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This 42-storey apartment tower, including two basements, is located on the corner of Albert and Mary Streets, Brisbane. This tower consists of 221 units and podium levels which house the residents’ amenities and manager’s apartment together with a retail oriented level located on the ground floor.

Extensive works and re-planning within the existing 399 Bourke retail zone were required with the design team to ensure the structural integrity of the existing structure was maintained and the client’s expectations realised.

Project Features

  • The tower massing includes three changes of primary use; basement car parking to Ground floor retail to podium car parking then to residential apartments. A single tower transfer at podium level 5 utilising a 1,500mm deep post tensioned concrete transfer plate was utilised through the careful coordination of vertical structure, minimising and simplifying the structural system and construction process.
  • Geotechnical conditions compromised 15 to 20m of marine muds and clays overlying rock, with a water table just below natural surface level. A secant pile walling system was utilised to create a hydrostatic cut-off and eliminate the requirement to design for hydrostatic forces to the basement slab and structure. Furthermore, three of the site’s boundaries were developed, requiring the design of appropriate shoring, anchoring and construction methods to ensure the stability and minimise movements and impacts to all neighbors.
  • A post-tensioned flat plate floor solution was adopted through the residential tower to optimize vertical structure placement and minimise floor structure thickness, whilst still achieving rapid floor construction rates (approximately 4 days).
  • All vertical wall elements were constructed using jump systems, removing vertical structure construction activities from the critical path to create multiple work fronts during construction of the tower.
  • The lateral load resisting system utilises the service core and a single engaged shear wall creating a high efficient lateral load resisting system. External concrete shear walls were also considered and engaged into the overall lateral system.

Project Metrics

Year Completed:
Expected completion 2003
Building Metrics:
42 Levels + 2 Basements
Sectors:
Residential & Retirement
Retail

Project Metrics

Client:
Devine
Primary Contrator:
Multiplex
Architect:
Woods Bagot
Robert Bird Group Services:
Structural engineering
Civil engineering
Construction engineering
Visualization