Koichi Takada Architects has announced Brisbane City Council’s approval of its design for a six-storey “anti-mall” at 54 James Street in Brisbane’s Newfarm.
The 30-metre-high proposal echoes the massing of the nearby Calile Hotel, acting as a “key bridge” between the hotel and a future retail hub further up the street, both of which have been designed by Richards and Spence.
Lodged by developer Graya in November last year, the greenlit plans for the project, dubbed the “James Street Pavilion,” include 1,500 square metres of retail space for luxury fashion across three levels, 1,300 square metres and three floors of boutique commercial office space, and a rooftop restaurant, bar and landscaped garden terrace with panoramic views. According to the architect, the vertical mix of programs is intended to keep the precinct active throughout the day and at night.
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A communique from the architect comments that the design of the project has been inspired by Queensland’s subtropical rainforests, featuring a series of planted canopies that aim to vertically extend the leafy streetscape and connect the project with a green corridor that stretches to Newfarm Park.
“We like to think of James Street as the ‘anti-mall’ – it rejects the current trend towards homogeneous retail environments where you could be anywhere in the world,” said practice principal Koichi Takada.
“Typically in Australia, retail high streets are contained to ground level, and we wanted to create something that shifted the status quo. James Street Pavilion engages shoppers at the ground level, and guides them on a vertical journey via the architectural ‘avenue of trees.’”
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At street level, curved edges and tactile materials are intended to create a calming, “human-centric” public interface, Koichi Takada Architects’ media release notes.
On the west side of the development, a proposed covered laneway – populated with planters and public seating – grants access to a lift core and a multi-level stair that ascends to the commercial floors.
Takada noted that the “proposal demonstrates how architecture can mimic nature for the benefit of all … introducing a vertical ecosystems [sic] and layered biodiversity into the Brisbane city fabric.”