Conceived as a landscaped garden portal, the project repositions the building’s primary entry at street level, replacing the existing external escalator system with a ground-floor threshold that draws occupants and passersby directly into an expansive, three-level lobby space.

The design explores the relationship between urban landscape and built interior through the considered layering of materials, planting and space. Carefully detailed stone enveloped by lush, sub-tropical planting frames the building’s corner entry, establishing a distinctive frontage within Brisbane’s legal and courts precinct and signalling a new civic intent for the building’s relationship with George and Turbot Streets.

“The ideas embedded in the new lobby originated from both a change in building program and a genuine desire to create a memorable and welcoming entry,” said Woods Bagot Project Lead Matthew Hyland.

“Through the removal of existing building fabric, the opportunity emerged to rethink how people enter and experience the space. The result is something that feels specific to Brisbane, to this corner, and to the sub-tropical character of the city.”

Installed at the entrance to the new lobby is a major public artwork by senior Quandamooka weaver Sonja Carmichael. Titled Wunjayi Mara Dada Yagabili (Strong Hands Make Today), the three‑storey‑high bronze work establishes a continuous thread back to Ancestors, tracing thousands of years of First Nations knowledge and connection to Country.

Carmichael’s practice brings together traditional Quandamooka weaving with contemporary materials, including reclaimed ghost nets and fishing lines, reflecting ongoing conversations around environmental care and regeneration. In this work, the roots of Talwalpin spreading trees weave through a suspended sculptural form, extending into dilly bags that hold stories of Country and memory.

Inside, the design is structured as a sequence of rooms that define the building’s edge and calibrate different modes of occupation. Concierge and lounge spaces along Turbot Street offer informal settings for meeting and working. The spatial organisation encourages the kind of engagement that is particular to an urban workplace: informal, incidental and grounded in the rhythms of the city.

A warm palette of natural stone, timber and integrated planting carries the garden threshold experience from exterior to interior. The material selection is deliberately robust, chosen for longevity and tactile quality as much as aesthetic coherence.

“The flexibility of the modern working environment asks what role the city and its workplaces provide,” Hyland continued. “For us, the answer lies in the engagement between people and the spaces that foster it. We designed a series of rooms that accommodate different modes of occupation, encouraging the formal, the informal and the serendipitous, the diverse kinds of interactions one may hope to experience in an urban workplace setting.”

Sustainability within the project is approached through the lens of material longevity and spatial usefulness. New concrete structures incorporate recycled content, while indoor planting and natural materials work to improve air quality and strengthen occupants’ sense of place. The design resists the tendency toward finite resources and over-consumption by investing in quality details and considered craftsmanship that extend the life and relevance of the space.

“Sustainability is sought by the creation of spaces that ensure the building is as useful and loved as possible,” said Hyland. “It is about doing things well and with care, such that there is a real longevity to the space. High quality details and materials create a robust and enduring outcome.”

“We’re proud to have partnered with Woods Bagot and Sonja Carmichael on a transformation that brings together design, culture and place in a meaningful way. The result is a more engaging and enduring arrival experience for tenants, supporting contemporary ways of working, enhancing functionality and strengthening the building’s connection to the Brisbane CBD” said Anne Mckinnon Cromwell’s Portfolio Asset Manager.

Woods Bagot Senior Associate Chris Field says, “400 George Street marks our first collaboration with Cromwell Property Group in Brisbane, and we’ve greatly valued what has been a rewarding and highly collaborative design journey.”

“Cromwell’s ongoing commitment to reinvesting in its assets and elevating tenant amenity is commendable. We’re proud to have contributed to the revitalisation of 400 George Street and look forward to continuing this relationship in future projects.

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