Brisbane developer wins approval to build $300m tree house

A Brisbane developer has received approval to build one of the world’s greenest residential buildings in the heart of the city.

A render of Aria Property Group’s ‘Urban Forest’ project, which has been approved by Brisbane City Council.

A Brisbane developer has finally been given the go ahead to build what it claims will be one of the world’s greenest residential buildings — an apartment tower with “backyards in the sky” covered in more than 500 trees and 25,000 plants.

Designed by internationally renowned architect Koichi Takada, Aria Property Group’s $300 million “The Urban Forest” project will be a 20-storey building with 194 apartments in the heart of South Brisbane.

The development will have Australia’s first rooftop basketball court.

Plans for the development were lodged with Brisbane City Council in June last year and have just been approved, with 90 per cent of all submissions in support of the proposal.

during approval process council raised some concerns that saw it scaled

The development was originally designed to have 32 storeys, but was scaled back due to the council raising concerns about height and scale during the approval process.

A render of the $300m, 20-storey apartment project Aria is going to build in South Brisbane.

Aria development manager Michael Hurley said the project had attracted “overwhelming” interest, with more than 800 inquiries domestically and internationally since the development application was lodged.

Mr Hurley said the project would be “Queensland’s first stand-alone five-star green star design and as-built residential development” and a sustainable landmark for Brisbane in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic Games.

Aria hopes ‘Urban Forest’ will set a new standard in sustainable living in Brisbane.

“Urban Forest will redefine apartment living, with the best residences we have ever delivered, iconic recreation spaces and innovations such as a two-storey fitness centre with basketball and squash courts on the rooftop,” Mr Hurley said.

“Demand for buildings like this moving forward will be huge. We hope this could lead the way for other (developers) to follow.”

The project’s major green initiatives include a 1450 sqm public park at the base of the building and a recycled greywater system that can save up to 50,000 litres of water a week.

The project will be include 550 trees and 25,000 plants.

‘The Urban Forest’ will offer 3700 sqm of resident amenity including a rooftop ‘canopy club’ with 360 degree views across South Brisbane, Musgrave Park, the CBD and Brisbane River, and Australia’s first rooftop basketball court.

Architect Koichi Takada said he hoped the project would inspire the next generation to work towards a more sustainable future.

“Urban Forest will change the way we live,” Mr Takada said. “We designed away the barrier between the building and nature resulting in the greenest residential building ever with generous backyards in the sky and offering a healthier lifestyle.”

Construction is set to begin mid-next year and is expected to be completed by late 2024.

The building will feature a ‘Canopy Club’.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the council had introduced a range of initiatives to encourage the construction of more sustainable buildings in the city.

Brisbane City Council recently made an amendment to the city plan to make it easier to include rooftop gardens on new buildings.

“It is reforms like these that will help encourage the creation of more buildings like Aria’s ‘Urban Forest’ while showing the world how a city like ours can adopt a more sustainable approach before the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Mr Schrinner said.

A render of what ‘Urban Forest’ is set to look like.

“We want to echo what has happened in other sub-tropical destinations, like Singapore, and oversee an evolution that ensures more new buildings have natural ventilation, windows that actually open as well as plenty of plants and outdoor space”.

Urbis director Kate Meyrick said developments like ‘The Urban Forest’ served as landmarks to demonstrate to the community, and industry, Brisbane’s commitment to becoming a sustainable city.

The project will include 3700 sqm of resident amenity.

“They raise the bar in terms of what we expect from our industry and are an important part of transforming the city,” she said.

Aria has been a long-term investor in South Brisbane, completing Fish Lane Town Square in 2020 by converting fenced-off car parks and bin storage areas into a public park, retail and event space.