Banner Media
Image
458 Wickham
Address
Fortitude Valley Brisbane QLD
The leading expression of a modern Queensland workplace, 458 Wickham Street leverages the unique subtropical climate and its relaxed informality. Harnessing the opportunity for outside collaboration and active lifestyles, the design perfectly melds efficient building form and services to deliver a modern workplace that supports innovation, productivity, and collaboration.
Key Specification
15 Levels
Icon
Body
Fortitude Valley has evolved to become a vibrant, mixed-use precinct and an ideal alternative office location for those progressive organisations placing increasing value on employee work-life balance.
The area displays a unique mix of Brisbane’s heritage which is juxtaposed with modern progressive architecture. The project expresses the evolution of the area, providing a premium quality commercial office building with an enduring and timeless aesthetic and natural material palette.
Located on a crest of Wickham Street - a key transit corridor from Brisbane CBD - the project presents as a visual gateway sentinel for the Fortitude Valley area.
Image
Title
Purpose-built, modern elegance
Short description
Facades of all key elevations are uncluttered and crystalline in their aesthetic, relying on an honest expression of the actual building structure for interest and to create visual identity. A relaxed curvature of the building leading edges softens its form and reduces its visual mass, opening sight lines.
Alongside building massing and aesthetics, the evolution of the typical floor plate was led by an appreciation of the need to meet the functional requirements of potential occupants, seeking flexible workplaces that can be easily scaled.
Alongside building massing and aesthetics, the evolution of the typical floor plate was led by an appreciation of the need to meet the functional requirements of potential occupants, seeking flexible workplaces that can be easily scaled.
Image
Short description
Enveloped by a high light transmission floor to ceiling glass facade, the floor plate provides close to 1,000 square meter of 100% core office area, with only 7 internal columns. These attributes, combined with a highly efficient central core and external infinity glass lifts, permit leading-edge fit out efficiency and latitude for creativity, while preserving the ability to subdivide the floors.
The ability to interconnect multiple floors to create urban villages has been considered, with close attention paid to the suitability of the buildings, floor plate, structure, and services to allow this.
The ability to interconnect multiple floors to create urban villages has been considered, with close attention paid to the suitability of the buildings, floor plate, structure, and services to allow this.
Image
Short description
The form and orientation of the primary facade planes was driven by a desire to take maximum advantage of the site’s latent qualities as well of those of the surrounding environment. Enduring view aspects are established by surrounding historical and character buildings, along with other recent developments. Core occupiable floor areas and vision planes have been placed to maximise the benefit of these aspects, particularly toward the Story Bridge, hinterland, and CBD.
The building’s strikingly delicate white aluminium lattice facade vibrantly expresses the building's structure and creates a visual linkage to other newer buildings within the immediate area. The Church Street facade is intended to present a resolute but progressive professional aesthetic to the high volume of approaching traffic travelling along Wickham Street. Its prominence and quality design delivers valuable opportunity for occupants to reinforce their own brand identity.
The building’s strikingly delicate white aluminium lattice facade vibrantly expresses the building's structure and creates a visual linkage to other newer buildings within the immediate area. The Church Street facade is intended to present a resolute but progressive professional aesthetic to the high volume of approaching traffic travelling along Wickham Street. Its prominence and quality design delivers valuable opportunity for occupants to reinforce their own brand identity.
Image
Short description
On the Wickham and Church Street corner, a strong street presence is established with the visual linkages to the interior foyer via an expansive transparent planar facade. Planar glazing defines the foyer but blurs the security and thermal barrier separating the interior and the lush verge landscape with its deep corner plantings.
Drawing from Willemsen Design’s established detailing, the foyer incorporates premium elegant modern architectural elements, including timber batten ceiling, marble cladding and dynamic lighting.
Drawing from Willemsen Design’s established detailing, the foyer incorporates premium elegant modern architectural elements, including timber batten ceiling, marble cladding and dynamic lighting.
Image
Title
Integrating with the dynamic streetscape
Short description
The historical and character-building streetscape within the immediate area will be supplemented by the project through its design. At street level, fine grained slender terracotta baguette cladding has been incorporated in several key areas - its patina and colour will complement the design’s natural palette of finishes, creating a visual linkage to adjacent heritage building facades.
Image
Title
High life in the tropics
Short description
Brisbane is blessed with a temperate subtropical climate, providing residents unparalleled, year-round outdoor accessibility. The design and amenities of the proposed development will encourage occupants to take full advantage of the natural environment.
Located at roof plaza level - 63 metres above the bustle of Wickham Street overlooking the CBD skyline - is a verdant 800 square metre recreation and relaxation space. The landscape is intelligently designed to provide intimate spaces which support informal relaxation and organisational collaboration. Transparent, glazed balustrading securely mitigates wind effects while allowing occupants to enjoy the Brisbane CBD skyline views and extensive subtropical gardens year round.
Located at roof plaza level - 63 metres above the bustle of Wickham Street overlooking the CBD skyline - is a verdant 800 square metre recreation and relaxation space. The landscape is intelligently designed to provide intimate spaces which support informal relaxation and organisational collaboration. Transparent, glazed balustrading securely mitigates wind effects while allowing occupants to enjoy the Brisbane CBD skyline views and extensive subtropical gardens year round.
Image
Title
Premium facilities
Short description
Accessed off the Church Street verge, via either shuttle lift or stairs, is a large and comprehensively equipped bicycle parking facility. This facility directly accesses a “hotel style” locker facility with segregated male and female showers, drying rooms and an extensive wellbeing facility.
Functional podium parking levels for 92 cars and 4 motorbikes are hidden by a sculptural building facade that incorporates a dramatic lighting installation and vertical plantings which will be an iconic feature of the building.
Functional podium parking levels for 92 cars and 4 motorbikes are hidden by a sculptural building facade that incorporates a dramatic lighting installation and vertical plantings which will be an iconic feature of the building.
Image
Title
Environmental credentials
Short description
An expression of our commitment to natural resource efficiency and towards net zero, the building incorporates a blend of active and passive sustainability features which are integral to its design and will dramatically decrease natural resource consumption over its life.
Indoor environmental quality is assured with the building management system which actively monitors temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and light levels, adjusting operating parameters to ensure the environmental conditions are optimised for occupant comfort and resource efficiency.
Dynamic lighting control is provided through an intelligent lighting control system, which interconnects fittings with lux and movement sensors on a 5 core communications network. This system interrelates with work point-based task lighting to provide optimised light levels for each task rather than wasteful average illumination.
Indoor environmental quality is assured with the building management system which actively monitors temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and light levels, adjusting operating parameters to ensure the environmental conditions are optimised for occupant comfort and resource efficiency.
Dynamic lighting control is provided through an intelligent lighting control system, which interconnects fittings with lux and movement sensors on a 5 core communications network. This system interrelates with work point-based task lighting to provide optimised light levels for each task rather than wasteful average illumination.
Collapsible blocks
Image
Title
Passive Energy Efficiency
Short description
Often overlooked in favour of services-engineered systems, passive energy conservation is the core component that determines the energy performance of a building.
As simple as the idea of insulation and air sealing would appear, it is inherently complex and difficult to implement, requiring a high level of technical skill and design documentation, followed by rigorous monitoring during construction.
At Willemsen, our in-house design team and construction managers are attuned to this level of detail and experienced in its delivery, understanding the pivotal effect that air quality has on a building’s lifelong performance.
In the current generation of buildings, we strive for dual layer air sealing, double glazing and insulation of all exterior surfaces.
As simple as the idea of insulation and air sealing would appear, it is inherently complex and difficult to implement, requiring a high level of technical skill and design documentation, followed by rigorous monitoring during construction.
At Willemsen, our in-house design team and construction managers are attuned to this level of detail and experienced in its delivery, understanding the pivotal effect that air quality has on a building’s lifelong performance.
In the current generation of buildings, we strive for dual layer air sealing, double glazing and insulation of all exterior surfaces.
Image
Title
Indoor Environmental Quality
Short description
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) refers to the quality of the indoor environment within and around buildings and structures, especially relating to the health, comfort, and productivity of building occupants. From design to operation, we focus on the factors that impact IEQ.
Our buildings incorporate complex BACnet building management systems that continuously monitor temperature, air velocity and humidity at multiple points in the building air cycle. They combine this information with carbon dioxide readings and outside air temperature to modulate services preferencing maximum filtered fresh air where outside conditions make it appropriate.
In our construction and facilities maintenance practices, we have detailed specifications implemented by our staff and contractors to control particulate matter, airborne microbials, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and formaldehyde.
Our buildings prioritise natural illumination (100% core office), employing lighting systems that are built to work with task-based lighting, providing energy efficient fine grained lighting control.
Our buildings incorporate complex BACnet building management systems that continuously monitor temperature, air velocity and humidity at multiple points in the building air cycle. They combine this information with carbon dioxide readings and outside air temperature to modulate services preferencing maximum filtered fresh air where outside conditions make it appropriate.
In our construction and facilities maintenance practices, we have detailed specifications implemented by our staff and contractors to control particulate matter, airborne microbials, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and formaldehyde.
Our buildings prioritise natural illumination (100% core office), employing lighting systems that are built to work with task-based lighting, providing energy efficient fine grained lighting control.
Image
Title
High Visible Light Transmission Facade
Short description
In modern building architecture, there is a performance tension that exists between maximising natural light and managing the radiant thermal energy transfer that occurs as a by-product of extensive areas of glazing.
It is well recognised that natural light is essential for people to be able to function properly. Natural light leads to better performance, improving concentration levels and thereby boosting productivity. Light also has a positive impact on work satisfaction and sick-related absenteeism.
The simplest way to minimise total energy transfer is by reducing window openings as these are the most difficult and costly parts of the building to insulate. Aside from this, another imperfect resolution is to apply a dark tint to the windows to increase their SHGC (shading coefficient), but this has a substantial effect on visible light transfer which is a greater issue. Typically dark glass results in low natural light transmission and a reliance on artificial lighting, increasing tenant energy consumption and providing a poor-quality working environment.
At Willemsen our buildings are specified high efficiency vacuum spluttered triple silver coat low “E” glass, allowing floor-to-ceiling glazing with high visible light transmission and minimised energy transfer.
It is well recognised that natural light is essential for people to be able to function properly. Natural light leads to better performance, improving concentration levels and thereby boosting productivity. Light also has a positive impact on work satisfaction and sick-related absenteeism.
The simplest way to minimise total energy transfer is by reducing window openings as these are the most difficult and costly parts of the building to insulate. Aside from this, another imperfect resolution is to apply a dark tint to the windows to increase their SHGC (shading coefficient), but this has a substantial effect on visible light transfer which is a greater issue. Typically dark glass results in low natural light transmission and a reliance on artificial lighting, increasing tenant energy consumption and providing a poor-quality working environment.
At Willemsen our buildings are specified high efficiency vacuum spluttered triple silver coat low “E” glass, allowing floor-to-ceiling glazing with high visible light transmission and minimised energy transfer.
Image
Title
Task-based Lighting
Short description
Even in modern buildings, lighting remains one of, if not the largest consumer of electricity - sometimes accounting for as much as half of the building’s total energy use.
Designers at our core, we are passionate about light and shade its impact on the built environment. We prioritise functional performance in in everything we design, and the idea of wasteful illumination is contrary to our ethos.
Building standards are written with lux level requirements for various tasks such as inside movement, outside movement, administrative work and detailed work. The common design approach is to implement an average level of illumination. While simple in theory, this inevitably leads to over- or under-illumination and thereby energy waste.
Task-based lighting is integral to the design of each modern Willemsen building. We implement 5-core softwire network-addressable lighting looms with lux and motion sensing. These overhead systems have the capacity to work in harmony with task-based lighting at the work point.
Designers at our core, we are passionate about light and shade its impact on the built environment. We prioritise functional performance in in everything we design, and the idea of wasteful illumination is contrary to our ethos.
Building standards are written with lux level requirements for various tasks such as inside movement, outside movement, administrative work and detailed work. The common design approach is to implement an average level of illumination. While simple in theory, this inevitably leads to over- or under-illumination and thereby energy waste.
Task-based lighting is integral to the design of each modern Willemsen building. We implement 5-core softwire network-addressable lighting looms with lux and motion sensing. These overhead systems have the capacity to work in harmony with task-based lighting at the work point.
Image
Title
Water-sensitive Design
Short description
Water-sensitive design encompasses the capture of natural rainfall, its storage purification and reuse on site rather than its immediate release to stormwater networks.
Water falling on paved terraces and roofing structures is captured and fed through sediment filtration to underground storage tanks. This can be further filtered on demand and used for a variety of non-potable applications around the building.
To optimise the benefit of collected water, our buildings incorporate water-efficient, WELLS-rated appliances throughout with water-efficient irrigation systems. We avoid the use of evaporative cooling where possible.
Water falling on paved terraces and roofing structures is captured and fed through sediment filtration to underground storage tanks. This can be further filtered on demand and used for a variety of non-potable applications around the building.
To optimise the benefit of collected water, our buildings incorporate water-efficient, WELLS-rated appliances throughout with water-efficient irrigation systems. We avoid the use of evaporative cooling where possible.
Title
Floorplates
Slide
Image
Image
Image
Full width Carousel
Images
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
