalle's Geoff McIntyre and John Livingstone put the BAC to the market in 2002 with a July 12 deadline for expressions of interest.

The sale program began after the council last year committed to lease up to 20 floors in Suncorp's $250 million North Quay development on a 20-year term. Suncorp's 38-level project received development approval yesterday.

Brisbane lord mayor Tim Quinn said the BAC sale and lease in Suncorp's project was part of the council's review of its city assets.

"The deal negotiated with Ariadne reflects very good value for money for Brisbane," Cr Quinn said yesterday.


The purchase of the BAC demonstrates a strengthening in the forward work books of both Ariadne and Watpac.

Ariadne pursued a raft of property trading opportunities and slashed operational costs to achieve a 40.7 per cent improvement in its interim net profit to $2.18 million, and has forecast a similar result for the June half.

Watpac has flagged a stronger June half after reporting a 56.2 per cent fall in its interim net profit to $861,000.
http://afr.com/property/2003/06/04/FFXCX4CSGGD.html
_________________________________________________________________
jt

[oztraelian]

Interesting article, Jayt. Makes u wonder why the council spent $16 million refurbishing it last year.

I'm curious to know what else needs doing to bring it to an 'A' grade standard.

[nagelixin]

They will most likely gut out the internal fittings, replacing bathrooms roofing and flooring. It will be the same process as the Tower building on Coronation drive went through a few years back.

[duke]

Tenders are being called (although the advertisement refers to it as Brisbane Square) in the Courier Mail today.

Given that it will be the new Brisbane City Council HQ the name Brisbane Square seems more appropriate and will reduce confusion with Queens Plaza at the lower end of the Queen Street Mall.

[nagelixin]

The name has changed to 'BRISBANE SQUARE'

This is an email sent around to all Suncorp staff...

Suncorp signs agreement for new premises

-----Original Message-----
Subject: Suncorp signs agreement for new premises


Suncorp has entered into an agreement to lease space in the new Tritton's site development, "Brisbane Square" on the corner of George and Brisbane Streets, Brisbane. The building is expected to be completed in late 2005.

This building will be a landmark 40 storey building which will provide an efficient and modern working environment.

Relocation discussions have already begun and staff will be consulted extensively in planning the occupancy of all our Brisbane CBD sites.

This is exciting news for Suncorp and we are looking forward to taking up our new tenancy. Of course, the changes are still over two years away but we will keep you updated.

=================
I will post any emails, or goss I get about this.

[RUM]

Type "Brisbane Square" into a Google search engine and tell me what you get. . . .

[Aussie Bhoy]

Sunnybank square dancing.

Do ce do, here we go!

[Orodreth]

hehehe I get alot of porn sites

[hoffburger]

Originally posted by Aussie Bhoy
Sunnybank square dancing.

Do ce do, here we go!

hehe, got the same. might check it out actually

[Lord Mayor Tim]

In the City News today an article reports that construction is 'expected' to start in September or October!

Also in the article, the site has been sold by Suncorp to ABN-AMRO. Apparently this will not affect the plan.

This article stated that the building was only 38-storeys???? I thought that it was 40????

[Danubis]

hehe, it should keep treasury in permanent shadow when completed, so patrons can have a never ending orgy of money laundering and drunkardness.

I love that jamacan music man thats always at the front of the casino... he's so happy and has really white teeth

[duke]

Prime Site in the Courier Mail today reports that work is likely to start this month. First job is to demolish remaining building on the site.

[JayT]

There is a lot of conjecture about the number of stories this building has. I have heard 40 stories of office space but that does not inlude the 6 level void at the bottom of the tower. So in effect its 46 stories.
jt

[JayT]

We should change this thread to OFFICIAL BRISBANE SQUARE construction.

Did anyone get a look at the massive photo of it in Prime Site today! There was a great story to go with it too. Aparently its being fast tracked and is starting this month.

BTW I scanned the image.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid72/pf89d572ceaeae0e6edd77b67dc4d94e4/fb84264d.jpg.orig.jpg
jt

[Aussie Bhoy]

Great picture that one, what a change to North Quay this building is going to make.

[Orodreth]

Yeah I saw this, great pic! Is it just me or does the Hitachi Building look like it doesn't have its weather beacon?

[WÆROM]

I've seen this pic before as well but theres something about it that has my head scratching.
The site this will be built on is the empty grass site, next to Treasury Casino, isnt it?
Looking at the courtyard in the pic makes me wonder how the fuck are they goin to fit all that on the site, unless they block off and build over that road that separates treasury and the site?

Does anyone know whats goin to happen regarding that?

[MonsourD]

that road there is just the entrance to the bus tunnel. theres also been a taxi rank there which is been moved permanantley away from the area so there is no road there now, just the bus tunnel entrance which will hopefully be improved aesthetically as it isnt what you would call charming at the moment.

and if you look at the picture in the bottom right therer seems to be a bus tunnel entrance. and to the right you can kind of see the start of the queen st mall

[Rusty]

I still dont understand what that big glass thing is on top of the steel bit of the tower. Is that office space with total glass or something???

Its on such a bizarre angle, i dont get it.

[RUM]

There are giant billboards on two corners of the site.

Construction will start September.

There is also another photo of the tower from front on. Very classy indeed.

[chrisaus]

any one have a location location location map ?
is it near the square with the city hall

[Orodreth]

It takes the whole block (circled blue)

http://home.iprimus.com.au/sdlennon/map.jpg

[duke]

Does any one (Culwulla!) have a contact in Denton Corker Marshall (the architects of Brisbane Square) who may be able to provide us with revised renders?

[BrizzyChris]

There is a nice front on rendering of it on the billboard at the actual site.

[WÆROM]

Yeah, at the site there is a billboard informing the public that constuction would begin in September on a skyscraper and that this public space would close and sorry for the inconvenience and then went on to explain that it was Brisbane Square and who it houses. It will house the new Brisbane City Council HQ but also Suncorp HQ and the new public library and other things. It finishes in December 2005.
Best of all it had 2 renderings, 1 of the one we all know and the other a new front on shot of Brisbane Square as if you were standing directly at it in line from the other side of the river. It looks like the building will be perfectly square in shape and not triangular or any other shapes others have suggested. Looks awesome and gives the area some much needed height.

[Orodreth]

ABN AMRO to develop A$300 million Brisbane Square project
Brisbane, 22 July 2003


ABN AMRO today announced that it had acquired the development rights for the Brisbane Square project, a 40-storey commercial office tower in the city’s CBD, from Suncorp. The A-grade building with premium grade services will have a value of approximately A$300 million upon completion.

The project is virtually fully leased with pre-commitments from anchor tenants Suncorp and Brisbane City Council. Construction will commence in August 2003 with completion expected in late 2005.

ABN AMRO Executive Director - Infrastructure Capital, John Bowyer, said that the project is one of the largest and most high-profile developments to be built in Brisbane’s CBD for some time.

"The Brisbane Square project is a quality addition to the city’s commercial precinct. The design, location and the commitments from Brisbane City Council and Suncorp – two of Queensland’s major institutions - underpin the value of this investment," said Mr Bowyer.

The site was amalgamated in the 1990s by Suncorp and is located between North Quay and George, Queen and Adelaide Streets. Suncorp secured the rights to develop the project following an exhaustive tender process run by Brisbane City Council during 2002.

Brisbane Square will feature approximately 55,000 square metres of net lettable area, ranging from 1,460 square meters on low and mid-rise floors to 1,700 square metres plus on high-rise floors. There are also 2,000 square metres of retail tenancy and 300 parking spaces.

The project, designed by architect Denton Corker Marshall, incorporates many innovative and leading edge features, reflecting the requirements of Brisbane City Council and Suncorp.

Brisbane Square continues ABN AMRO’s strong track record in the structured real estate sector. It follows the successful completion of the NSW Police Headquarters at Parramatta and the CSIRO property at North Ryde, NSW.

[duke]

This is the sign. (Don't bother about the website though - must have told the sign writer that the web address was to be advised later!)

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay3/31augbrisbanesquare2.JPG

...and a close up of the new render


http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay3/31augbrisbanesquare1.JPG

[chrisaus]

it will make the view from southbank much much better!

[Fountainhead]

The planning of this building is very different from a normal high rise office tower, having the core to one side.... which is why there is all that fantastic cross bracing on the North Quay side! I am really looking forward to this building, it is pure class!!

Also, note that they have added an extra coloured 'box' at the base. (There used to be three boxes at the base)

In the original DA, the blue box on North Quay contained podium apartments, but council had a problem with them, from a traffic noise issue, so extra retail has now been introduced!

[Danubis]

bugga... look how small the state law building looks in comparison! golly! :-P

[Danubis]

Originally posted by duke
This is the sign. (Don't bother about the website though - must have told the sign writer that the web address was to be advised later!)

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay3/31augbrisbanesquare2.JPG

...and a close up of the new render


http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay3/31augbrisbanesquare1.JPG

lol how silly am i, i tryed to go to the website stated on the billboard photo.... hehehe, i wonder how many of you did the same!! *slaps self*

[Brizbane2]

Its good to see that we are finally going to get a building which accepts the fact that skyscrapers are in fact large scale urban objects. Part of the reason that Sydney and Melbourne are impressive and affecting is that both cities are dotted with urban scaled projects, something that Brisbane lacks. Our skyscrapers are all really glorified houses, as far as their scale goes - large agglomerations of small scaled elements rather than holistic large scale objects (IMO CP1 is the only exception).

To me the huge bracing on Brisbane Square is a reminder that large scale objects do have a place in the city. Hopefully other highrise architects will realise this too and begin to design towers which have a similar 'scale' to Brisbane Square.

Fantastic DCM! This is still my favourite city project by far!

[Aussie Bhoy]

Hello Big Daddy!

Look at how much it towers over the MLC. It's going to make an amazing difference to that side of town.

I can't believe that someone on the council was stupid enough to make the sign with visit "www.website to follow" on it.

[Orodreth]

Originally posted by Aussie Bhoy

I can't believe that someone on the council was stupid enough to make the sign with visit "www.website to follow" on it.
I think it would of been the signwriters mistake! From my experience at work, there are alot of stupid signwriters around....

I love the cross bracing that is shown on the new render! And all that glass, this is one of the many exciting developments coming up from Brisbane.

[Rusty]

And people say Riparian is ugly...

[bribri]

The cross bracing reminds me a little of the John Hancock building in Chicago.

[CULWULLA]

well heres the latest heights from DCM. Some guy from brisbane city council told orodreth that my stats on ss.com were wrong so i checked and he was wrong as i thought! he gave RL's instead of above ground heights!! it really pays when reading plans to note what your looking at!

heres the latest heights-
height to roof-140m
height to LMR-150m
height to side screen-153m
height to planned communication spire-165m
the spire still is being designed but it will be approx 15m tall.
So there just scraps in at 502ft/153m .
The council guy also said it was 42 levels but DCM told me definately 39. So it pays to recheck dimensions/stats ect.
cheers

[Mr MacPhisto]

Wow. I love the view of the tower from the west. It's pure class.

Glad it just scrapes in at 153 metres.

[Orodreth]

Originally posted by CULWULLA
The council guy also said it was 42 levels but DCM told me definately 39. So it pays to recheck dimensions/stats ect.
cheers
Nah the council guy told me that it was 39 not 42 floors. I had incorrect data on ss.com!
Thanks richard for the new figures.
Its not all bad, he is sending me a new render thru email so thats pretty good!
He also told about the building's official address will be as it is yet to be decided - it may be corner of George and Adelaide, or the owners ABN AMRO may choose to use its proper postal address, which is 266 George Street.

[CULWULLA]

Originally posted by Orodreth
Nah the council guy told me that it was 39 not 42 floors. I had incorrect data on ss.com!
Thanks richard for the new figures.
Its not all bad, he is sending me a new render thru email so thats pretty good!
He also told about the building's official address will be as it is yet to be decided - it may be corner of George and Adelaide, or the owners ABN AMRO may choose to use its proper postal address, which is 266 George Street.
no worries. It might total 42 including basement?
Its Rl is 14.5m at main entrance , thus blade is Rl168m. and spire approx RL178m which is just lower than CP1 RL of 180m.
should beef up that part of town.:cool:

[JayT]

There were fences going up yesterday and today around the site! Looks like they are about to start something!!!

jt

[Mr MacPhisto]

Originally posted by JayT
There were fences going up yesterday and today around the site! Looks like they are about to start something!!!
jt Demolition of that ugly thing on the corner I hope!

[Fountainhead]

Originally posted by Brizbane2
Its good to see that we are finally going to get a building which accepts the fact that skyscrapers are in fact large scale urban objects. Part of the reason that Sydney and Melbourne are impressive and affecting is that both cities are dotted with urban scaled projects, something that Brisbane lacks. Our skyscrapers are all really glorified houses, as far as their scale goes - large agglomerations of small scaled elements rather than holistic large scale objects (IMO CP1 is the only exception).

To me the huge bracing on Brisbane Square is a reminder that large scale objects do have a place in the city. Hopefully other highrise architects will realise this too and begin to design towers which have a similar 'scale' to Brisbane Square.

Fantastic DCM! This is still my favourite city project by far!

Interesting view. Personally, I think of it as treating a skyscraper as an urban-scale "sculpture", in that these things are visible from long distances, and skyscrapers are most impressive at a distance, when you can actually see the whole building. Most architects are trained and spend most of their time on smaller scale buildings, and tend to think in terms of small scale, rather than big picture. I think that buildings like Waterfront place and AMP have that urban scale which you are talking about, but missed the inspiration behind CP1, which simply started out as an abstract idea of a crystal.

You do have a point, in that skyscrapers are one of the few building types that need to address the macro as well as micro scales. Most are either one or the other. For instance, I think some Hong Kong, Shanghai (etc) skyscrapers are great peices of urban skyline sculpture, but fail at street level. What I like about Brisbane Square is that is has that big urban signature, as well as the smaller, more human-scale elements at plaza level. I think that will make it an interesting city space, as well as a great skyline addition.

[oztraelian]

Surely the riverside centre was precient in this respect? It revitalised the entire riverfront!

[nagelixin]

Those of you in the CBD, grab a copy of City News. There is a new artists impression of Brisbane Square!

This has never been seen before, its rather funky for Brisbane.

The George street side of the tower consists of 4 huge beams which will support the upper blue glass section.

[JayT]

I'll do that now, thanx!!

jt

[m01lim]

Any chance of a scan of that render?

[zztopless]

Originally posted by m01lim
Any chance of a scan of that render?

I was hoping the same thing :)

[duke]

Spoke to BCC call centre yesterday re Brisbane Square website. It is the responsibility of the developers - not sure when it will be set up.

Noticed today that all the trees and landscaping have gone.

[JayT]

Originally posted by duke
Spoke to BCC call centre yesterday re Brisbane Square website. It is the responsibility of the developers - not sure when it will be set up.

Noticed today that all the trees and landscaping have gone.

I hope they planted them somewhere else - they'd look great on Airport Drive.

jt

[Danubis]

Originally posted by JayT
I hope they planted them somewhere else - they'd look great on Airport Drive.

jt

i say they just sold them, semi- mature trees fetch a good price these days....

[nagelixin]

Sorry guys and girls I don't have a scanner. There is no CityNews website that I can find. The closest I got was a dodgy Quest Newspaper site, however this did not mention City News.

[Orodreth]

Drove past today, and they look like they are ready to rip into the building that is on the site. There were alot of workers, and heavy trucks on the site.

[Danubis]

as much as i like this building, i think the following revised design is much better ...

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/211438/brissquare1.JPG

very noice.

[JayT]

NEWS FLASH!!! SOD TURNING CEREMONY IN PROGRESS NOW!!!

I just came from the Brisbane Plaza site and all the well dressed politicians are there in their white hard hats and with their white marquis and white tablecloths.
The dedication/sod turning ceremony is happening as I write this.

I guess we can now say that Construction is happening!

:D

jt

[nagelixin]

What are they going to do first?

Dig up the site or demolish the building on the corner?

[Orodreth]

Originally posted by nagelixin
What are they going to do first?

Dig up the site or demolish the building on the corner?
Dismantlement of the building on the corner is already underway.

[nagelixin]

Hopefully in a couple of days a model of the site will be available to look at for suncorp staff only... I'll endeavour to take several snaps and post them online.

In our staff magazine is says it will be 37 stories with 4,000sqm of open plaza.

[Brizbane2]

Went past the site tody and there was earthmoving equipment operating at the northwest corner of the site. They had begun either grading or excavation work.

[kaleb777]

Is it twin towers? On TV it looked like only one of the towers was to be built.

[Orodreth]

Originally posted by kaleb777
Is it twin towers? On TV it looked like only one of the towers was to be built.
Twin towers?? What? Are u referring to Danubis' revised render?

[JayT]

Council-State venture to manage city road network

Lachlan Heywood, City Hall reporter
03oct03


TRAFFIC control centres run by Brisbane City Council and Queensland's Main Roads Department will be combined to better manage the city's road network and reduce congestion.


The joint facility, supported by the Queensland Police Service, will be based at the new council headquarters under construction in George St.

An area twice the size of the council's current traffic control centre will be set aside in the new building when it opens at the end of 2005.

Staff will be able to keep an eye on the city's traffic from more angles and locations than ever before, manipulating traffic lights, managing busway operations and co-ordinating with emergency services and council's traffic response units to provide rapid reaction to breakdowns and accidents.


Acting Lord Mayor Maureen Hayes yesterday said the combined facility would end the demarcation issues that had affected traffic management in Brisbane in the past.

"The public is not interested in which system is the best, they want the lights to be co-ordinated and the traffic properly controlled, and for the first time, the answer will be absolutely: 'yes'," she said.

Cr Hayes said the move towards a joint facility was the culmination of 18 months of negotiations.

"This will be another congestion reducer because everyone who is at all connected with the network will be together in the one place," she said.

Cr Hayes said the single, expanded traffic control centre would also collect information from the city's bus and taxi drivers to identity troublespots.

The council currently has about 60 cameras at major intersections across the city, linked to a bank of TV monitors at the Brisbane Administration Centre in the CBD. It is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Main Roads Department traffic control centre, which has been operating for more than two decades, is located at Woolloongabba.

Transport Minister Steve Bredhauer said he had been pursuing the possibility of a joint traffic management centre with the council for "some time".

The city council recently signed a multimillion-dollar deal to sell overseas two "intelligent transport" products it developed to keep traffic in Brisbane moving.


http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,7441175%255E3102,00.html
______________________________________________________________________
jt

[nagelixin]

Here is a pic which was from the Suncorp Staff magazine about Brisbane Square. (Apolgies for the quality). I am still waiting on them to finish the model. As soon as it's done ill post some shots.

http://www.nager.coolfreepage.com/images/Brisbane_Square.jpg

[nagelixin]

For those who want the link...
http://www.nager.coolfreepage.com/images/Brisbane_Square.jpg
Depending on your browser it should shrink to fit.

[TOCC]

yeah i cant get to the document....
quote
"You do not have access to this document"

[nagelixin]

You may have to open the link or try 'shift' and refresh.

It worked for me then.

[zztopless]

OPen a new browser and paste the link and it should work.

[m01lim]

hmm it doesnt work both ways.

[Orodreth]

You can see some action going on down there, I took this image from City Hall Lookout today, 6/10/03

http://home.iprimus.com.au/sdlennon/brissq0610031.jpg

[nagelixin]

Hold down the shift key when you press refresh. this should help.

[Orodreth]

Originally posted by nagelixin
Hold down the shift key when you press refresh. this should help.
Hey dude, its not working either! I think maybe you have to upload it somewhere else, it cant be seen.

[Aussie Bhoy]

I can see it, on this page, no extra effort needed

[TOCC]

his changed it...

that looks good, the only construction site on the western side of the CBD, well i guess Casino is also there... whens the other building there come down, and how many floors was it? i cant remember even though i passed the site ever day this year

[m01lim]

The image still isn't working for me. :?

[RUM]

It has been over a month since the last post....

Construction (groundwork & demolition) has started on this already and there is a big hole in the ground......

[moose]

Dudes, my office overlooks the new contruction and I have watched everyday since day 1, in fact the construction company has rented the floor above my office to watch over the project, I talk to them most days, the building will be roughly 40 stories and the first 6 will be elevated into an arch (then 40 stories on top of that)...it will be finished in 08.2005 they predict. They have the cash because it is BCC funded (most of it) so they will be getting it built as soon as possible.

If you have any questions let me know and I will ask.

Moose

[Orodreth]

Originally posted by moose
If you have any questions let me know and I will ask.

Moose
Hey muse I have a Q for u, do u have a digital cam? If so take some pics!! Please? hehe
It would be cool seeing it grow from above.

[GMAC]

Its a long time since I was in the BCC Shopfront, but I went in to look at the City Model today and if you like this building then you should go in and have a look. In fact, if you are in brisbane and remotely interested in anything this website has to offer then you should go in and have a look, its a fantastic way to see the city from the "air" at any angle.

[JayT]

Originally posted by GMAC
Its a long time since I was in the BCC Shopfront, but I went in to look at the City Model today and if you like this building then you should go in and have a look. In fact, if you are in brisbane and remotely interested in anything this website has to offer then you should go in and have a look, its a fantastic way to see the city from the "air" at any angle.

I keep going in to see the model every few weeks. Its been a week since I was last in.

Have they done anything to it? It's always full of holes and hardly any of the newer towers are on it yet. Its a great model but its very out of date or at least it was last week.

Have they added Brisbane square, Aurora, Emerald or any of the other major towers going up in town?

I'll pop in tomorrow.

jt

[oztraelian]

I dont think the model has been ammended since I first laid eyes on it - which was almost two years ago.

Someone with council contacts needs to work with culwulla and write out a job description for a BCC model maker.

[CaptainJackSparrow]

Better still, lets just get Brisbane City Council to hire Culwulla:)

[BrizzyChris]

Yeah, he can make a weekly flight up here, and also score us a ride up to the top of Waterfront Place. ;)

[Brizbane2]

Im certain that they have started demolishing the building on the corner of Queen and George. It looks like it will be demolished piece by piece, block by block from the inside.

The roof has been removed and it looks like they have just started dismantling the top floor.

[duke]

The demolition seems quite slow, however given the proximity to George Street and the Queen Street extension/pedestrian area adjacent to the Casino I guess that is understandable.

Excavation and perimeter piering seems well advanced, however getting a photo is near impossible unless you can gain access to one of the nearby buildings!

[TOCC]

well the demolition should move along a bit faster now that the building has been practically gutted and stripped.

[Ausilencer]

I was really hoping to see that silly little building imploded! Oh well, I can live with this method of destruction I guess. Might just have to wait for the current suncorp tower to blow up - last I heard there was talk of possibly demolishing that after suncorp moves out and building something new in it's place - however it is more likely to be renovated instead...

[bribri]

A friend of mine works for Suncorp in it's current HQ and she says the plan is to implode that tower once Suncorp moves into Brisbane Square. Aparently there are asbestos issues as well( i would think this would work against implosion but what do I know). This is a bit of a shame as i quite like this building even though many of you hate it. Maybe they could refurbish it into apartments?

[CaptainJackSparrow]

Is the suncorp tower the one with the clock on it? That clock is useful, hope it's not that one (though the building sux otherwise).

[CULWULLA]

oh no, not the old SGIO bldg? it was Brissys tallest in 71.It also boasts Australia's highest clock!
This is an all steel skyscraper so it will have to be dismantled like Sydney's State Office Block was, which took 9 months.
No way it will be imploded!
Heres a pic i took from city hall tower a few years ago. glass needed a clean-

http://www.imagenode.com/files/transfer/6/2003/01/178294.jpg

[Orodreth]

Originally posted by bribri
A friend of mine works for Suncorp in it's current HQ and she says the plan is to implode that tower once Suncorp moves into Brisbane Square. Aparently there are asbestos issues as well( i would think this would work against implosion but what do I know). This is a bit of a shame as i quite like this building even though many of you hate it. Maybe they could refurbish it into apartments?

Really? It has been reported that the new owners of the building were planning to either demolish it, or to convert it into apartments.
If they were to demolish it, they would rebuild another one or two scrapers.

[CaptainJackSparrow]

Well I hope they stick a clock on the new tower(s), you can see that thing from all over Brisbane, would be a shame to lose it.

[Ausilencer]

Yeah, I hope they keep the clock too - I think it's a part of Brisbane - and I often set my watch by it. But at least there's still a couple of years to debate the issue.

[RUM]

Originally posted by CULWULLA
oh no, not the old SGIO bldg? it was Brissys tallest in 71.It also boasts Australia's highest clock!
This is an all steel skyscraper so it will have to be dismantled like Sydney's State Office Block was, which took 9 months.
No way it will be imploded!
Heres a pic i took from city hall tower a few years ago. glass needed a clean-

http://www.imagenode.com/files/transfer/6/2003/01/178294.jpg

I think the current HQ is in the round building on Ann St just up from Central station. Not this one.

[nagelixin]

'Head office' for Suncorp is the Suncorp Centre, on Anne Street. (The Wedding cake as it's known to staff.)

The Suncorp Plaza was sold with settlement due in 2005, for $23m. The new owners will convert to units, or look at demolishing the existing tower. The floor plate the Plaza complex is built on is extremelly large - enough to accomodate 2 towers.

My bet is that this dump (where I am at the moment) will be demolished, and that it will be replaced by a mixed use development.

They will *not* implode the Plaza as mentioned earlier in this thread.

[Fountainhead]

great stuff - glad to hear demolition is well underway for the best development in Brisbane:D

[CaptainJackSparrow]

I wonder, why do so many people consider this brisbane's best development? I mean it's not particulary tall (160m?), it's on the uncool end of town for skyscrapers and it's a box. Granted it's covered in glass which is nice and it's a full office tower, which is also nice, but like why's it so good? What makes it better than Emerald, or Riparian, Aurora, Baroque etc?

I just also found this kinda an average tower, it's nice but like I don't get the hoopla over it.

[JayT]

Originally posted by CaptainJackSparrow
I wonder, why do so many people consider this brisbane's best development? I mean it's not particulary tall (160m?), it's on the uncool end of town for skyscrapers and it's a box. Granted it's covered in glass which is nice and it's a full office tower, which is also nice, but like why's it so good? What makes it better than Emerald, or Riparian, Aurora, Baroque etc?

I just also found this kinda an average tower, it's nice but like I don't get the hoopla over it.

It will change the 'un-cool' end of town to a better looking end.

Its also got a fantastic public space and is close to QSM. Can you imagine what it will be like when its finished? It will be a VERY busy square and place to be.

jt

[Brizbane2]

Originally posted by CaptainJackSparrow
I wonder, why do so many people consider this brisbane's best development? I mean it's not particulary tall (160m?), it's on the uncool end of town for skyscrapers and it's a box. Granted it's covered in glass which is nice and it's a full office tower, which is also nice, but like why's it so good? What makes it better than Emerald, or Riparian, Aurora, Baroque etc?

I just also found this kinda an average tower, it's nice but like I don't get the hoopla over it.

Well I can only speak for myself... Its not so much what it looks like that makes it so anticipated. Its all of the extra baggage that the project brings with it. Unlike Aurora, Riparian Emerald and Baroque proposals this tower gives direction to its urban context. While the other towers will simply sit there quietly at the street edge, this project will have more expansive impact. On the day that the site opens to the public, this whole area of the city will have a different feel to it.

- It will set up a vast new public space, equivalent in size to Melbourne's Fed square. It may change the way the QSM works. How it will do that I dont know.
- Will create a new western address point to the CBD
- IMO it gives Brisbane only its second urban object skyscraper. Thats exciting by itself.

- Most importantly it has the power to respark the entire western side of the CBD. I think that this tower will act in a way similar to Gabba Central - giving other investors and developers confidence to have a serious look at this area of the city.

[CaptainJackSparrow]

Most importantly it has the power to respark the entire western side of the CBD.

I hope so, all the uglies have somehow found their way to this end of town - horribile collection of brown and biege concrete government boxes, with only the Batman building providing some visual relief.

Brisbane Square will definitely help. This end badly needs more glass.

At a street level, true, good point, though I think Riparian has some merits there as well. Aurora, well no, they dumped the big screen and that annoyed me. Emerald - there's no room.

I think Austcorp will hopefully be similar to Brisbane Square in this regard, there is room for a lot of retail potentionally from what I've heard, and a observation deck means they should hopefully create a nice public space at the base.

[bribri]

I went into the Brisbane model room today and yes there are new buildings! Yay!!
This one is there plus McArthur Centre and Festival Towers. No sign of a proper Riparian or anything on Aurora though!
Boo!

[AG]

Originally posted by CULWULLA
oh no, not the old SGIO bldg? it was Brissys tallest in 71.It also boasts Australia's highest clock!
This is an all steel skyscraper so it will have to be dismantled like Sydney's State Office Block was, which took 9 months.
No way it will be imploded!



They implode all steel skyscrapers all the time in the US. One example of this is the J.L Hudson Department Store in Detroit, which is the largest and tallest building ever imploded from a height of about 120m in a narrow space. A similar situation occured with 500 Wood Street in Pittsburgh.

[nagelixin]

It will not be imploded. There is too much around the site. The church next door, the Anne Street tower and Mincom.

[nagelixin]

Well *finally* I have grabbed hold of the model of Brisbane Square. The pics below I shrunk for people who are on dialup. If you want larger copies of the pics below (around 900kb each) please message me, although I will have these up online soon.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!



http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p00b7de28b41802d6e56cc469e58f496a/f9d80dda.jpg Looking from the Brisbane River and Riverside Expressway

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p41ff92d82251f3b283fe0258a52df71d/f9d80ddc.jpg Open Plaza joining Queen Street Mall to the River

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p39d5cadb42e41ba376fb8a109b03db02/f9d80ddd.jpg Victoria Bridge

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p4d8c31769fe47a56233db0bd99b24be1/f9d80dde.jpg Looking up towards Brisbane Square from Conrad Treasury.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p12d48cd96563a8a38f6ab0e5d5e8735b/f9d80de1.jpg Towering over the Hitachi Building.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/pb2c9b8bd2056566f5a81a7bdc9320704/f9d80de6.jpg Brisbane River (Southbank Side)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/pad245600d7f1e4984078e3fcb5958870/f9d80de7.jpg Bad close up of the structural features which will soon dominate George St.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/pf11016a079b9ec44da4533edb9a11544/f9d80de8.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p95e6dd9ab5c737d57646afaf098ae5a3/f9d80de9.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p104c9b38529551c1a429b0c4b9619644/f9d80dea.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p6e6d7db39c8ab01f240083e1bb293a14/f9d80deb.jpg Looking up from the new open plaza.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p83eacca585f816385013400489cac3a1/f9d80ded.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p2733f0a27f14ff2a6d83999aeb7c2dbc/f9d80def.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p0e97666a908e97693115b918403dc500/f9d80df0.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/pb49d66e813cdf81b5dfefcc096874b76/f9d80df1.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p3f53ce0561659498c3310aecf2def5ce/f9d80df2.jpg

And ofcourse the classic pic...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/pa22541c828791f066511a4382ad9f71e/f9d80df3.jpg
:colgate: :colgate:

[m01lim]

Great photos! Thanks.

I hope to god thats not going to be a big blank concrete wall on the Southbank Side...:bash:

[nagelixin]

I think they may be, as the same facing George street itself. Surely the best views would be out that side...

Unless this is to conserve energy of something?

[MajikShoe]

I hope to god thats not going to be a big blank concrete wall on the Southbank Side
My thoughts exactly, I might have to go and look at the model to make my own mind up. I'm hoping it looks better in real life coz I had high hopes for this one :dunno:

[Brizbane2]

Thanks for the pics!!

The image on the site hoardings, which shows the tower as it will look from Melbourne St, shows the south-west end to be blue glazing - the same set up as the upper block of the tower.

Im not yet convinced by the plaza between the Casino and Brisbane Square tower. I feel that this is the most important part of the whole scheme. Yet we know nothing about it. What is it for, what functions will line its edges. Will the taxi rank be retained somewhere adjacent?

[CULWULLA]

thanks for model pix.this one is magic

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p95e6dd9ab5c737d57646afaf098ae5a3/f9d80de9.jpg
no Australian skyscraper has this type of unique feature! brilliant!
love it.
reminds sort of Sydney's KENS tower but halve the width!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/pa22541c828791f066511a4382ad9f71e/f9d80df3.jpg

[nagelixin]

A closer look

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/pf4afb157b2804d71e064dbb6d1bf8aa6/f9d5fffa.jpg

Apolgies for the poor quality, the model was sealed up and I couldn't get it out of the box.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/pf4afb157b2804d71e064dbb6d1bf8aa6/f9d5fffa.jpg.orig.jpg

For the full 800kb cut and paste the above link into a new browser, or right mouse click and select save target as to download it.

[duke]

The existing building on the corner of Queen and George Streets looks to have been reduced to about five or six storeys at present.

[nagelixin]

The model of Brisbane Square is not yet on public display... I think it may end up in the Council Centre under City Plaza.

[MajikShoe]

Bummer, so you didnt get those from the cafeteria in Suncorp Plaza? I thought there was something about it there, although that was a few months ago, maybe its gone or a different (crappier) one :(

[TOCC]

the side facing southbank is awsome looking, its all glass and you can see massive steel trusses just on the inside of the glass criss-crossing up the side of the building. there was a picture but i cant seem to find it.

[tayser]

If this tower's not gonna give Brisbane's west end a swift kick up the arse then I don't know what will.

beautiful!

[Brizbane2]

Originally posted by TOCC
the side facing southbank is awsome looking, its all glass and you can see massive steel trusses just on the inside of the glass criss-crossing up the side of the building. there was a picture but i cant seem to find it.

Here tis... (Photo of Billboard taken by Duke)
http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay3/31augbrisbanesquare1.JPG

[RUM]

Originally posted by bribri
I went into the Brisbane model room today and yes there are new buildings! Yay!!
This one is there plus McArthur Centre and Festival Towers. No sign of a proper Riparian or anything on Aurora though!
Boo!

I went and checked it out today. Holy Shit does it dominate that part of town. It is a very large scraper (width x length). It has a very similar presence to what Waterfront Place has. It will hide much of the Hitachi building (as it is now known).

[m01lim]

Phew! I thought the southbank side was going to be a concrete wall. But all glass is fantastic, hope its reflective.

[kaleb777]

Looking from Southbank it's great but it looks retarded from the expressway. It looks like they got the top wrong somehow.

[TOCC]

Originally posted by m01lim
Phew! I thought the southbank side was going to be a concrete wall. But all glass is fantastic, hope its reflective.

thats cause the renders dont exactily depict how its going to look. They wanted to emphasise on the fat that it was floating glass on top and the renders done up are the only clear way of depicting this......Trust me it will turn out fantastic.

[Chrisso]

Looks like a crane is being assembled today. Also, the building on the corner of Queen and George St's is nearly completely demolished.

Pics taken today 7/2/04

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid102/p4a6896607efbe84a966dbbb4c187f793/f9b2432e.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid102/p161874396f76f6cabf89c82d5dc762d8/f9b24328.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid102/p2a60967bf211327f3c2e15b6c7249c93/f9b24323.jpg

[BrizzyChris]

Excellent, a crane can only mean progress.

[duke]

Good photos Chrisso. I also took photos of Brisbane Square from the same spots, but it looks like you were out and about earlier than me!

Demolition of the existing building should be complete this weekend. It's really going to open up the top end of the mall with it gone.

Here's a photo taken today from the top of the mall.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay2/07feb04brisbane1.JPG

[Ausilencer]

I do believe that the building that was on this site is now completely demolished... There are only a few piles of rubble left next to where the building used to be.

Can't wait for this one to start rising...

[Fountainhead]

http://www.scharpdesign.com

has a flyaround of the tower in context with Brisbane city, quicktime format

[duke]

Crane tower and mechanicals were being erected today.

[Chrisso]

Originally posted by duke
Crane tower and mechanicals were being erected today.

That's good news.

I drove past the site yesterday and the crane assembly is finished - ready to commence construction :guns1:

[cranerider]

Oh Yeahhh ! The tower crane is up .We finally have some action down that end of town. How tall is our "Gotham City " building compare to Brisbane Square. From my perspective ie Greenslopes the buildings are next to each other on the Brisbane skyline. :D

[Orfeo]

^^^^^
The State Law building is 128m, while Brisbane Square is 153m. I’m happy because from my house I can just see the State Law building, and since BS is closer and taller, I should get a better view.

You get a pretty good perspective from this picture:
http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay3/31augbrisbanesquare1.JPG

[TOCC]

well i went past the site today and its construction crazy, jack hammers, dust and the noise was awsome.. This massive construction site right next door to the QSM is really impressive, its odd seeing hundreds of people walk bye the sight unaware of whats happening behind the barrier.... Hope the dust and nois dies down a tad though. :(

btw i was just thinking that this building qualifies as Brisbane first tower of Structural Expressionism design.... i cant think of any other tower of similare size in Brisbane ??

[Chrisso]

Just noticed today that there's a second crane on site now:guns1:

[FAVELLE]

Yep 2 of the latest generation electric Liebherrs they make just about every other crane in Brissy look like dinosaurs.:)

[cranerider]

It's a big site and I imagine there'll be a few heavy lifts.Do these new liebherrs speed up the time to form ,steel fix and pour concrete ?

[FAVELLE]

They look like 224HCLs good for about 24tonnes max load if rigged right,they are definately more advanced machines than any in Brisbane except maybe Tom Dooleys Favelle down beside Riyala.They have good capacities,long booms, good max radius loads, stepless controls, high hoist speeds,Good cabin ergonomics,high capacity electric drives,they are also quieter,safer,cheaper to run and erect and easier to operate so with all these things going for them you would expect construction times could be cut down,but none of that matters for shit if you have a bad crane driver ive been driving Tower cranes for about 17 years now any have seen some drivers put the chains in a dogmans hands at 50meters in high wind with out any trouble at all and others that are flat out even picking a load in plain view at minimum radius. :)

[duke]

Just looking at the cranes today, I can appreciate the massive step up they are in design and quality.

A couple of photos taken today. First one of BCC model.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay2/12mar04brisbanesquare1.JPG

Second one of the excavations and foundation work underway.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay2/12mar04brisbanesquare2.JPG

[Aussie Bhoy]

Good updates Duke, on this, and other threads.

I wonder how coloured some of those buildings around the base will look when it is actually built.

[nagelixin]

Brisbane Square Construction Cam (http://www.brisbanesquareconstructioncam.com.au/)


New interactive camera on site.

[duke]

Originally posted by nagelixin
Brisbane Square Construction Cam (http://www.brisbanesquareconstructioncam.com.au/)


New interactive camera on site.

Good find - but doesn't seem to work for me. Never see any image!

[Orfeo]

^^^^
I get an image, but can't control the camera so don't actually get to see anything interesting other than a view of Brisbane towards Mt Cootha.

[NCC1701D]

Its a very temperamental camera.. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't....

Taken from livecam: 19/03/04 11.52am

http://img16.photobucket.com/albums/v48/teeza/camera1.jpg

[duke]

Originally posted by duke
Good find - but doesn't seem to work for me. Never see any image!

Working for me now. Windows XP firewall was preventing display of images.

Very cool toy to play with! Appears to be mounted on 111 George Street. Would be really great if it had more left/right pan ability, but tilt is amazing - can look right down air con units on building!

Like this......

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay2/19mar04aircon1.jpg

...and zoomed in like this....

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay2/19mar04aircon2.jpg

[duke]

Concrete pumping crane was being assembled yesterday.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay2/03apr04brisbanesquare1.JPG

Foundations seem to be progressing quickly with lift cores commencing on George Street frontage and a few columns up to street level along Adelaide Street.

[CHapmaN]

i cant wait until this building begins to rise. it's one of my fav skyscrapers already and it hasn't even started to rise. it'll really give brisbane another "character" scraper that visitors won't forget. not to mention it'll make that end of CBD look much better. i wouldn't mind seeing more scrapers go up in that part of the city because shots from southbank look a little empty atm.

[Chrisso]

Foundation work underway as Duke mentioned. Picture taken yesterday, 3/4/04

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid110/p0ad953f98b01fce518a23cd958ae37dd/f923990c.jpg

[duke]

Good photo. That protective mesh over the viewing holes is a real nuisance though!

[JayT]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid110/p81e296220d5e4dd43fff13756244412c/f91cedfc.jpg

6/4/04

jt

[Ausilencer]

Foundations seem to be coming along nicely, however they seem to have excavated a bit more of the site (where part of the public square will be, not where the foundations are).

[duke]

I assume that there will be basement carpark levels covering the rest of the site.

[duke]

Found the following links.

First one relates to capital raising for the project http://www.abnamro.com.au/content/media/articles/194.asp

Second one is a presentation about the project http://www.udiacongress.com.au/pdf/presentations/tue/5_tom_roche.pdf

[duke]

Photo from construction cam today. Substantial progress from Jayt's photo a month ago.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay2/camera.jpg

[BrizzyChris]

Looks like a bomb site.

[CULWULLA]

is it above ground yet? i cant tell from pic.

[gerbilus]

Walked past on the weekend, the support pillars are just above street level now.

[Ausilencer]

Yeah, what you can see on the right of the photo is now above ground level, the top of the other pillars are roughly at ground level. Might try and get some photos of this one when I get my digital camera! (which will hopefully be in the next week! [crossing fingers])

[duke]

From http://www.otis.com/news/newsdetail/0,1368,CLI1_NID18319_RES1,00.html

In Brisbane, Otis Australia will install 18 high-speed gearless elevators, four Gen2 systems and four escalators in the Brisbane Square office building at North Quay on the Brisbane River. The contract value to Otis is greater than US $10 million (AUD 14 million).

ABN AMRO, a leading international bank, is developing Brisbane Square, which will be tenanted by two major Queensland institutions, the Brisbane City Council and Suncorp, a financial services group. Baulderstone Hornibrook Pty. Ltd. is the design and construction contractor, with project management by the Clifton Coney Group. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2005.

Brisbane Square will have a 350-space car park beneath the building and an upper level gymnasium. The project will feature 55,000 square meters (591,800 square feet) of net rental area and retail space of 1,250 square meters (13,450 square feet).

[duke]

Photos taken yesterday (peering through a hole in a gate!).

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay2/13may04brisbanesquare1.JPG

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay2/13may04brisbanesquare2.JPG

[BrizzyChris]

Crap, still a long way till street level.

[Ausilencer]

Took a photo from the other side... can't really see much. I'm only on dial-up, so originals will have to stay on my comp until that changes... I'm putting them up in 640x480, is that ok? I'm new to this whole upload images thing...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/p9fdd817bff59813ae9314e98280c66c1/f8a4bac9.jpg

[Ausilencer]

Here's a couple more shots from some different angles.
http://img68.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/Img_0361.jpg
http://img68.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/Img_0363.jpg
http://img68.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/Img_0371.jpg

[duke]

The lift cores seem to be growing very quickly compared to other buildings currently under construction.

[Chrisso]

Thanks for the great photo's Ausilencer.

It seems to have really progressed in recent weeks.

[GMAC]

Great Pics Ausilencer!
@ Duke, I was thinking that this one was moving very quickly too. It seems to be moving much quicker than Aurora (similar size) and even some of the smaller developments. Funny that the BCC headquaters is being built so quickly with what seems to be the least fuss and could it be the messiest building site in town atm. Not that it really matters, I cant wait to see this one rise and change the face of this side of Brisbane.

[Ausilencer]

Thanks.
There was some fuss at the start - it was supposed to have units on the top... And perhaps the fact that it will become Suncorps new national Headquarters may also have something to do with it being built quickly and with no fuss... but I'm sure there'll probably be some problem somewhere along the way...

[Orodreth]

^^^
The apartments were going to be at the base, on the North Quay side.

[duke]

From construction cam today.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay1/07jun04brisbanesquare1.jpg

[nagelixin]

It will not be the new national headquarters for The Suncorp Group. Head office will still be the Suncorp Centre on Anne Street. 2000 staff will be relocated to Brisbane Square while other options for the new offices is still under investigation.

[Ausilencer]

Some shots of Brisbane Square taken today:

http://img68.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/Img_0702_640x480.jpg
http://img68.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/Img_0703_640x480.jpg
http://img68.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/Img_0704_480x640.jpg
http://img68.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/Img_0707_640x480.jpg
http://img68.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/Img_0715_640x480.jpg
http://img68.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/Img_0716_640x480.jpg

[duke]

Photos taken yesterday.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay1/26jun04brisbanesquare1.JPG

Excavation of entire site is almost complete and carpark foundations are commencing. This shot taken through protective mesh!

http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnthay1/26jun04brisbanesquare2.JPG

[Blend]

i saw this a week or 2 ago. How come theyre building that 1 side up, and the other side is still a hole?

[RUM]

i saw this a week or 2 ago. How come theyre building that 1 side up, and the other side is still a hole?

because the side they are building on is the building. :bash: the other side is the public plaza area. as for the side they are building on; the higher bit is the lift core - yes, on the side - and the rest is the building.

[Favco750]

Also, the side that is the hole had another building on the george st side that took some getting rid off, I was in there last week and there was still a little excavation going on over on the river side, and they were starting to pour the first columns on the george st side.

[Ausilencer]

Good shots duke - I've been meaning to get in there and take some shots through the holes myself hehe...

[Aussie Bhoy]

The Prudential Building used to be on that site, and a fine building it was as well. It was knocked down around 1994.

1962
http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/uhtbin/hyperion-image/BCC-B54-17979

[Ausilencer]

Here's a fairly Cr@ppy shot I took on the way home tonight - has risen a bit - sorry for poor quality (lucky I had my camera tho! Didn't have any time to take more tho). I've also got some shots of the cultural centre busway redevelopment model on display in the performing arts centre if anyone wants to see them? (I can post them in brisbane news).

http://img68.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/Img_1132_640x480.jpg

[Blend]

glad to see it moving

[Blend]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/Blend/brisbanesquare.jpg

[Muse]

Eeeek! Are they cores? :eek:

Somebody please explain what's happenin' there.

[duke]

The building is rectangular with the long side along Adelaide Street. It's my understanding that the cores are all at the end of the building that fronts George Street. It has 22 lifts and 4 escalators.

[nagelixin]

duke is 100% correct :-)

[Ausilencer]

Yeap, that is the core - and one half of it rose again today - no pic sorry. (Right half from the pic)

[CULWULLA]

im currently compiling a diagram of Brissy skyline and starting from left to right or bot gardens to Storey Brdge and have drawn alot of the new towers UC and planned and havent come across one over 150m yet until i got to Brisbane Square which will be RL165m to LMR and RL168m to side blade. Waterfront Place is Rl165m so Brisbane Sq is going to be huge! also it isnt thin like those apartment towers is a big floor plate.
Towers such as River City ,casino Towers,M on mary & Felix, festival Tw, all range in heights of 140-150mRL.
anyway
cheers

[Blend]

Bris square and waterfront are like the "Big Twins". I always think of waterfront when i try to imagine B.Squares impart on the skyline.

[Ausilencer]

Here are a couple of shots of Brisbane Square taken yesterday. The lower part of the core in these shots actually rose today - I was a day too soon d'oh!

Imagine this view in a years time!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/BrisbaneSquare_20040811_768x1024_01.jpg

Reaching ground level...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/BrisbaneSquare_20040811_1024x768_02.jpg

Bad lighting, not the best shot - but you get the idea:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/BrisbaneSquare_20040811_1024x768_03.jpg

Corner George & Adelaide streets:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/BrisbaneSquare_20040811_1024x768_04.jpg

Working on the car park and public square, still a few floors below...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/BrisbaneSquare_20040811_1024x768_05.jpg

Basement levels - finger got in the way when shielding from the sun - sorry (I was there at a bad time!)...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Ausilencer/BrisbaneSquare_20040811_1024x768_06.jpg

[Blend]

nice. too bad u missed out the day lol.. nice to see it up again. i still cant really comprehend its massiveness, on that side of the city.


(p.s ausilencer, im following u around waiting for u to post ur pics in the forum lol :P)

[Ausilencer]

hmmm.. what will I do next hehe :-P (I'm actually doing the resizing, storing on the net, and then posting on this forum all at the same time so there is a bit of a delay between each post)...

[cranerider]

How many floors are there below the ground level ? and how many floors are dedicated to carparking

[Aussie Bhoy]

Great updates, good work Ausilencer, I really appreciate it.

I'm probably more excited about this building than any of the others U\C at the moment, it is going to absolutely transform that side of town.