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Curvaceous and striking, Woods Bagot is making a design statement in South Brisbane, collaborating with Aria Property Group to transform the rapidly evolving Fish Lane Arts Precinct into one of inner-Brisbane’s most desirable places to live.
Their first collaboration was the award-winning design of The Standard on Fish Lane – a striking 30-storey residential tower completed in 2021. It won best High-Density Development in Australia from both the Urban Development Institute of Australia and Housing Industry Association.
Now Aria has lodged development plans for a new Woods Bagot designed apartment building at 10 Cordelia Street – just metres away from The Standard – and the influence of its predecessor is clear.
“Our partnership with Woods Bagot has been incredibly successful with The Standard as our first project together. As a benchmark, we turned towards the architectural team at Woods Bagot once again to create another iconic landmark that would transform the Fish Lane Arts Precinct,” says Michael Hurley, Residential Manager at Aria.
“We liked The Standard design so much we thought ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ but of course we’re always looking to improve on what we’ve done before.”
“It’s not often you get a chance to build on what you’ve already done – the buildings are like brother and sister with Cordelia Street looking to take The Standard’s learnings to new heights.”
Project Design Architect David Lee, Associate Principal at Woods Bagot, says the most obvious similarities are the compelling curvilinear silhouette, iconic rooftop ‘crown’ and three-level green wall at podium level.
But Lee says “the design has evolved from The Standard to Cordelia Street” in many ways, most notably with the roofline, which will be stepped, rather than horizontal, while the glass façade will be a shade of green rather than blue.
“We always wanted to have much more dramatic skyline appeal for the building when it’s seen from the Brisbane River and the CBD,” says Lee.
Cordelia Street tower view.
“Often with the towers in Brisbane it looks like the top of the tower is chopped off because that’s where you put the plant room.”
But it doesn’t have to be so, says Lee, pointing to the Woods Bagot designed commercial tower across the river at 1 William Street with its tapered roofline.
“There’s no residential building in this area that has tapering crown at the top of the building, whereas Cordelia Street will have 14 meters of crown articulation which will be quite significant in the skyline.”
As with The Standard, the upper levels are where residents will be able to relax, socialise and exercise with facilities including a rooftop pool, sky terrace, different amenity rooms, dining and lounging areas.
“It’s expressive and celebrates the use of rooftop amenity,” says Lee.
Brick finishes throughout the ground plane reference South Brisbane’s rich character and heritage. In the lobby area, there will be co-working space, private offices, lush landscaping, outdoor seating and lounging areas.
Tower volume is articulated as a series of eight cylindrical forms (The Standard had four) while generous curved balconies are a prominent design feature that allow the building to breathe, a mandated requirement of Brisbane City Council.
Cordelia Street will feature a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom dwellings, including penthouses, and the complex is located two blocks from the Brisbane River and South Bank.
South Bank is Brisbane’s cultural hub, home to the Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, State Library of Queensland, Queensland Museum and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre plus an urban beach and parklands.
Aria saw the potential of South Brisbane two decades ago and is by far the suburb’s major developer, while also strongly to contributing to the local public realm.
Emblematic of Aria’s efforts is Fish Lane, which runs perpendicular to Cordelia Street for four blocks, now a vibrant hospitality and arts precinct that was once a mundane access alley.
“At Aria we are as passionate if not more so in public realm outcomes than built form,” says Michael Hurly from Aria.
“Nine years ago, we undertook to deliver the very first stage of Fish Lane in collaboration with Brisbane City Council,”
“We built on that block by block, brick by brick, artwork by artwork, and retailer by retailer.
“We brought in all the retail, restaurants, cafes, artists, lighting, staging, town square and, with government support, made Fish Lane what it is today – a vibrant destination attracting 10,000 visitors a day.
“It’s immensely successful now but it’s been hard work and a labour of love.”
Media enquiries Martin Kelly Content and Communications Leader (Australia & New Zealand)
Cordelia Street green wall at podium level.
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