SoulVision

International Thread
Current Dump (View of the Riverside expressway)

Future = Northbank site



Screenshots by Locke
































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TEN NEWS - Northbank
LINK HERE

* Pedestrian Gateway– a building that will come to be regarded as Brisbane’s most architecturally significant building. The top floor is to be given over to the State, completed and fitted out by Multiplex, and is envisaged (subject to agreement with the State) as a representation of Queensland innovation, a display of Smart State Initiatives, an experience of Queensland indigenous culture, nature and attractors. The Pedestrian Gateway will become a cultural front door for Brisbane, showcasing Queensland’s attractions and acting as the portal with a link to the great civic attractions of South Bank. Ticket Booths will sell entry to events at the performing arts, tourist vessels at North Bank, events at the Entertainment Centre and other events.

* A 50 metre City Olympic Pool will be created at the water’s edge on the South East peninsular of the Site. Queensland is arguably the world’s greatest producer of Olympic swimming talent. With its all year round warm climate and the high proportion of the population who swim, Multiplex envisages that this pool will be an enormous attraction to the people of Brisbane. Placed for interaction with the gymnasium, high speed cycle path, sporting retailers associated with those uses and adjacent to lock up bicycle storage areas and showers, we anticipate this will become a hub for the city resident, the CBD office worker, or the city tourist, and will be a signature plank in the State’s initiative to increase the health and fitness of the people of Brisbane.

* Q150 Monument - Great cities of the world have instantly identifiable and iconic monuments that symbolise their heritage and success. They add enormous value to these cities as perpetual promoters around the world as they are photographed by visitors from around the globe. Multiplex will provide the People of Queensland with a permanent monument as a tribute to the State’s achievements over the past 150 years, and act as a beacon for what can be achieved over the next 150 years. The skeletal structure tower will act as a “meeting point” by day and be a dramatic “light monument” by night. The Q150 Monument will be a permanent tribute to Queensland’s sesquicentennial celebrations and will become a focal point of the 4ha of Public Open Space provided by the Masterplan, and be seen from all over Brisbane.

* The People’s Bridge - Multiplex is offering to design, build and deliver a new pedestrian bridge linking Pedestrian Gateway to South Bank, adjacent to the Victoria Bridge. Connecting the CBD, North Bank and South Bank are key elements to activating the site and giving the river back to the city and this bridge, along with our other pedestrian connections at the Plaza entry and Queens Park, are critical to achieving this.

* Riverfire - The North Bank development will become the city’s connection to the river and will provide the people of Queensland with a world class precinct to enjoy both the passive river environment and the atmosphere during special events. Multiplex will provide Naming Rights and sponsorship support for the Riverfire for the period of five years, with an option to extend for another five years.

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A Vision of Queensland's Rise to Prominence - Click image above

ZZ-II

impressive project, looks great

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www.sercan.de

looks great
i hope Vision will be built

[ GaBo ]

Wow... That's HOT... jejejejeje J/K
This Projects are awesome...

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Brissy Phil

Northbank feedback
My feedback is based on general knowledge of the Northbank proposal and model without knowing comprehensive detail.

Like many Brisbane residents I am VERY excited about the proposed revitalisation and redevelopment of Northbank; I have been ever since it was first touted all those years ago.

In fact I have probably never been so excited about a Brisbane project, TransApex included!

If the Commonwealth Games and Expo 88 served to show the country and the world that Brisbane had legs, then surely Northbank has the "potential" to show them all that we can run like buggery.

The initial Northbank concept released in 2004 blew most of us away but since then our city has matured on many fronts, and I feel that the latest Multiplex development proposal mostly represents this (at least in terms of quality).

Public feedback so far
I have read many of the public comments made about the Northbank proposal so far on the Courier Mail website and am surprised at some of the negative comments. To the government and key decision makers I ask you to take such feedback with a grain of salt. The majority of these comments appear to be made by people who do not live in or near the city, rather the burbs and outer burbs and many of the comments are used to take political swipes rather than constructively comment on the actual merit of the Northbank proposal. Many of the comments too are ill-informed and are made by people who would typically get excited about a new poker machine at their local RSL club.

You can't take comments seriously such as "I like looking at the river from the Expressway as I drive to work in the mornings". Perhaps the latter explains why there are so many accidents in peak hour on the Expressway.

People who live, work and play in the city are better representatives to comment on this project and your ears should be more attuned to feedback from this group, especially those who live and play in the city as Northbank will become Brisbane's newest and leading entertainment and leisure precinct.

Furthermore, with a project of this magnitude, you are never going to please everyone. For every 10 people who love it, another 10 will hate it, and everything in between, however, those who love it, will continue to love it, and most of those who hate it, will love it in time. In making a decision on Northbank, you're not just deciding the here and now, you're making a decision for the next 50 to 100 years, so think BOLD, think GRAND and DON'T LOOK BACK!

Point in case, most New Yorkers and even Americans would give anything to have the Twin Towers back, but it is a little known fact that the Twin Towers only grew in popularity in New York in their last decade of standing. In the 20 years before this, they were seen as outcasts on the New York skyline and the New York community by large chose not to embrace them. The point is, the Twin Towers were ahead of their time, but over time, they grew in the hearts of the most stubborn New York apposer to become cherished and now sorely missed features of the Manhattan skyline. Such vision took balls of steel.

Northbank is now at the same cross roads. What will you choose?

What I love
- the pool with a glass wall edge facing the river and wooden decking - very classy, sophisticated and Queensland
- the mix of building heights (don't cut the building heights; taller if anything)
- some buildings encroaching on Expressway airspace
- architecturally significant buildings (Brisbane needs more)
- full and open public access for pedestrians and cyclists
- the creative facade for the Elizabeth Street on-ramp (please expand this)
- upgraded and more CityCat terminals
- a new cross-river pedestrian link
- new city pedestrian links

What I have questions about, am concerned about and want

Expressway
If I understand the history of this project correctly, the original Northbank brief was predominantly related to the beautification of the Expressway. Now don't get me wrong, I have no major issue with the current Northbank development entering the river or being in front of the Expressway but I also want to know that MILLIONS will also be spent on dramatically beautifying the actual Expressway and the space below and around it as apposed to simply blocking it from view.

Will the space under and around the Expressway be included in the Northbank development and be dramatically improved and revitalised or will it remain a stale cesspool between the city and the new Northbank?

I hope that the following (or similar) happens to the space under and around the Expressway:

- include all space under and around the Expressway in the Northbank development
- removal all old car parks / chain wire fencing etc...
- major landscaping, major street-scaping and major urban-scaping under and around the Expressway
- make the space under and around the Expressway between Northbank and the city a continued visual journey so that it is all encompassing and the transition between Northbank and the city and vice-versa is seamless (the journey should start and include all along William Street)
- major lighting / design opportunities exist for underneath the Expressway with colours, facades and effects etc...
- the underbelly of the Expressway should be cleaned, lit and dramatically beautified etc...
- turn the Expressway support poles into artistic creations with colour and creative facades etc (give a support pole to a different artist (like the traffic signal boxes Artforce program) to create a visual masterpiece but instead of just using paint, they can add design and materials without affecting structural integrity)

If Multiplex aren't going to touch the space under and around the Expressway, either make them include it as part of the deal or spend government money on the project at the same time to fully complement and see out the Northbank development.

Point in case, a scaled down stage 1 of Roma Street Parklands opened more than five years ago and nothing has been done with it since. Don't make Northbank a drawn out, over-promised, under-delivered project which leaves criteria unfulfilled and shys away from being a truly world-class WOW factor attraction. I am sick of Brisbane being just "good", "nice" and "pretty".

Q150
I applaud the idea to include a commemoration to 150 years of Queensland and through building an iconic structure, but I have to say, having travelled to many world cities, while I can appreciate that the proposed Q150 structure will probably be impressive in current Brisbane terms, I want it to be a WOW factor on the international playing field. Will someone visiting from Rome, Paris, London or New York think it's "cute" or be like "OMG!"? The latter please!

I encourage you to up the anti on the Q150 project big time. I think a lot of people will be very supportive of this.

For example, I think Federation Square in Melbourne is a "nice place" but it doesn't blow me away. So basically Melbourne spent $800 million on Federation Square and for it they get a "just nice" from me.

We are running out of space in Brisbane to truly show off, please don't make this another wasted opportunity.

WOW factor fountain
Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has talked in the past of building an iconic, world-class fountain for Brisbane but the idea was shelved due to cost and other council priorities. I'd love to see a truly world-class iconic fountain floating on the river (or on land) in the vicinity of the upgraded Q150 structure and Northbank development. Imagine a 20 metre diameter or a twin 100 metre long strip floating fountain with amazingly powerful water jets and coloured lighting which displays a powerful audio / visual synchronised performance which would put the famous Barcelona fountain (The Magic Fountain of Montjuic) or the Bellagio fountain in Las Vegas to shame. Even a 20 metre diameter fountain around the base of the Q150 structure. A draw card like this will keep restaurants and Northbank facilities full of customers night after night. On an average night between 500 and 5000 tourists visit the fountains in Barcelona and at the Bellagio.

We need a major wow factor draw card attraction for Brisbane. Take Melbourne's South Bank for example. They are always raving on about how fabulous their South Bank is, but seriously, apart from a few restaurants and some flames, what is it? Crap in my opinion! I don't want visitors to Brisbane to be able to say the same about Northbank. Melbourne's South Bank cost something like a billion dollars but it really has nothing for the average visitor or tourist to do or see as it mainly caters for special needs groups such apartment owners, high end restaurant goers, fashion shoppers and conventions etc...

There is a reason most tourist / backpacker coach tours in Australia don't stop in Brisbane... make this a project to draw people in from all over the world.

Meet and EXCEED expectations.

Northbank should be a community space, not an elite space which Melbourne's South Bank has fallen victim to. Us Queenslanders like to have fun!

Entertainment feel
When Brisbane hosted the Goodwill Games in 2001 I loved how the city, South Bank and parts of Northbank came alive with an electric atmosphere. Multiple search lights in the sky, coloured lights lighting up the buildings in William Street, large screen TVs floating in the river, bands playing on the river stage every night etc... I want to see strong elements of this in Northbank. We need some LARGE screen TVs for showing key public events like sporting grand finals etc. Give the area and promenade that permanent festive / celebration / tropical / I'm on holidays feel. Consider incorporating anything from:

- fun water features such as those high-powered, precision water jets which shoot a tight jet of water perfectly into a receiving hole
- flames
- night time search lights
- extensive lighting for all occasions
- laser lighting system
- music / speaker system for broadcasting live events such as Riverfire
- palm trees with fairy lights

Us Queenslanders have a cheekiness to us a few notches higher than our southern counterparts who I see as a little more stiff and serious. I encourage the Northbank development to somehow incorporate this cheekiness whether it be through public art or humorous and thought provoking signage etc...

I'd also like to see an Aussie Pub somewhere in Northbank.

Tourism
It would be great if Northbank could feature a bona fied tourist attraction. One thought I have is a reincarnation of South Bank's Gondwanaland, such as a dedicated koala enclosure which wouldn't need to take up much space but which would be a key draw card. Have a focaccia, latte and get your photo taken with a koala!

Pedestrian bridge
I love that the Northbank proposal includes a new pedestrian link. I am all for it. In fact the Brisbane river could do with about another six right now, but that's another story. Anyway, it is not so much the location of the proposed pedestrian link that I don't like (well it is a bit), more the structure and design which seems underdone. It doesn't have that same impressive / wow factor you get from the Goodwill Bridge and proposed Tank Street Bridge. They are strong, bold, creative, functional and architecturally significant. In terms of actual location, I must admit that my favourite part of the unsuccessful Lend Lease proposal was the snaking pedestrian bridge which landed closer to the South Bank forecourt. Lend Lease's bridge looked elegant and romantic. A touch of Paris. It was as much about experience as it was about function.

Please consider a bolder / better pedestrian link such as the Lend Lease proposal with a similar landing point at the South Bank forecourt.

Be bold and spend away
As a tax payer I am happy for public money (of which I contribute to) to be spent on projects like this. The reason I am saying this is because we always hear about the need for more and better hospitals, schools, police stations etc... but for many people who live, work and play in the city, especially live and play, our priorities are largely different. Public transport, public spaces, urban development, pedestrian bridges, floating walkways, cycle links, entertainment opportunities; we just can't get enough of them (and we don't) (and we need more of all of them). But for some reason governments often seem to be hesitant when it comes to these types of projects. Don't be!

Please don't skimp and cut as this project goes along (Brisbane is well known for great ideas only to have second-rate versions actually built).

Point in case, I consider Suncorp Stadium and GOMA as cheaper options; they're "nice" but not truly world-class wow factors. Both projects got sliced and diced along the way and now we have two big sheds on prime city fringe sites (sorry).

I encourage the government to be bold, aim high and create a vision that will truly put Brisbane on the national and international stage. Too often Brisbane builds and opens things which are tagged as world-class by politicians, but really they aren't and frankly people can see past and are over such spin-doctoring.

I say to Peter Beattie and Anna Bligh, don't cave to minority groups on this project. Anyone with half a brain to make an informed comment wants Northbank and wants it TRULY world-class, BIGGER and BETTER.

Consider that many tax payers are happy for you to spend public money on projects like this. Personally I don't care how much things like this cost, I always prefer the best, world-class option any day over a cheaper version that we're stuck with.

I am happy for you to use my tax payer money to BLOW other cities out of the water and not just Australian cities.

Also, for every person that complains about funding for projects like Northbank another 5 are OK with it but you just don't hear from people who assume it will be built.

Increase project scope
The original Northbank brief included the revitalisation of the river environment between the Goodwill Bridge and the William Jolly Bridge linking with the revitalised Victoria Barracks precinct. The current Multiplex proposal, even after their stage 3, only covers 40% of this river length between the Victoria Bridge and outside QUT. At this rate it will be 2050 before the entire Northbank is actually revitalised.

And this is WAY TOO LONG!

With the Tank Street Bridge hotting up, now is the PERFECT opportunity to AT LEAST include the Northbank stretch between the Victoria Street Bridge to the new Tank Street Bridge in the current brief.

Make it a condition for Multiplex that they REDUCE TIME FRAME and INCREASE SCOPE!!!

Offer them financial incentives even to DELIVER MORE SOONER!!!

Expand and extend the current proposal to the original brief and include the FULL Northbank site from the William Jolly Bridge to the Goodwill Bridge.

I encourage government and other decision makers to put design, functionality and Brisbane's economy AHEAD of Multiplex shareholders.

And feel free to SHOW OFF!

Brisbane has never seen a project like this before; a project which has the potential to leave a government's legacy through bold, world-class vision on the people of Brisbane for the next 100 years.

STEP UP AND MAKE US PROUD!!!