Auckland in New Zealand has topped the ranking in the 2021 EIU's annual world's most liveable city survey. Classifying 140 cities across five categories including stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure, this year’s edition of the review has been highly affected by the global pandemic. Australia, Japan, and New Zealand took leading positions, while European and Canadian cities fell down the ranking.
The Archdiocese of Brisbane has unveiled plans to build an eight-story office block adjacent to the city's historic St. Patrick’s Church in Australia. Designed by architecture practice BVN, the project was made to respond to both the existing church and the urban fabric of Fortitude Valley. The proposed development would preserve views to the church from James and McLachlan streets with over 11,000 square meters of office space.
Urban Forest, a 30-story mixed-use residential high-rise is the latest development designed by Koichi Takada Architects. Located in South Brisbane, Australia, the building features one of the world’s most densely-forested vertical gardens, going beyond regular green buildings norms and achieving “300% site cover with living greenery, featuring 1000 plus trees and more than 20,000 plants selected from 259 native species”. Increasing biodiversity and reducing the ecological footprint, the structure highlights another stage in the evolution of the architectural vertical garden.
Design practice Conrad Gargett have created a proposal for a sculptural mixed-use complex in the Brisbane suburbs of Queensland, Australia. Sited in Lutwyche, the project aims to become an integrated development built to accommodate an ageing population in Queensland. Dubbed Lamington Markets, the design overlays public amenities and commercial spaces with local recreation space.
Developers Cbus and Nielson Properties have released a shortlist for the design of a $600 million office tower in Brisbane’s North Quay. Four local and international architectural teams have been selected to create proposals for the commercial tower that will accommodate 50,000 square meters of office space. The developers aim to establish an innovative workplace of the future that will represent the new world of work.
Design practices Snøhetta and Blight Rayner Architecture have been selected to design a new theater for what will become Australia's largest performing arts center in Brisbane. Beating out 23 other teams, the winning proposal for the Queensland Performing Arts Center features a $150 million theater, the fifth for the center. The concept aims to bring a new image to the Gibson precinct while respecting the site's history and context.
An initiative of State Library of Queensland and Architecture Media, the 2019 Asia Pacific Architecture Forum will return to Brisbane from 13 to 26 March, 2019.
