The George Street Axis

The new Courts Complex will be one of the three key buildings in the State, alongside Parliament House and the Executive Building, housing the three institutions of government – the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. The head of the design team, Professor John Hockings, described the positioning of the new Complex on this civic axis as “charged with meaning and symbolism.”

The new court building will also add a highly contemporary element to historic George Street that contains the principal civic buildings including Old Government House, State Government offices, the early colonial government departments of Treasury, Lands Administration and the Queensland Government Savings Bank, the new Brisbane Square and the Magistrates Court.

The new Complex and Queensland Place will form an integral part of the redevelopment of metropolitan Brisbane. In addition to the complementary development of the Roma Street Precinct and the establishment through the Tank Street Bridge of a major new gateway to the CBD, the construction of North Bank which will sit on and over the river bank parallel to the George Street Axis. These developments will lead in aggregation to a stunning transformation of the city as we currently know it.

Although still in the conceptual phase, when built North Bank will be a world-class waterfront precinct. It will be constructed on and adjacent to the river to the immediate east of the Victoria Bridge and will   that will include:

• Four hectares of public open space;
• Restaurant, retail, hotel, commercial and residential buildings;
• The Gateway building to North Bank will be the focal point of the site, an architecturally stunning building featuring a multimedia display of “Smart State” initiatives and an integrated art, craft, design and innovation series of galleries, restaurants and cafes;
•  A 50 metre City Olympic Pool to be created at the water’s edge;
•  A permanent monument designed to be a tribute to the State’s achievements over the past 150 years and a focal point of the public space provided by the Master Plan;
• A new pedestrian bridge — the People’s Bridge — linking North Bank and South Bank, together with seven pedestrian connectors to allow easy access to the River.

The development will incorporate social, environmental and economic sustainability initiatives, including responding to surrounding developments such as South Bank and also the region’s sub tropical climate.

Note:   The images and perspectives featured in this article are indicative only, and are subject to change.