Project Description

1. Conceptual Framework

Riverside Green establishes a new ‘green heart’ for South Bank Parklands on the site of a former restaurant damaged by the 2011 floods. In creating an accessible and open place of recreation, the project favours public, green space over enclosed, private space. The architecture and landscape architecture of Riverside Green strike a balance between built-form and nature. The rainforest deck and pavilion create a sheltered and welcoming place designed for Brisbane’s climate, where the community can enjoy the river view while nestled in a shaded rainforest setting.

2. Public and Cultural Benefits

Riverside Green creates a multi-purpose, democratic space layered with a distinctly subtropical experience of the Brisbane River. Elements of open lawn, rainforest deck, pavilion, and grotto reflect a spectrum of Brisbane’s domestic and endemic landscapes, providing familiar spaces that can adapt to large and small gatherings and public events. New public artwork and water features recall the site’s history, marking a former creek that ran to the Brisbane River and inviting reflection, interaction, and play. ‘Water is Life’ by contemporary artist Elisa Jane Carmichael, a Ngugi woman from Quandamooka Country, honours the significance of water to First Nations people.

3. Relationship of Built Form to Context

The project resolves complex level changes to provide equitable access from South Bank Arbour to riverside pathways. The architecture is subverted to emulate the experience of sitting beneath a shaded canopy.

4. Program Resolution

The architecture was deliberate in making a shelter without walls and a structure reduced to the essential elements of canopy and columns. The open nature of the pavilion encourages fluid movement between shelter and garden.

5. Integration of Allied Consultants

Hassell Landscape Architecture was the lead consultant and directed a landscape-driven response. The strategy developed by lighting designers, Speirs Major + Integral reinforces the materiality and reflectivity of the canopy and the theme of South Bank as a place of celebration.

6. Cost/Value Outcome

The project balances capital cost with ongoing maintenance throughout the life-cycle of the building and landscape. The use of durable, hardwearing materials was key to ensuring a robust and low maintenance structure.

7. Sustainability

Riverside Green extends the adjacent rainforest by 650sqm, boosting the urban tree canopy of South Bank Parklands with more than 50 new trees. Riverside Green plays a role in improving the mental wellbeing of its users and the environmental quality of its surroundings. Materials were selected to minimise environmental impact and where possible, were sourced locally.

8. Response to Client and User Needs

Our client, South Bank Corporation has observed that people engage with Riverside Green differently from other parts of the park. People dwell longer and use it more communally, as a meeting place, a place for celebration, and a place for contemplation. Riverside Green marks a significant step in the transformation of South Bank – an evolution of the public realm in Brisbane and a place that is people-focused and climate responsive.