Brisbane City Council has approved a two tower residential development at 309 North Quay, on the riverfront bend at the western edge of the CBD. The approved scheme is designed by Blight Rayner Architecture and Plus Studio, with Blight Rayner Architecture acting as Principal Consultant, and is being delivered by international developer Shayher Group.
The two towers will rise 56 and 51 storeys and together deliver more than 1,100 dwellings, making the project one of the largest single approvals on the Brisbane riverfront and a significant injection of residential density at a previously underutilised inner city threshold.
The site sits at a deliberate visual position, on a bend of the Brisbane River that is read from the Riverside Expressway as one of the first significant glimpses of the city for traffic arriving from the west. The architectural team has used that prominence as the organising idea for the design, framing the towers as two slender vertical icons positioned to address both the river and the city in a single move.
The two towers adopt a refined, crystalline form. Faceted geometries to the facades are designed to catch and reflect sunlight, mirroring the way light moves across the river’s surface and shifting the building’s expression throughout the day. Between the two towers, a subtle tonal variation has been introduced, with one drawing on warmer hues and the other on cooler tones, referencing the changing qualities of light from dawn to dusk.
The architectural response is grounded in Brisbane’s subtropical climate. Deep balconies, integrated planting and articulated facades have been used to mediate light, shade and ventilation, and the towers are positioned to maximise views to the Brisbane River, Roma Street Parklands and Mt Coot-tha while maintaining a strong relationship to the public realm below.
For a site of this prominence, our role has been to establish a clear and recognisable identity, while remaining deeply responsive to Brisbane’s climate and river setting. Our work in high density residential design across Queensland is defined by how buildings perform, how they are experienced and, critically, how they contribute to the city over time.
Danny Juric, Director, Plus Studio
The development will be delivered in two stages. The eastern tower will carry a mix of residential apartments and branded residences, with a sky-level hospitality offering and resident amenities integrated into its upper levels. The western tower will complete the precinct in a later stage, adding further apartments and expanded communal and outdoor spaces at ground and podium level.
Beyond the towers, the project is being positioned as part of a broader stitching of the western city edge. The site sits within walking distance of the Roma Street renewal area and the broader stadium and entertainment corridor being progressed in the lead up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and is expected to play a connective role between those precincts and the existing CBD.
Shayher Group’s involvement signals a continuation of long term, large-scale residential investment by the international developer in inner Brisbane. The approval is the culmination of an extended assessment process and clears the way for the project to move into the next phase of detailed design and delivery.
