Frasers Property lodge plans for 17-storey Newstead apartment development

The national property developer Frasers Property Australia has lodged plans for its next Brisbane project.

Frasers is set to create a 17-level mixed-use tower on the corner of Chester and Morse streets, which was secured for $16.5 million last year.

There will be 142 apartments, 10 two-storey terrace townhouses, and a street-level plaza which will home hospitality venues.

There will be a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments across the first 16 levels of the tower, with the level 17 rooftop featuring resident amenity, including a communal recreation space with city skyline views, a swimming pool, hot and cold spa, and barbecue spaces.

The one-bedroom apartments will start from 59 sqm, with the three-bedders reaching 205 sqm.

Seven penthouse apartments sit at level 15 of the tower with their own private terrace, featuring an outdoor fire pit, plunge pool and open entertaining space.

The public plaza, in the inverted style podium, homes office spaces that have been incorporated to provide for working from home opportunities, along with a gym, café and indoor sport/recreation space.

Rothelowman designed the new residential tower in an L shape, manipulated at its edges to soften its form.

Rothelowman noted in their design statement submitted to the Brisbane City Council that the apartments follow the fern house concept, which is based on celebrating the threshold that exists between inside and outside.

“The indoor/outdoor lifestyle is embraced through the sequence of entry to balcony edge. Living spaces and bedrooms become balconies through a series of architectural devices, controlled and tuned according to how one chooses to live, ” Rothelowman noted.

In the effort to epitomise Queensland living, a central theme throughout the design approach, apartments have been tuned to embrace the environment through screens, extended balconies, sliding doors and landscaping within each home.

"[The tower at] Chester and Morse represents an opportunity to add to a rapidly evolving inner-urban precinct in Brisbane City," Rothelowman added.

As well as the apartments will be ten low-set terrace homes with secure triple lock-up garages along Morse Street.

Spread over three levels, the houses have been designed to provide a front to back open plan that connects from Morse Street to Morse Lane and through to the deep planting at the rear, which can be accessed from a private staircase in each dwelling.

The townhouses benefit from internalised amenity for habitable spaces with sky courts, as well as open stairs that penetrate natural light throughout the home and create “outdoor” spaces within the home.

The Morse St Lane is a thoroughfare that connects the Morse and Chester Street public forecourt to the terrace home entrances.

The tower will see several efforts taken to encourage a greener future and way of living, with a number of ecological and sustainable assessments outlined within their proposal.

"The proposal is defined by a high level of subtropical design, expansive landscaping, communal rooftop recreation space and its contribution to street life," Rothelowman stated.

"It is also committed to achieving the Buildings that Breathe elements, 5 Green Star rating and natHERS average performance of 6 Star rating."

Vertical vegetation has been outlined in the design plans, applied to the facade facing Chester Street, it contributes to the existing urban streetscape by providing visual relief and breaking the building up from being seen as one jarring form.

Recesses in the floor plans are lined with planters to encourage vertical greenery along the tower envelope with the vegetation providing residents with their own garden in the sky.

An abundance of planting has been proposed for the rooftop space, offering a level of insulation as well as assisting in the natural drainage of rainwater and encouraging natural wildlife.

The integration of existing South-East Queensland flora to the site will support subtropical climate Brisbane provides resulting in minimal maintenance of the greenery and landscaping throughout the development. Water regulation systems have also been installed to assist with the maintenance.