Future is in Apartments

Increased demand for apartment living in Brisbane over the past decade has changed the city’s identity, as developers and architects embrace building up instead of out.

Esteemed architect Liam Proberts believes Brisbane’s next phase of development will see it become a true world city and encourage more residents to embrace units over houses, as population growth drives demand for higher density developments.

“I think it’s been great to see apartments have become an alternative home — that’s really driven recent development and I think it’s really healthy for the diversity of the city,” the founder and managing director of bureau^proberts said.

“People are actually moving from a house to an apartment as a full-time living choice. I think the time is now for median and high density residential developments to really complete the picture.”

Mosaic Property Group managing director Brook Monahan, who has 13 multi-residential projects under construction across South East Queensland, said more people were seeking the lifestyle that higher density living delivered.

“It offers exceptional amenity in highly sought-after locations that can also offer incredible value for money compared to a single dwelling,” he said.

“It’s also the realisation that raising families in apartments is a real and viable alternative to the ‘family home’. Not everyone’s dream is the same.

“There is a growing cohort of people who prefer the opportunity to raise their family, to downsize or to upsize, to a lower maintenance environment with amenity on tap in key lifestyle locations.”

While the Great Australian Dream may once have been the house with a backyard and a white picket fence, industry players say that is changing.

“I think modern Australians are thinking differently,” Mr Proberts said. “Having a great apartment in a great location — I know that’s the dream of a lot of young Australians.

“That’s part of the diversity that makes a great city.”

Mr Proberts, who has been working with international clients for 15 years, said he had noticed a move towards Australian-based architects and designers.

“We are experts at engaging with our lifestyle and climate,” he said. “Brisbane has adopted a new way of living, which has revealed that our design identity is tied to much more than just a house (like the iconic Queenslander). We’re uniquely Brisbane because of our river, our lifestyle and our climate. Our houses and apartments are infused with subtropical design, now we need to apply that subtropicality to our other building types — high-density buildings through to mixed-use spaces.”

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