architecture Archives - West End Today

Buchan Marks 40 Years in Brisbane With New West End Home

Global architecture and design practice Buchan has relocated to West End celebrating 40 years in Brisbane. The new studio is located at Greenhouse, Level 6, 9 Wilson Street.

The move to West End positions the firm in one of Brisbane’s rapidly evolving urban precincts as the city undergoes transformation ahead of the 2032 Olympics.

Longstanding Buchan Director and Principal Phil Schoutrop highlighted the significance of the location choice during this milestone year for the practice.

“Brisbane and South East Queensland are undergoing a period of rapid growth. With the 2032 Olympics on the horizon, there’s a lot of attention on the opportunities here,” said Schoutrop, who leads precinct design at Buchan.

The West End location places Buchan in proximity to South Bank, an area the firm helped shape through its early work on World Expo 88, for which Buchan wrote the master brief. The firm describes this as “a pivotal event in Brisbane’s evolution as a modern city, transforming South Bank and putting Brisbane on the world map.”

From its new West End base, Buchan will continue working on high-profile projects including the Bulimba Barracks development and the Australia Pavilion for Expo 2025, which will open in April.

The practice has been instrumental in shaping Brisbane’s urban landscape through projects like the Brisbane Myer Centre in the 1980s and more recently, the award-winning Nicholas Street Precinct in Ipswich.

Schoutrop emphasised the firm’s commitment to growing its presence in West End: “We look forward to growing our Brisbane team in the new office and contributing to the city’s evolution.”

The West End studio will serve as the new home for Buchan’s Brisbane team, which includes long-serving members like Bruce Shaw and Greg Sheehan, both of whom separately celebrated their personal 40-year anniversaries with the practice recently.

Published 24-February-2025

West End Cottage Renovation Emphasises Garden Connection

Photo Credit: Vokes and Peters

A West End cottage has been thoughtfully transformed through a renovation that prioritises garden preservation and modest spatial intervention. The project, completed by Vokes and Peters, demonstrates an alternative to large-scale residential extensions.

The renovation began with necessary structural repairs after the discovery of termite damage and undersized joists in the original cottage. This initial setback led to a two-year pause in construction, during which the owners developed the garden space, establishing a circular terrace and southern trellis.

The final design maintains a compact 101-square-meter footprint on the 486-square-meter site. Key features include a new garden room with full-height hinged screens, a triangular atrium bringing northern light into south-facing rooms, and a relocated kitchen that connects the original living space to the new addition.

Materials selected for the project include Linea weatherboards finished in Deep Brunswick Green, custom timber window frames by Duce Timber Windows and Doors, and Endicott crazy paving for external elements. The interior features a combination of radiata pine boards and plasterboard with carefully selected finishes.

The project was completed in seven months following a six-month design and documentation phase. Located on the traditional lands of the Turrbal and Jagera people, the renovation provides a case study in measured architectural intervention in Brisbane’s inner-city suburbs.

Published 30-January-2025

A Fresh Take on The West End Towers

Photo Credit: Development.i / Application no. A005608649

A breath of fresh air is sweeping through the West End Towers. The city has given the nod to two residential towers, each featuring three concave facades enveloped in ‘green’ exoskeletons, for a site adjacent to Davies Park at 281-297 Montague Road.

This new development replaces a previous scheme, which was approved in 2017. The original plan, described as “five stumpy towers” of up to 12 storeys, has been reimagined by Manley Properties, a subsidiary of Sydney-based developer Henroth Group. The revised proposal aims to create an “exemplar response to key urban design” and enhance community benefit.

The new design by Noel Robinson Architects reduces the initially planned 470-apartment development to two towers of 16 and 19 storeys, housing 345 apartments. This revision allows the site to offer a vastly improved public realm, enhanced visual amenity, and better connectivity for West End residents.

Despite significant community opposition to both proposals, primarily concerning the buildings’ height and additional traffic, principal architect Noel Robinson believes the original vision would have resulted in “a terrible outcome”. The new plans open up 77% of the site’s ground plane as public space, a 73% increase from the previous approval.

Photo Credit: Development.i / Application no. A005608649

The proposed public plaza and park lands provide a sky view from Montague Road and Vulture Street, offering shade and relief from summer heat for various recreational activities. The revised plans will deliver two 5-star Green Star rated residential buildings, both with unique landscaped exoskeletal sunshades wrapping their concave facades.

**View from Vulture Street**
Photo Credit: Development.i / Application no. A005608649

Robinson stated that the revised tower designs “open up a new paradigm in terms of a green building”. The buildings feature green atria throughout, replacing traditional corridors. Biophilia filters at the ends of the open landscaped corridors provide vertical greenery up the facades, acting as fresh air filters to the open upper-level apartment walkways.

**South Tower – East Wing Elevation**
Photo Credit: Development.i / Application no. A005608649

While Robinson stopped short of claiming these would be the greenest buildings in Brisbane, he did assert they would be unique and among the city’s greenest. The development’s north tower will comprise 156 apartments, and its south tower will house 189 apartments, each including a mix of one, two, three bedrooms, and a level of four-bedroom penthouse suites.

The residents of both towers will have access to a variety of amenities. Landscaped rooftop recreation decks will feature ‘wet edge’ swimming pools, communal gardens, edible landscapes, beehives, barbecue facilities, gyms, and both indoor and outdoor dining areas.

An alfresco terrace on the first level of each building has been designed as an outdoor study and work area. It will feature enclosed glass pods, providing residents with private spaces for podcasts or online meetings.

The development also takes into account the need for parking, with two basement levels providing 482 spaces. This is a reduction of 117 spaces from the previous approval, aligning with the overall design rethink.

On the ground level, a retail plaza spanning 1626 square meters will be a key feature. In line with the design’s focus on public space, 8130 square meters of public realm will connect Montague Road to the centre of Davies Park. This connection is a crucial element of the overall design rethink, further enhancing the community-centric approach of the development.

Published 08-February-2024