South Bank Redevelopment Project

02.Mixed.out.qxd 9/27/07 6:29 AM Page 58 SOUTH BANK REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Development Team South Bank occupies a 47-hectare (116 ac), 1.2-kilometer-long (0.7 mi) riverfront site, former home to Owner/Developer World Expo 88, across the Brisbane River from Brisbane’s central business district. The mixed-use precinct features riverside parkland, cultural and educational facilities, 383 residences, 469 hotel rooms, 64,000 South Bank Corporation South Bank, Queensland, Australia square meters (688,890 sf) of offices, and 43,200 square meters (465,000 sf) of retail, restaurant, and en- www.southbankcorporation.com.au tertainment facilities. It attracts more than 11 million visitors a year. After World Expo closed, the government planned to sell the land to commercial interests. But Bris- Master Planner bane’s citizens had other ideas and, in a remarkable display of extraparliamentary democracy, success- Denton Corker Marshall fully lobbied for the site to remain a “people’s place,” whereupon the Queensland government estab- East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia lished an entity, South Bank Corporation, to plan and facilitate the site’s development and operation as www.dentoncorkermarshall.com a world-class leisure, business, and residential precinct under a leasehold arrangement. Master Architect Redevelopment began soon after South Bank Corporation produced its initial master plan, which em- John Simpson phasized people-oriented places and facilities. One of the first projects was South Bank Parklands, which Chelmer, Queensland, Australia opened in June 1992, comprising a sand beach and a lagoon—where visitors can explore rocky creeks www.johnsimpsonarchitects.com and shady hollows or swim in enough water to fill more than five Olympic-size swimming pools—a rain- forest, garden walkways, more than 20 restaurants and cafés, picnic and barbeque areas, and several paid Master Landscape Architect tourist attractions. The corporation sold long-term leases on the land surrounding the parklands, and SPLAT various sites were developed, including the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on a 7.5-hectare New Farm, Queensland, Australia www.splat.net.au (18.5 ac) site, a hotel, a residential condominium building, and an office building. South Bank quickly became a popular place, but by 1996 it had begun to look a bit dated, visitation was declining, and some Town Planner visitor attractions were operating at a loss. Buckley Vann In 1998, South Bank Corporation prepared a new master plan to clarify the precinct’s purpose, offer Fortitude Valley, Queensland, clear guidance for its future development, and address five core issues: access, identity, diversity, con- Australia nectivity with surrounding areas, and permeability. The new plan sparked the development of a number of urban design features, including a one-kilometer-long (1.6-mi) arbor—supported by steel posts and rib- bons resembling tendrils and covered with bougainvillea—that provides shade and shelter to a pedestrian spine; the Goodwill pedestrian and bicycle bridge across the river, which is used by more than 60,000 people a week; Suncorp Piazza, a covered outdoor plaza that seats 2,000 and overlooks the river; and Bris- bane’s first IMAX theater. 58 MIXED USE · FINALIST 02.Mixed.out.qxd 9/27/07 6:29 AM Page 59 Project Data Websites www.southbankcorporation.com.au www.visitsouthbank.com.au Site Area 47 hectares (116 ac) Facilities 64,000 m2 (688,890 sf) office 43,200 m2 (465,001 sf) retail 383 multifamily units The intention of the 1998 master plan was to give guidance to an evolving project, providing clear 469 hotel rooms direction while allowing ample flexibility to accommodate changing use and design trends. South Bank 2,500 parking spaces Corporation continues to implement new master plan initiatives. Since 1998, the value of the land has increased dramatically—by as much as 700 percent. As of early 2007, the value of corporate properties Land Uses and buildings exceeded AU$400 million (US$340 million). Improved access and an expanded range of fa- office, retail, restaurant, entertain- cilities have contributed to a more than 54 percent rise in visitation. Recent market research confirms ment, hotel, residential, education, that Brisbane residents overwhelmingly regard South Bank as the city’s icon or signature statement. parks/open space, parking, exhibition/convention, transportation (rail, The corporation recently entered into several new 999-year lease agreements with developers for ad- ferry) ditional projects, including a 161-room hotel, a 14-story office building, a mixed-use commercial and residential community, and a transit-oriented mixed-use project that will contain a hotel, offices, and apart- Start/Completion Dates ments. “South Bank has evolved over the past 18 years to emerge as a dynamic mixed-use urban precinct 1997–ongoing and one of Australia’s great public spaces,” says Malcolm Snow, CEO of South Bank Corporation. “As our focus moves from one of place making to place management, our emphasis is on creating a public envi- ronment offering richness, complexity, and interaction. Brisbane is emerging as a modern, cosmopoli- tan, creative city. South Bank Corporation is building on the lessons of the precinct’s urban evolution and reimagining the future of inner-city Brisbane with a vibrant South Bank as its living heart.” FINALIST · MIXED USE 59.

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