Upper House, in South Brisbane, Australia, is a 33-storey multi-residential project by Koichi Takada Architects that has been honoured by many global awards programs in 2024. Both juries and the public have commended Upper House for its conscious choices, introduction of natural materials, biodiverse plantings, respect for people and planet, as its shapely form.
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- Photo credit: Scott Burrows
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- Photo credit: Scott Burrows
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- Photo credit: Tom Ferguson
“Highrise lifestyle has become detached and disconnected – from the community, from nature, from one another,” says Koichi Takada. “With Upper House, we are looking to challenge that and establish a new model for vertical living that is about connection.”
The building delivers 188 luxury apartments inside expressive architecture that references the Moreton Bay Fig treea 5-storeyartwork on the façade shares a message about Australia’s indigenous people, the world’s oldest known living civilisation.
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- Photo credit: Mark Nilon
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- Photo credit: Mark Nilon
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- Photo credit: Mark Nilon
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- Photo credit: Mark Nilon
Upper House is the first completed collaboration between Aria Property Group and Koichi Takada Architects and the architecture is designed to celebrate Brisbane’s natural beauty, relaxed urban lifestyle and mild sub-tropical climate. Punctuating the city skyline with a timber pergola and tropical rooftop oasis, Upper House has 1,000m² of progressive well-being amenities that bring residents together.
The Australian Institutes of Architects jury said: “The Upper House project exemplifies large-scale sustainable development. Guided by a robust Climate Adaptation Plan, it achieves meaningful improvements across various sustainability metrics, from construction waste reuse to heat wave preparedness. The incorporation of First Nations artwork, extensive community-building features, and a distinctive built form underscores the project’s ambition and impact. Collaborating architects and developers have created a sustainable legacy for generations to come.”
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- Photo credit: Mark Nilon
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- Photo credit: Tom Ferguson
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- Photo credit: Mark Nilon
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- Photo credit: Scott Burrows
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- Photo credit: Scott Burrows
“Throughout the development, a thoughtfully curated artwork strategy showcases the work of emerging and established artists, with a collection that gifts sublime beauty and enjoyment to residents and a sound investment to the body corporate. The five-storey high façade features the artwork ‘Bloodlines Weaving String and Water’, by renowned Waanyi artist Judy Watson, while the backlit folded metal façade comes to life at night with mesmerising references to memory and cultural practices, orienting the building to Country and contributing authentic stories of place to the surrounding urban context. This project shows what can be achieved when an ambitious architect, art curator, and developer work in alignment.”
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- Photo credit: Mark Nilon
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- Photo credit: Mark Nilon
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- Photo credit: Mark Nilon
Source: v2com
