Queensland
Brisbane
For nearly a decade, Hassell has been involved as the primary design advocate for the $1.1 billion redevelopment of Herston Quarter Precinct. In 2022, Stages 1 and 2 of Hassell’s Master Plan for the 5.5 hectare health-focused precinct were completed, delivering game-changing urban design and public realm outcomes, which set the bar for the future of the precinct. Herston Quarter is delivering on its responsibility to develop a well-being precinct as an act of public health advocacy; a precinct where health is but one of many functions that actively promotes positive experiences for patients, visitors, staff and the wider community.
Stages 1 and 2 of Herston Quarter offer boundary-pushing integration between its buildings and public realm, which challenge what we expect from health facilities and treatment spaces. Expertly navigating complex topography, Hassell’s overarching urban design approach celebrates and re-imagines the relationship with Brisbane’s sub-tropical climate, truly creating places for people.
The urban strategies developed for the Herston Quarter successfully navigate an existing site with steep terrain and heritage overlay. The approach reorganises the precinct, revitalising existing heritage buildings, accommodating new buildings, and establishing future sites through the removal of redundant building stock. A clever insight to remake the terrain has created a new open space with reorganised access to the adjacent heritage buildings.
A green court becomes a new civic address at the site’s highest point. Large public steps, a glazed lift, and a bridge signal and manage equitable north–south connections along the steepest and most difficult terrain.
The topographical reconfiguration establishes accessible plateaus for future building sites and connection to a new east–west colonnade along a contour that connects it to the greater hospital beyond. The edges are activated, permeable, and transparent; open spaces are green, and the landscape is lush and cooling; and park and city views are defended and retained. The finishes are robust and high quality and heritage aspects are visible and respected. Herston Quarter connects to the immediate and broader city through its proximity to adjacent transport networks, bringing amenity to its users and the public.
This forthright urban design on a difficult site supplies opportunities for new accommodation and commercial usage that encourage activation and public access, clearly establishing the Quarter’s new future as more than a health precinct.
One of the benefits we have seen with the involvement of the Hassell team is their breadth and depth of experience, in both Australia and globally. It’s quite apparent in the way that this project has come together, reaching back to the original master plan concepts, is that it is well-considered and that it is considered in a contemporary global context for a precinct of this nature. The design has integrated Herston Quarter’s users and considered the precinct holistically, particularly linking in our adjacent public health and education neighbours, who are also occupants of our health facilities, such as STARS.
Adam Davies, Masterplanning Lead
Daniel Kallis, Landscape Architecture Lead
Kevin Lloyd, Design Lead and Project Principal
Kirsten Thompson, Urban Designer
Riley Flanigan, Urban Designer
Simone Wise, Urban Designer
Stephen Watson, Health Architecture Lead and Project Leader
Tarek Barclay, Landscape Architect
Elevation Architecture, Edith Cavell building refurbishment
Nettleton Tribe, Lady Lamington building refurbishment
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
