Brisbane’s Trellis by Rothelowman ‘lets the landscape win’

Rothelowman has helped Aria Property achieve its most liveable and sustainable residences to date with Trellis, a multi-residential development opposite Musgrave Park in South Brisbane.

Just looking at Trellis, named after the trains of plants that climb up and down its facade, it’s no surprise to learn that its developer, Aria, has a vision to ‘green the city’. Facing one of Brisbane’s oldest parklands, Trellis is a building in dialogue with its environment in many respects, and it starts from the ground up.

 

Rewilding the ground plane

To blur the line between building and landscape, Rothelowman lifted Trellis on 10-metre columns, replacing the typical podium with a dramatic hypostyle hall that doubles as a landscape conservatory.

“We wanted to let the landscape win,” says principal of national design Jonothan Cowle.

“Perhaps in the subtropics, the basic format of the building can be transformative,” he says, reflecting on his thought process for Trellis. “We wanted something that allows nature to thrive and allows the beautiful ecosystem that threads through the city and its parks to be fully integrated with the site.”

This unique approach has not only created a nature corridor that connects Trellis to Brisbane’s broader ecological network, but has also enhanced the ground-plane experience for residents.

Their eye is drawn deep into the site via a rich landscape that is at odds with its urban setting. They enter the garden on an axis towards the distant moon gate. This surprising but familiar architectural reference offers compression and release, enhancing the drama of the threshold. The surrounding water wall creates a white noise that invites residents forward to their lobby via a short but meaningful walk intended to calm the senses and guide them home.

The moon gate acts as both symbolic signage and a doorway through to the ‘temple of wellness’, featuring round tables, a spa, gym, a conservatory planted with a subtropical garden and a bowl of fresh fruit to grab on your way up to your apartment.

“We want coming home to feel like a ritual,” Cowle says. “Rather than walking through a standard glass door into a lift lobby, residents are stepping into an immersive, natural landscape.”

Protected by low walls and transparent doors, the open-air ground plane invites breezes and dappled light, removing the need for air conditioning. Its design engages with the immediate context, and the architectural references are layered and intentional.

“Some people see the hypostyle hall with the landscape under it as the Queenslander raised on legs, creating that under-house space so iconic to local living. It’s a very visceral Queensland thing to see,” Cowle says.

“But others see it as a beautiful landscape pavilion or a temple. By incorporating potent symbols like the moon gate, we’re creating more than just visual interest. We’re actually trying to create an immersive experience for the residents.”

A building that breathes

The greening snakes up the building, ensuring continuity and connection with the apartments upstairs.

Juliet planters poke out on every level and act as anchors for Trellis’ trail of climbing plants. Beyond their decorative appeal, they provide functional benefits and frame views through operable windows that open up entire apartments. Long balustrades enhance this sense of having a verandah overlooking the park.

The apartments are designed with great consideration for liveability in meaningful, connected ways. High ceilings and large thresholds amplify the sense of space, while deep balconies provide protected indoor and outdoor rooms.

“There’s this lovely layering of public and private spaces,” Cowle says.

The project also integrates a number of passive design principles to optimise natural ventilation and align with Brisbane’s ‘buildings that breathe’ criteria. For example, residents can keep their front doors open behind sliding ornamental security screens, enabling complete natural air movement through the interior of the building.

One particularly playful touch of nature falls at their feet in the form of a mat that resembles grass running across every threshold.

The Trellis rooftop

In the same way that Rothelowman has innovated the typical apartment typology by reworking the ground floor, they have “clearly defined” what a rooftop could be at Trellis.

Historically, Brisbane’s planning policy discouraged significant rooftop development by classifying it as an additional storey. Cowle and his team saw this as a missed opportunity.

“Through years of advocacy with Aria and others, the city has now adopted new guidelines that support meaningful rooftop design, which allows a more substantial and purposeful solution to density within the city,” Cowle says.

The result at Trellis is a verdant communal rooftop with a pool, pavilion and lawn that encourages sociability and recreation. A portal in the Trellis ceiling suggests people lie down, relax and look up, merging built form and sky.

People-centric spaces

According to Cowle, if you want to support successful communal living, you need to create an environment where people want to invite guests over and socialise in their apartments.

“It’s not just a pragmatic or functional domicile that looks good and ticks all the boxes; it actually has to be something that celebrates life,” Cowle says. “We’ve got this really deep philosophy of ‘a generous eye for life’ that guides our decisions.”

At the heart of Rothelowman’s philosophy is a desire to create ‘people-centric spaces’. It’s clear speaking to Cowle how important it is to him personally that the residents who live inside Rothelowman-designed projects love their homes. In this respect, Cowle views Trellis as a success.

Perhaps the most telling endorsement is that many young Rothelowman staff have chosen to make Trellis their home.

“They don’t want to leave,” Cowle smiles. “Living there helps them internalise the philosophies that shape better residential design.”

This article was originally published in Australian Design Review by Sophie Berrill on April 16, 2025.

Photography by Peter Bennetts