A development application has been submitted by Citiplan and Brookfield for a 31-storey purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) tower located at 240 Margaret Street, Brisbane City.
Designed by COX, the tower would provide 930 beds and has a GFA of 23,607m2.
The design incorporates subtropical themes above an activated green podium and double height ground level with a layered facade.
The podium levels of the development are dedicated to communal residential amenities and recreation areas as well as 1,627m2 of outdoor terrace and landscaped spaces.
According to planners Urbis, the Brisbane CBD is currently experiencing a chronic undersupply of student accomodation with pressure driving up prices on the private rental market.
“Brisbane has established itself as an international destination for higher education, with significant numbers of international students residing in the inner-city. Provision of PBSA that is well designed and suited to student cohorts is a highly important objective for a major urban City such as Brisbane.”
“Failure to provide ample supply of PBSA results in students (particularly international students) otherwise utilising standard housing markets to meet their accommodation needs. This typically results in unnecessary stress on housing availability, particular the private rental pool.”
“After an increase in supply in the last decade, the pipeline of PBSA assets in Brisbane has dried up and the future provision of PBSA facilities is very low.” – Urbis
The student tower development will be operated by Melbourne-based Journal Student Living which was established in 2017.
The project is to be developed by Citiplan Property which has entered into a Joint Venture with Brookfield to expand student living organisation Journal’s offering into Brisbane.
According to the development application, if approved in a timely manner, completion and commencement of use of this proposed PBSA is targeted for Semester 1 of 2026.
Project Rundown
- Site Area: 1,715m2
- GFA: 23,607m2
- Height: 31-storeys / 115.3m
- Beds: 930 beds
- Elevators: x4 elevators
- Retail: Ground floor retail tenancy with outdoor seating
- Recreation Spaces: A gymnasium, cinema and multiple games rooms, outdoor event space, kitchen and dining hall area, outdoor landscaped terrace area, outdoor court space, a library and multiple study areas
- Car Parking: No car parking provided in accordance with city plan PBSA regulations
- Bike Parking: x381 bike parking spaces
- Developer: Citiplan and Brookfield
- Architect: COX
- PBSA Manager: Journal Student Living
- Landscape Design: RPS Group
- Town Planner: Urbis
- Sustainability: Deep planting throughout. The development is aiming to achieve a 5 star Green Star Building rating with over 150% of the site area dedicated as outdoor space. The development includes a rooftop solar PV array.
- Date Submitted: 31/03/2023
Several sky terraces are planned on levels 21 and 22 as well as a rooftop sky terrace on level 31.
The building will be capped with a pergola structure on the rooftop level which has the opportunity for creative lighting.
On the 25th of August, 2016 the Brisbane City Council gave approval to a previous residential development scheme on this site. World Class Land had proposed a 91 storey tower with 783 apartments.
Landscape Plans
Architectural Statement
“The 240 Margaret Street PBSA proposal will inject a high-density accommodation offering into this burgeoning precinct of the city. The PBSA format as an operating model means longevity of the base building is a primary consideration and has influenced both design and materiality. It also reinforces the long-term commitment to the vibrancy and activation of the communal and retail offers of the proposal to maintain the overall attractiveness of the facility and its competitive edge in the market.
The material selections will reflect this functionality and emanate from the realms of commercial architecture ensuring a high quality and long life-span asset. The designs put forward will contribute to a new and enhanced public realm that sensitively responds both contexturally and environmentally”. – COX Architecture
Plans
Plans
Tell us what you think about this development below in the comment box. The development application for this project, available to view on Brisbane City Council’s Developmenti online platform is A006244346.
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Bland. Pity previous design and build didn’t go ahead.
Shame they aren’t pursuing previous plans, this design is nice however more height would have been nice.
boring ugly waste of space with too much focus on cramming student beds rather than true amenities sharable by non residents such as shops and sidewalk type seating in cool green spaces
No. Stop. No more cheap, small student accommodation. There must be 10 already.
Residential accommodation only.
I think the proposed student accommodation tower at 240 Margaret Street could really benefit the local community by providing much-needed housing for students. However, I hope the developers consider the surrounding neighborhood’s vibe and ensure the design complements the area. It’ll be interesting to see how this evolves!