AI v Experts: What does the future look like for Brisbane developments?
Developments in Brisbane are getting bigger and bolder – but are they want we want and need? We ask AI and the experts for their views. HAVE YOUR SAY
Brisbane’s transformation from a “big country town” to progressive city is continuing at rapid pace – so what’s next for development?
As pleas continue to solve our housing crisis, fix cost of living and keep real estate affordable, we put AI and industry experts to the test.
What is the future of developments in Brisbane? AI takes on our experts – whose side are you on?
Key proposed & recent developments
Stanley Quarter (Woolloongabba): A very recent and significant proposal for the Woolloongabba Priority Development Area.
This is a mixed-use project featuring two towers (53 and 36 storeys) that will deliver 447 apartments, but just as importantly, a new cultural facility (the STEAMM Gallery) and a public plaza.
This is a prime example of transit-oriented development, leveraging the new Cross River Rail station.
204 Alice Street (CBD): A Meriton-led proposal for two residential towers – one 79-storey and one 70-storey.
The 79-storey tower is designed to push right up to the 274-metre aviation (CASA) height limit, effectively matching our current tallest, Brisbane Skytower.
This signals the market’s confidence in delivering more than 1000 apartments in a single CBD project.
30 Albert Street (CBD): This approved 91-storey residential tower is also set to challenge the 274-metre limit.
It’s another “super-slender” tower design that demonstrates the engineering now possible on tight CBD blocks.
Waterfront Brisbane (CBD): This is the $2.1 billion Dexus project replacing the old Eagle Street Pier. While not as tall as the residential towers (a 49-storey and a 43-storey office tower), it is perhaps more transformative for the city’s character.
It’s designed to elevate the entire precinct, opening the riverfront to the public with a new 280-metre riverwalk, which is a key part of our “Buildings that Breathe” philosophy.
New South Brisbane & Toowong Proposals: We are also seeing significant proposals outside the CBD. A $400 million, three-tower project (up to 207 metres) is proposed for South Brisbane, and multiple towers (some over 50 storeys) are proposed for the Toowong town centre, another key transport hub.
Answering the key questions
Are they getting higher?
According to AI, yes, unequivocally. For nearly 15 years, towers like Aurora (207m) and Riparian Plaza (200m) defined our skyline.
The completion of Brisbane Skytower (270.5m) in 2019 set a new benchmark.
Now, almost every major new CBD proposal (like 204 Alice Street and 30 Albert Street) is designed to hit that 274-metre aviation ceiling.
Furthermore, towers that would have been the city’s tallest just a decade ago (in the 190m-210m range) are now being proposed for suburban hubs like Woolloongabba and South Brisbane.
The entire “baseline” height of the city is moving upwards.
Why are they getting higher?
According to AI this is a convergence of four key factors:
Economic Reality: Land in the inner-city is exceptionally expensive. To make a project financially viable, developers must build vertically to maximise the gross floor area.
Planning & Policy: Our city’s planning framework is designed to encourage this. We have established Priority Development Areas (PDAs) in places like Woolloongabba to fast-track high-density, transit-oriented communities.
This is a deliberate strategy to accommodate growth around infrastructure, rather than sprawling outwards.
The “Olympic Effect”: The 2032 Games and major projects like Queen’s Wharf have put Brisbane on the international map.
This has unlocked a new tier of global investment capital, and these investors build at a global scale.
Population Pressure: Brisbane is one of the fastest-growing cities in the developed world. Our housing strategy must accommodate the 1.5 million people projected to live here by 2041. Building up in well-connected areas is the most sustainable way to do this.
What difference will they make overall? (according to AI)
This is the most critical question. The primary impact is a shift from a single CBD skyline to a multi-node city.
We are seeing new, distinct high-rise clusters emerging in Woolloongabba, South Brisbane, and Toowong.
The second major difference is at the ground level. Unlike the fortress-like towers of the 1980s, our “Buildings that Breathe” design guide mandates that new developments give back to the public.
This is why you see projects like Waterfront Brisbane and Stanley Quarter heavily promoting their public plazas, subtropical green facades, and new riverwalks.
The goal is to create a more activated, walkable, and climate-appropriate city at the human scale, even as the skyline rises.
What about housing availability and affordability? (according to AI)
This is the most complex and contested issue. We must separate availability from affordability.
Availability: These new towers will add thousands of new apartments to the market, primarily 1 and 2-bedroom units.
This dramatically increases the total supply and availability of housing in the inner city.
Affordability: This is where the debate lies.
The Pro-Supply Argument: Basic economics dictates that in a market with massive demand, increasing supply is the only long-term way to stabilise prices and rents.
By building high-end stock for high-income earners, it in theory frees up older, cheaper housing for others (a “filtering” effect).
The Counter-Argument: These new towers are not affordable housing. They are market-rate, luxury products.
Simply building more $1 million apartments “won’t make a lick of difference” for a family on a low or moderate income.
The “Missing Middle”: From a planner’s perspective, the real issue is that our development is skewed to two extremes: high-rise towers and low-density suburban houses.
We are not building enough “missing middle” housing – things like townhouses and 3-6 storey apartment blocks.
My professional assessment: These towers are essential for absorbing high-end demand and accommodating sheer population numbers, which may prevent prices from becoming even more unaffordable.
However, they are not a direct solution for the affordability crisis at the low-income end.
That requires different tools, such as inclusionary zoning and investment in social housing.
“World City” confidence injection (according to AI)
The most profound influence of the 2032 Games is not the venues themselves, but the “global seal of approval” they provide to international capital.
The Olympics has effectively de-risked Brisbane for major institutional investors, shifting the city’s skyline from a collection of functional, investor-grade apartments to a stage for “trophy” architecture.
We are seeing a distinct “coming of age” in design, where developers are abandoning generic glass boxes in favour of “Buildings that Breathe” – towers with green spines, open-air podiums, and hyper-luxury amenities – specifically to compete for the wealthy global citizens who will soon be watching.
The Games have emboldened developers to propose projects like the 274-metre 204 Alice Street and the Waterfront Brisbane precinct, knowing the city’s brand will support “New World City” valuations by 2032.
What do the experts say?
Queensland Property Council executive director Jess Caire said the tough construction climate coupled with Brisbane’s recent emergence as a “world city’’ were driving the flood of tall residential towers.
“Construction and land costs are high so naturally it makes sense for things to go up,’’ she said.
“But projects have to stack up, so the market will decide how high.’’
A key factor was time. Taller buildings were much more complex and took longer to deliver, increasing risk for developers.
“Time kills deals. Apartments are also quite different to homes in that developers need pre-sales because there are a whole lot of outlays before you even start work.
“There’s an awful lot of risk before you get to market.’’
Ms Caire said Brisbane City Council and the property sector had finally embraced the city’s subtropical climate, creating unique highrise architecture.
Council changed its rules in recent years to not count rooftops as a floor level – if developers created an appealing communal outdoor space.
It also encouraged ground level “activation’’, particularly cafes, bars, shops and public green space.
“As a result Brisbane now has some of the best architecture in the world. The unbelievable rooftop at Aria’s Upper House (in South Brisbane) is one example,’’ Ms Caire said.
But Queensland University of Technology urban planning expert Mark Limb said there had been a “disconnect’’ between provision of infrastructure and the sudden flurry of highrise development applications.
He said urban planners generally wanted higher density, as long it was supported by services such as schools.
Dr Limb said the idea of a “multi-nodal’’ Brisbane, with hotspots of high density housing, dated back 20 years but was only now becoming a reality.
“Planners determine where, it is developers who dictate when,’’ he said.
“You can zone for something but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to get built.’’
Dr Limb said despite talk of a “missing middle’’ there had actually been a lot of five-level to six-level housing built, as well as eye-catching super highrises, particularly in suburbs such as Chermside and Indooroopilly.
While some people pointed to cities such as London and Barcelona as examples of how to achieve high density without highrises, the shape of most developable blocks in Brisbane meant it would be hard to replicate here.
“It’s easier for a developer to buy two or three of our rectangular blocks, to make a square, and go up, than it is to build townhouses or terrace houses,’’ he said.
“It would take government intervention to (replicate) places like London.’’
Dr Limb also said the spate of new highrsies was unlikely to help affordability, despite the increased supply of dwellings.
“The countries with affordable housing are also the countries with direct, state-supplied housing,’’ he said.
How will this change the perception of Brisbane? (according to AI)
This is the final piece of the puzzle. For decades, Brisbane has fought the “big country town” perception.
This wave of development, combined with the Olympics, is the final nail in the coffin for that old idea.
The perception is shifting to “Brisbane as a New World City.” We are not trying to be a “concrete jungle” like Sydney or Melbourne.
Our brand is becoming one of a global subtropical city — a place that can build 270-metre skyscrapers that are also covered in greenery and open to the breeze.
This new skyline, anchored by transformative projects like Queen’s Wharf and Waterfront Brisbane, signals to the world that Brisbane is a mature, ambitious, and confident city — a place to invest, to work, and to live.
Our challenge as planners is to ensure that as we grow up, we do not lose the liveability and character that makes people want to be here in the first place.
Originally published as AI v Experts: What does the future look like for Brisbane developments?
