Case Studies
Buildings that Breathe
Design Feature
Type of project
Policy
State
Queensland
Location
Urban
Brisbane City Council collaborated with Urbis and Arkhefield to create a shared vision for achieving subtropical building design in Brisbane by producing the New World City Design Guide: Buildings that Breathe. The non-statutory guide was released in mid-2016 and provides an overarching vision for how each individual high-density building in the city-centre can contribute to the public, cultural and sustainable qualities of the city to create a better future for Brisbane.
The guide is a multi-dimensional tool for architects, planners, developers, property professionals and the broader community. The ultimate benefit of the design guide will be the cumulative effect of numerous subtropical buildings being built across the city over time. This will create a subtropical cityscape that is recognised and respected throughout Australia, and internationally, and demonstrates the best elements of living in subtropical Brisbane.
The guide is a multi-dimensional tool for architects, planners, developers, property professionals and the broader community. The ultimate benefit of the design guide will be the cumulative effect of numerous subtropical buildings being built across the city over time. This will create a subtropical cityscape that is recognised and respected throughout Australia, and internationally, and demonstrates the best elements of living in subtropical Brisbane.
Beautiful, functional, contributory
As an initiative of Brisbane City Council’s City Centre Master Plan 2014, the guide was originally identified as one of 36 transformative projects within the Brisbane City Centre Master Plan 2014_ (prepared by Brisbane City Council and Urbis_).
The design guide is underpinned by eight design elements that have been identified as key considerations for creating good subtropical architecture. They include:
Each design element is communicated in simple, plain language and is explored through a series of easy-to-understand sub-elements and clear diagrams. The guide also provides best practice examples, both in Brisbane and around the country, which demonstrate health benefits and enhanced building performance. These examples also have measured the cost/benefit outcome of incorporating these design elements.
The design elements identified in the guide align with the following Healthy Active by Design design features:
The design guide is underpinned by eight design elements that have been identified as key considerations for creating good subtropical architecture. They include:
- Orientate yourself
- Occupy outdoor spaces
- Illuminate with daylight
- Natural air and ventilation
- Shade and protect
- Living greenery
- Identity matters
- Reduce energy and waste.
Each design element is communicated in simple, plain language and is explored through a series of easy-to-understand sub-elements and clear diagrams. The guide also provides best practice examples, both in Brisbane and around the country, which demonstrate health benefits and enhanced building performance. These examples also have measured the cost/benefit outcome of incorporating these design elements.
The design elements identified in the guide align with the following Healthy Active by Design design features:
- Public Open Spaces – The guide advocates for the creation of shaded outdoor spaces with panoramic views to create memorable places to meet and relax. Furthermore, the guide encourages buildings to reflect an outdoor lifestyle by incorporating rooftop gardens, sky terraces, and open-air tenancies at ground level. The justification is that usable open spaces promote opportunities for physical activity and active lifestyles while fostering community interaction.
- Buildings – The guide showcases excellent examples of building frontages that maximise natural surveillance, buildings with active ground floor uses, buildings in locations that encourage use of active transport, buildings with internal movement networks, and office designs that improve employee productivity, satisfaction and health.
- Destinations – The guide aims to reinvent Brisbane's city landscape to include numerous hubs of community interaction and healthy living through the internal and external design of buildings.
- Movement Networks – The guide advocates for incorporating movement networks between ground floor public spaces as they increase opportunities for pedestrian movement, business activity and urban vibrancy at the street level. Furthermore, end of trip facilities should be designed into every building to influence occupant’s travel behaviours.
- Sense of Place – Every design element identified in the guide celebrates Brisbane’s unique history, culture and subtropical climate, reinforcing and promoting a strong sense of place.
Brisbane City Council provided input from a community and city perspective as project lead. There was public consultation for the draft 'Buildings That Breathe' design guide at the Green City Picnic in October 2015 and wider consultation when released online in December 2015.
Council collaborated with Urbis who provided an urban design, landscape and planning perspective and Arkhefield who provided a design and delivery perspective. The collaborative and cross-disciplinary preparation of the guide has resulted in a comprehensive and robust outcome.
The guide will ensure that new buildings in Brisbane’s city centre, mixed-use inner city, transport corridors and principle regional activity centres will embrace the subtropical climate by opening up to cool breezes, providing lush landscaping, shade, comfort, increased exercise opportunities and an enhanced lifestyle.
As a document underpinned by a mutli-disciplinary team, the 'Buildings that Breathe' design guide illustrates how buildings that respond to and embrace our subtropical climate through openness, permeability and a strong connection with the natural environment, can improve the health and quality of life for everyone who lives, works and plays there.
Project team
- Urban Renewal Brisbane, Brisbane City Council - community and city perspective
- Arkhefield - design and delivery perspective
- Urbis - urban design and landscape perspective
Project Cost
Unavailable
Health value
Access to direct sunlight, ambient natural light and the natural rhythms of the day can facilitate improved employee performance and positive health benefits. Through implementation of the guide, buildings in Brisbane will include design and placement of glazing and light wells to maximise natural light penetration while managing solar gain to create healthier places for people to live and work. The overall health benefits of better designed buildings is a reduction in employee sick leave for businesses.
Economic value
The guide describes how clever building and city design can provide economic value through energy savings and reducing operating costs. Furthermore, use of natural light reduces reliance on artificial lighting, resulting in less pollution and electricity consumption, and cheaper energy bills.
The ultimate benefit of Buildings that Breathe will be the cumulative effect of numerous subtropical buildings contributing to Brisbane’s New World City identity by creating an enviable and lush urban environment that attracts investment and tourism, celebrates the outdoor lifestyle and stimulates economic activity.
The ultimate benefit of Buildings that Breathe will be the cumulative effect of numerous subtropical buildings contributing to Brisbane’s New World City identity by creating an enviable and lush urban environment that attracts investment and tourism, celebrates the outdoor lifestyle and stimulates economic activity.
Environmental value
The guide demonstrates how the promotion of passive design elements and employment of new technology can enhance a building’s performance to mitigate climate change.
The guide describes how to respond to Brisbane’s unique conditions by providing protection from the sun and rain, capturing cooling breezes and opening up to the outdoors. This clever building orientation saves energy, improves comfort, creates urban green space and reduces the heat island effect.
New technology minimises consumption by utilising renewable energy sources, reducing water consumption and limiting waste to create a more resilient and robust economy.
It also helps to enhance surroundings by improving the micro-climate, undertaking localised air-cleansing, absorbing pollutants and reducing noise levels.
Furthermore, the promotion of responsible material selection protects the biodiversity of the environment, and minimises the environmental impact of new construction.
The guide describes how to respond to Brisbane’s unique conditions by providing protection from the sun and rain, capturing cooling breezes and opening up to the outdoors. This clever building orientation saves energy, improves comfort, creates urban green space and reduces the heat island effect.
New technology minimises consumption by utilising renewable energy sources, reducing water consumption and limiting waste to create a more resilient and robust economy.
It also helps to enhance surroundings by improving the micro-climate, undertaking localised air-cleansing, absorbing pollutants and reducing noise levels.
Furthermore, the promotion of responsible material selection protects the biodiversity of the environment, and minimises the environmental impact of new construction.
Social value
Buildings that Breathe provides guidance on how to incorporate more rooftop gardens, sky terraces, generous balconies and open-air tenancies at ground level to reflect Brisbane’s outdoor lifestyle. These outdoor spaces provide amenity, recreation spaces and a chance for the community to get together. This increases opportunities for respite and for people to engage with one another. It also ensures that streets and public spaces are safer at all times of the day.
Use value
Illustrating best-practice examples and easy-to-understand design elements, the guide is a multi-dimensional tool and common reference point for architects, planners, developers, property professionals and the broader community.
Practitioners are encouraged to use the guide, which also includes a checklist, to help them understand and respond to the requirements of subtropical building design.
It is embedded into the City Centre and Spring Hill neighbourhood plans, with a view to incorporate outcomes into other parts of the Brisbane City Plan. New development in these areas are required to deliver subtropical architecture and, in some cases, receive development bonuses for higher standards of sustainability.
Importantly, the guide will not duplicate the requirements of existing sustainability rating tools (Green Star / NABERS etc). From the outset, it was identified that implementation through the Brisbane City Plan will be a key to the success of Buildings that Breathe, ensuring Brisbane continues to be a vibrant, safe and prosperous city into the future.
Practitioners are encouraged to use the guide, which also includes a checklist, to help them understand and respond to the requirements of subtropical building design.
It is embedded into the City Centre and Spring Hill neighbourhood plans, with a view to incorporate outcomes into other parts of the Brisbane City Plan. New development in these areas are required to deliver subtropical architecture and, in some cases, receive development bonuses for higher standards of sustainability.
Importantly, the guide will not duplicate the requirements of existing sustainability rating tools (Green Star / NABERS etc). From the outset, it was identified that implementation through the Brisbane City Plan will be a key to the success of Buildings that Breathe, ensuring Brisbane continues to be a vibrant, safe and prosperous city into the future.
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