Cox Architecture has been selected to design a 930-bed student housing facility in Brisbane CBD. Located at 240 Margaret Street, the project is expected to be a significant addition to the growing precinct of the city. The tower is designed to feature a variety of common facilities such as a gym, study areas, a library, a cinema, game and roof-level recreation spaces, and an open-space area. Landscape architect RPS will design the open space and integrated greening.

According to Cox Architecture, the tower's design will contribute to a new and improved public realm that is contextually and environmentally sensitive. The tower's massing will be broken up into smaller distinctly expressed elements. The tower's design statement notes that this tripartite arrangement consists of two bookends, each with a series of projecting horizontal ledges performing a role in moderating the east and west aspects. These faces will be strongly articulated with a pattern of subtly graded coloured sun-blades, which take on the ochre, gold, and sand colours of the cliff's tuff stone and grade in colour from stronger near the street and more subtle as they radiate upward toward the sky, creating movement and dynamism.

The tower will be pinched at the "waist" to reduce the perception of bulk, with distinct rebates in the street and rear facades enhancing the reading of the building as a collection of smaller tower forms.

The development application for the project states that "240 Margaret Street has been conceived as a positive contributor to the civic, urban and public realms of the city and will sit comfortably in its CBD context. It is intended to be a place where residents will feel connected and part of something greater than themselves, a celebration of its locality and neighbourhood." The tower is expected to be an important addition to the student accommodation market in Brisbane and a vibrant hub for students.

Construction on the project is set to begin soon, although no timeline has been announced yet. The project will offer much-needed accommodation for students in the area and is set to be a significant boost to Brisbane's growing reputation as an education hub.

Source: ArchitectureAU

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