Ann Street reimagines urban living with a focus on community, generosity, and nature
801 Ann Street is a vibrant mixed-use vertical neighbourhood delivering diverse housing close to the Brisbane CBD. The build-to-rent and build-to-sell towers share a podium and a design language: ornament embedded in the fabric elevates the building’s performance and aesthetics, and a verdant network of landscaped ecosystems draws people to nature and rewilds the city.
Giving Back to the Public Realm
An island block between Fortitude Valley and James Street, 801 Ann Street is privately owned land that gives to the public and the urban realm. A subtropical pedestrian boulevard reinstates the verge on Morgan Street, and a canopy of angled screens encasing the podium invites pedestrians to come beneath. Here, retail, food and beverage offerings activate the streetscape. At the centre of the site, the client’s charity – Little B.I.G. Foundation – is housed in a multi-level glass pavilion with a landscaped public space in front.
Expressing Each Façade for Performance
Accommodating a variety of households and residents, the build to rent is oriented to lively Fortitude Valley and the build to sell to leafy New Farm. Each is expressed with a subtle differentiation in materials, and the façades are crafted (and named) for their orientation. Facing east and west, the inward elevations, nicknamed The Gorge, have deep-set balconies and planting for privacy, while the outward elevations, dubbed The Verandah, have balconies and living spaces with expansive views. The Canopy, on the north and south-facing facades, have overlapping shingles and banksia-motif friezes that shade the glass.
Cultivating Subtropical Ecosystems
Landscape architect ASPECT Studios developed a network of subtropical ecosystems interwoven through the towers and around the site. Plant species were selected to suit the unique climatic conditions at different elevations, cultivating diverse landscapes and microclimates ascending the tower. The rooftops are crowned with a canopy of petals incorporating solar panels, thereby integrating operation and performance into the building’s ornament.
