Allen Jack+Cottier’s Brisbane branch has designed a new office building (in association with Cox Rayner) on the SW1 site at Southbank, a popular meeting point and destination on the shores of the Brisbane river. Situated amidst several arts and cultural landmarks, and within walking distance to the high-end retail boutiques of Little Stanley Street, the SW1 development will eventually comprise of four commercial and six residential buildings. The A1 building will host seven storeys of commercial space plus ground floor retail and services.

The unique ground plane of A1 has been designed with pedestrian flow and the liveliness of the streetscape in mind. Landscape architects Gamble McKinnon Green sought a rainforest effect for the site, opting for tropical foliage such as fern trees and climbing vines to ‘green’ external walls. The building will be intersected by a pedestrian thoroughfare that leads to a sunlit urban courtyard.

The building’s exterior will feature slab projections, precast concrete sunblades and extended eaves that function to reduce solar access through the glass windows. Rainwater will be collected from the roof for toilet flushing and irrigation.