This is one of Brisbane’s largest urban renewal projects on the 16 hectare site of Brisbane’s former Gas Works.The only remaining gasometer has been retained as the focus of the major public space on the site.

The scheme illustrated here is known as the Civic Precinct, which contains the major retail component of the project including a large supermarket, specialty retail shops, showrooms, a gymnasium, cafes, restaurants and a medical centre. In addition there are 263 residential apartments and a single level underground carpark containing approximately 1,000 car spaces.The scheme takes advantage of the unique opportunity to generate a truly unified, mixed use development and connects a series of individual buildings with a horizontal linking device described as the “Ribbon”.The Ribbon is essentially a linear two storey building containing double storey apartments. It undulates in orientation across the roof tops of the individual buildings below, cantilevering out to mark important urban spaces.

Wrapped in a lightweight metallic skin the Ribbon is articulated differently to the heavier concrete framed buildings below, with respect to material, detailing, structural system and angles of orientation.The articulation of the Ribbon as a separate two storey element on top of a four storey base modulates the massing, breaking down the perceived bulk of the buildings. It also allows the buildings below to have their own separate identity while still being linked together.The other role of the Ribbon is to reinforce the pedestrian route through the precinct and link the 3 major public spaces along this route, being the Gasometer Plaza, the Arc Piazza and Market Street.

All buildings employ passive environmental strategies including, north facing living spaces in the majority of apartments, blocks that are only one apartment deep allowing natural cross ventilation and high levels of natural lighting, deep balconies, external louvres and blinds for sunshading, high thermal mass and the use of stack ventilation through multi level atriums and courtyards.