The Minister’s Award for Urban Design recognises contemporary Queensland urban design projects of the highest quality. It encourages cities, towns and communities across Queensland to strive for best practice in all projects.

The award is intended to highlight the critical role of urban design excellence in shaping Queensland, and to demonstrate the ways in which collaboration can lead to the successful development of the built environment.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Planning Meaghan Scanlon congratulated the development for creating a “distinctly Queensland urban experience” at the 80 Ann Street address, with the project team creating a “landmark development that is truly subtropical in nature”.

The award citation said the building demonstrates what it means to be connected to place through a highly porous ground plane, citing the valuable cross-block connections between Turbot and Ann streets as allowing more direct ways to access the city.

“This is urban design at its most generous and inviting,” the citation concludes. “It draws people into its pockets of respite with playful elements and native plantings that delight the senses, while creating a highly legible and memorable interface with the city streets.”

Woods Bagot Principal and project leader David Lee congratulated project partners ASPECT Studio and Mirvac on their collaboration on an energetic and vibrant civic landscape, noting its growing cultural significance to Brisbane’s urban landscape.

“We strived to create a generous building that was borne out of a deep understanding of the city,” says Lee. “This meant embracing the local climate conditions, the site heritage, and the subtropical landscape.

“The ground plane is given back to the city, with ample through-site links activated with public art and sheltered public realm.”

Heritage Lanes has also been shortlisted for the 11th jubilee edition of the International High-Rise Award, which includes 31 projects nominated over 14 countries. Read more. 

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Isla Sutherland
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