Queen’s Wharf is Brisbane’s new entertainment and lifestyle precinct. In 2016, Destination Brisbane Consortium won the right to create the world-class integrated resort development. The Consortium aimed to achieve Brisbane’s first 6 Star Green Star Communities Rating. Its sustainable urban design and architecture will establish a clear uniquely ‘Queensland’ identity; embracing the subtropical climate and outdoor lifestyle of the riverside city.
Transforming Brisbane’s Skyline
The Consortium’s goal is to create real connectivity between the precinct and the rest of the city. The integrated resort development will link and activate defining parts of the city such as Southbank, the Cultural Precinct, the Botanic Gardens, the Parliamentary Precinct, the Queen Street Mall and the Brisbane River. It will also merge state-of-the-art contemporary architecture with heritage buildings.
Queen’s Wharf is comprised of:
- Multiple hotel towers with over 1,000 rooms
- Three residential towers with over 2,000 apartments, gaming and entertainment facilities
- A feature curved sky deck sitting 100 metres above street level
- A range of restaurants and bars, from hatted fine dining to pop-up cafes
- An outdoor moonlight cinema and large areas of public event space
- A new pedestrian bridge that crosses the river to South Bank
Multidisciplinary Services
WSP has been involved in Queen’s Wharf since the project’s infancy—from the bid stage through to the project award. In 2016, our team provided the schematic design and we are now currently undertaking design development for the project. Offering an integrated approach, we are providing a broad range of services, ranging from sustainability masterplanning, structural and services engineering to pedestrian flow analysis and fire protection.
Brisbane’s First 6 Star Green Star Communities Rating
Queen’s Wharf has earned the city’s first 6 Star Green Star Communities rating for its world-class sustainable design. As the appointed sustainability consultants for the project, WSP undertook the Green Star assessments. Awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia, the rating is based on assessing the sustainability performance of the precinct across five impact categories – governance, liveability, economic prosperity, environment and innovation.
WSP designed the sustainability components of the precinct’s masterplan. In the design, we included in many public spaces that incorporate recreational opportunities, such as upgraded bikeways and a new mangrove boardwalk with an Indigenous Australian trail. These features, along with other facilities such as the Velo Café, are designed to inspire healthy and active living.
The project also invests in community infrastructure, such as the new Neville Bonner Pedestrian Bridge that will provide a link from the precinct to South Bank. Artwork is dispersed throughout the site. This is an important aspect of the social sustainability of the precinct and in creating a sense of place.
Other sustainability initiatives include:
- Minimising operational greenhouse gas emissions
- Reducing waste during demolition, construction and operation
- Using sustainable material
- Reducing the heat island effects
- Conserving and reusing water
Creating an Iconic Queensland Destination
Queen’s Wharf will create a new high-quality, mixed-use destination for Brisbane. It will provide tourism, leisure and entertainment facilities that appeal to a broad demographic, including the international market, and will deliver job opportunities and significant economic benefits. Queen’s Wharf is set to be one of Queensland’s largest and most iconic developments, and will become one of the best integrated resorts in Australia.
