AIR APARTMENTS Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia | 2000 - 2005

This 37 storey residential tower is located above the eastern end of the existing Oasis shopping centre at Broadbeach on Queensland’s Gold Coast. The building is centred over the existing monorail turning circle and is directly linked to the monorail station at level 3 of the shopping centre. The residential tower contains 134 apartments, a gymnasium/health club and landscaped gardens incorporating swimming pools and a tennis court on the roof of the shopping centre.

The building has three distinct elements, a hovering two storey horizontal bar containing large two level penthouse apartments. This element provides a visual transition from the existing shopping centre podium to the tower above. The main building is composed of a large lozenge shaped tower to the east and a small rectangular satellite tower to the west. The two are linked by the lift core, which passes through the centre of the monorail turning circle providing the structural spine of the building off which the satellite tower cantilevers. The shape of the eastern tower and the smaller western satellite serve to reduce the physical bulk of the building and allow for a number of different wall planes with differing articulation to be seen against each other. Strong shadow lines emphasise the physical separation of the 3 horizontal and vertical elements.

All elevations are distinct but linked by a common kit of parts, with materials and finishes reflecting the different aspects of each elevation, open to the east, closed to the west, shaded to the north. The east is the largest and most heavily articulated of the elevations. This is a direct response to the desire  to give all apartments access to views over the beach and the ocean, as well as producing a long slender tower only one apartment deep to allow for natural cross-ventilation. This east elevation is articulated by way of the horizontal balcony slabs and vertical blade walls between units. As the unit size and configuration change so does the elevation. Two storey high units are clearly expressed as larger voids with mezzanine balconies. The balconies provide deep modelling to this façade, acting as sunshading to the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors. The shadows created by this irregular grillage provide further texture and scale to the building.

Photographer: Rocket Mattler