Cbus Property has lodged plans for a 40 storey A Grade commercial office tower at 280 Elizabeth Street, on a tight landmark site beside the Brisbane General Post Office in the heart of the city. Designed by Hassell with Richards and Spence, the tower would deliver about 38,225 square metres of premium office space, along with food and drink, wellness and health care uses and a new public ground plane, on a site of just 1,037 square metres.
The site sits in Brisbane’s heritage core, directly adjoining the sandstone GPO and within a block of Post Office Square, Edison Lane and the historic churches of Elizabeth Street. Rather than compete with that setting, the architects describe a quiet, recessed tower that steps back above a contextual street building, holding the character and scale of Elizabeth Street at the pedestrian level while lifting a slender, efficient tower into the skyline above.
280 Elizabeth Street is a landmark commercial office development within Brisbane’s historic city core, on a prominent site adjoining the Brisbane General Post Office.
Architectural Design Report, Hassell and Richards and Spence
Rising to 155.8 metres, the 40 storey building carries around 26 levels of office space, with highly efficient floors organised for daylight and outlook. In keeping with the city core location only six car spaces are proposed, alongside 192 bicycle spaces and end of trip facilities, a bus zone at the door and the Elizabeth Street bicycle lane.
At street level the design opens a new city room and laneway, with a landscaped, colonnaded ground plane that the team frames as a public benefit, threading pedestrian connections between Elizabeth Street and Edison Lane beside the GPO. Above it, a network of terraces, wellness spaces, exercise studios, consultation suites and rooftop amenity is woven up through the building.
A quiet, recessed tower providing highly efficient daylight and outlook, with a network of terraces, wellness spaces and rooftop amenity.
Hassell and Richards and Spence
The tower also targets strong environmental credentials. It is registered for a 6 Star Green Star rating with the Green Building Council of Australia and aims for a minimum 5.5 Star NABERS Energy and 4 Star NABERS Water base building rating, with a deep, climate responsive facade tuned to Brisbane’s subtropical climate.
Project Rundown
| Development Parameter | Proposed Development |
|---|---|
| Address | 280 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane City QLD 4000 (adjoining the Brisbane GPO) |
| Development Type | Commercial (A Grade office), with food and drink, wellness and health care uses |
| Application | Material change of use, A007073249 (Brisbane City Council) |
| Status | Lodged July 2026; under assessment |
| Site Area | 1,037 m² (including easements) |
| Height | 40 storeys / 155.8 m AHD (about 26 office levels) |
| Office Space | Approximately 38,225 m² of premium office floor space |
| Other Uses | Food and drink, indoor sport and recreation, health care and wellness, and a public ground plane |
| Car Parking | 6 spaces |
| Bicycle Parking | 192 spaces, with end of trip facilities |
| Developer | Cbus Property |
| Architect | Hassell with Richards and Spence |
| Builder | Hutchinson Builders |
| Town Planner | Urbis |
| Landscape | Hassell |
| Sustainability | Solar PV: A rooftop solar panel array is shown across the upper plant and roof levels (Levels 37 and 38). Energy Efficiency: The tower targets a 6 Star Green Star (Design and As Built) rating and a minimum 5.5 Star NABERS Energy base building rating, with a deep, climate responsive facade that shades the glazing and highly efficient floor plates organised for daylight. Water Recycling: This feature is not specified or detailed within the report. Water Conservation: The building targets a minimum 4 Star NABERS Water base building rating. Landscaping / Deep Soil: A landscaped ground plane with street trees, planted terraces and rooftop gardens; deep soil is limited on the tight 1,037 m² city site. Active Transport (End-of-Trip): 192 bicycle spaces with end-of-trip facilities, beside the Elizabeth Street bicycle lane and a bus zone, with only six car spaces. EV Charging: This feature is not specified or detailed within the report. Waste Management: Managed under an operational waste management plan. |
Plans
280-Elizabeth-PlansCbus Property is the development arm of the industry superannuation fund Cbus, and one of Australia’s most active premium developers, with a national pipeline of office, residential and mixed use towers. In Brisbane its best known project is the acclaimed 443 Queen Street riverfront apartment tower on the edge of the city, and the Queensland Government’s ‘Tower of Power’ at 1 William Street.
Renders and design detail are drawn from the Architectural Design Report by Hassell and Richards and Spence and the planning material by Urbis, lodged with Brisbane City Council (application A007073249). Artist’s impressions are indicative and subject to assessment.
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Where is the sub tropical element that should be standard now and adds so much value in Brisbane – had high hopes for this site – what a disappointing design. Adds nothing to what could be a beautiful section of Elizabeth with a number of heritage adjacencies – too large in situ – understandably for GFA. Accept the challenges of making it work with construction costs – surely this is not the answer. Look to the blue tower annex for inspiration if need be.
Agreed
Underwhelming and another missed opportunity to make a creative as well as a functional statement within the CBD skyline. Why bother building this? And why accept this proposal? Don’t let this be yet another lost opportunity. We will have to live with these buildings for a long time!
another off the shelf ugly box type high school kid could have done better design
How does another bland, uninspired design keep getting proposed? This is a complete missed opportunity for the city.
The design is quite plain and I would like to see it go at least up to 70 stories not 40 stories in the CBD. Brisbane CBD should be building tall buildings not shrinking them all down.
This is a disappointingly bland and uninspired design for such a prominent Brisbane CBD site. There is little that could be described as innovative, attractive or architecturally remarkable and pays no attention to Brisbane’s subtropical character. Given the location beside the historic GPO—and Cbus Property’s resources and reputation—I expected something far more distinctive and ambitious. Let’s not dress this up as a “quiet” or restrained design. Frankly, it is simply boring and unimaginative. Overall, a significant missed opportunity.
Yuck full stop. Should never have been approved, boring, bland, uninspiring, offers no value to our skyline.