Back to NewsInertia’s Take On The 8 Principles of City Design
Inertia welcomes the release of Design Strategy which aims to achieve Brisbane City Council’s ‘8 Principles to Guide Our City’ launched as part of Brisbane’s Future Blueprint. We have long been passionate advocates for development in Brisbane, but not development at all cost, rather considered development that meets the needs of users and the community first and foremost.
The 8 principles are:
- City of neighbourhoods
- Protect and create greenspace
- Create more to see and do
- Protect the Brisbane back yard and unique character
- Ensure best practice design that compliments the character of Brisbane
- Empower and engage residents
- Get people home quicker and safer with more travel options
- Give people more choice when it comes to housing
Inertia’s Managing Director, Scott Clements, analysed the 8 principles to look at how we are already applying many of them to the projects we work on and the thinking behind our projects.
City of Neighbourhoods
One of the errors that we have seen in city growth is a failure to plan neighbourhoods with the result being dormitory suburbs that lack facilities such as schools, parks, retails, recreation, social infrastructure and access to transport that make them viable communities, not just a collection of houses.
Therefore we welcome this approach and through projects like Clearview Urban Village, we are seeing at first hand how communities can be developed that create neighbourhoods that cater to all residents across all ages.
Also at the forefront of this push is projects like the award-winning Camp Hill Marketplace as they create community hubs through well planned and developed retailed centres that offer a mix of option for tenants to allow independent retailers to flourish along with major brands.
Protect and create greenspace
One of the things we all love about Brisbane is our access to green spaces. From small neighbourhood parks and world-class facilities such as South Bank to bushland and walking on Mount Coot-tha or Toohey Forest Park, we have a range of green spaces that are unsurpassed in any capital.
It is vital that such spaces are protected and new spaces are developed. We are excited about the plans council has to develop Victoria Park into an inclusive environment for the whole community, creating an additional jewel in Brisbane’s parkland crown.
We are currently working with LAT27 on several exciting projects that will help create new green spaces that will benefit the community, including the onsite infrastructure at the Australian World Heritage Area, Springbrook National Park, and two new TQ Cycle School Parks implemented as part of Transurban’s Community Legacy Projects. Stay tuned for updates on the progression of these two exciting projects.
Create more to see and do
Brisbane has come along way in the last 10 years as we have developed into a modern, vibrant city that has a lot to offer for residents and visitors to the River City. From exciting laneway developments to tourism megaprojects there is a mood for investment and change in the city that is creating entertainment venues and hubs that add to and enhance the city’s character.
One of the most innovative new venues to open in recent years is X-Cargo in Fortitude Valley. Inertia was engaged to provide structural services, helping turn two expansive blocks on McLachlan Street into a predominately open-air space that uses stacked shipping container design combined with purpose-built infrastructure to create a unique social hub.
Protect the Brisbane backyard and unique character
We can’t think of a better project to highlight how development can still be undertaken and the character of a Brisbane Property better than Onyx, by GRAYA. Onyx is a stunning residence on Baroona Rd, Paddington in Brisbane’s inner west. This contemporary 5 bedroom family home occupies a narrow site and features many design elements that create fabulous modern residences while challenging engineers to innovate.
The design features multiple levels, large open spans, significant glass and a stunning rooftop garden and for us, the trick was to engineer the structure to meet the vision for the design. We believe this project encompasses the goal of protecting the backyard, but in an innovative way, using design to create a rooftop space that is in line with the contemporary demands of homeowners and maximising liveable indoor and outdoor space.
Read more about it here – Inertia Engineers Paddington Masterpiece
Ensure best practice design that compliments the character of Brisbane
Inertia has long championed best practice in design, as it is essential in ensuring the long term viability of any project and can help modernise suburbs and neighbourhoods to meet the changing lifestyles of Brisbane’s residents. Projects like Aspire at Chermside are at the forefront of this approach, creating high-quality, architecturally designed residences that offer high-density living at its finest.
Building a New Benchmark in Chermside
Empower and engage residents
The best way to inform and engage resident is through education and positive action. One of the things that I find most challenging is when a vocal minority prevents development, usually through having the loudest voice rather than the best or most factual arguments.
At Inertia we feel that this has to change and we can all do our part in making development more palatable to residents through engaging and informing so that people have a genuine choice and are not immediately overruled by the interests of a minority of NIMBYs.
As part of our commitment to engaging our community, Inertia is an active member of the local Albion Business Collective, #forty10, which aims to improve the profile, amenity and friendliness of the suburb. This involves attending regular collective meetings to collaborate with other business owners on creative, fun, and quirky events and projects to strengthen engagement with Albion residents.
Although the collective is only just under a year old, the positive feedback from the community has been outstanding, thanks to the enthusiastic 60+ active group members including Inertia’s Managing Director, Scott Clements, who has been a member since the early days.
Get people home quicker and safer with more travel options
We are all for easing the congestion challenges the city faces and to improve the travel options people have to commute. We love the fact that we can Uber, hop on a Lime, catch a City Cat, use the busways and train lines and are excited about the potential of Cross River Rail and Brisbane Metro to further enhance the interconnected transport offerings that Brisbane has.
That’s why we are supportive of developments such as Geon Property’s plans to revitalise Albion Train Station. Read about why we are proud to be YIMBYs in Albion and are advocates for developments like this that transform underutilised transport corridors to create hubs across the city.
Give people more choice when it comes to housing
The way in which we are living is changing, and to reflect those changes people want more choice. In modern Brisbane not everyone wants the traditional house on a 900m2 block, many people want access to units and townhouses that meet their lifestyle needs and provide access to community, transport, entertainment, education and employment. But at the same time we all want to see quality developments that offer choice but do not compromise on design, materials and construction.
Our recent work on Nature’s Edge at The Gap is a great example of providing what the community wants without destroying the character of a suburb. Read about it here – Creating Premium Living in One of Brisbane’s Best Family Suburbs
When it comes to the 8 Principles released by Council, we are highly positive about each one. Indeed with our clients and partners we are already at the forefront of surpassing them on many projects. The trick now is for the council to use the principles to support the growth of Brisbane, and not to act as a handbrake on initiatives that will enhance further the liveability of our city.To discuss how we can apply the 8 principles to your next project, please get in touch with Scott Clements, Calvin Kirk, Phil Latham or Emma Clements.
