Published December 2024
How a city precinct develops may be out of the control of the architectural profession, yet the profession does play a significant role influencing the quality of design that improves a precinct’s desirability and value. For that you need good architects.
Kangaroo Point is an area that has changed dramatically in the last 40 years, and I am pleased to see examples of good architecture emerging.
11 Thornton St is one of them – a quality building on the western side of Kangaroo Point next to CT White Park.
It is one of a series of new apartment buildings lining the Story Bridge’s western approach, this one designed by Liam Proberts of bureau^proberts.
I asked Liam how he approached the building design. He said the defining characteristics are twofold. Firstly, the facade has been articulated to address the street and the environment, and secondly, it exhibits artworks in its ground floor public spaces as well as the residences above.
There are 13 floors of apartments, each occupying a whole floor, with internal areas of 263sm and balconies of 38sm. They are being sold for around $7 million each.
Liam took me through the history of the site. “Below this site was once a water police station and the building that once housed the senior sergeant of the water police has been preserved as a residence and cafe. We wanted to retain the residence as a memory of this place.”
“Our solution to do that was to elevate the building above the street plane to allow the old residence to be seen. We provided the higher lobby with an art space with works on the walls curated by Philip Bacon and Ralph Wilson. Artwork spills onto the street with a work in the driveway by Lincoln Austin.”
The building’s use of sun screening is exemplary, and its multifaceted facade plays with its context with the louvres to the south and east faces. Liam told me that he went to a lot of trouble to make the building suitable for its sub-tropical location, and they had spent time studying how they could get the building to “breathe”, allowing crossflow ventilation.
Liam is a classic Brisbane boy, growing up in Spring Hill and attending University of Queensland School of Architecture. With Paul Fairweather, he started his own architectural studio shortly after graduating, and it was immediately successful, winning several design awards. Now called bureau^ proberts, the firm has grown and has just opened a studio in London.
The artwork process and installation has been awarded an Australian Good Design Award with the judges praising it for innovation and for having Philip Bacon and Ralph Wilson leading the art placement team.
The judges were also impressed that the building had integrated a restored heritage building into the overall design concept, showing a synergy between art and architecture.
This approach is to be commended, and it is good to see a new building making a contribution not only to the city’s skyline but also to the development and promotion of the city’s artists.
Contributors to this project were John Livingstone of JGL Properties, Philip Bacon AM, Ralph Wilson, Lincoln Austin and Thierry Galichet.
