Innovative Design Principles for a Sustainable, Accessible Urban Precinct.
As Brisbane continues to expand and develop, the city is gearing up to host the 2032 Olympic Games, marking a historic milestone as the first climate-positive games. Amidst this excitement, the Northshore Brisbane project stands out as an ideal sustainable and inclusive urban renewal.
With several significant projects underway including Green Bridges, the transformation of Victoria Park and transport improvements, Northshore Brisbane is emerging as the largest waterfront urban renewal project in Queensland. Northshore is located six kilometres from both the CBD and the Brisbane airport. Northshore Brisbane’s central precinct has achieved a 6 Star Green Star – Communities certified rating, reflecting its commitment to sustainability and innovation.
Architecture & Access were engaged to provide an Accessibility Strategy for the Priority Development Area (PDA), focusing on creating an accessible and inclusive streetscape.
A PDA is a tract of land in Queensland which has been identified to be very beneficial economically and for the community, if developed.
The design principles whilst not prescriptive, offer guidance within legislative boundaries to enhance the accessibility of roadworks, the network of pedestrian and cycle pathways and community infrastructure.
In order to understand the global philosophy on inclusivity, we undertook a desktop review of existing literature on urban design and inclusive cities as well as a detailed comparative study of the International Paralympic Accessibility Guidelines (2020). We incorporated universal design principles to produce best practice guidelines against which the design could be assessed.
Throughout the development of the project, Architecture & Access worked with the design team to ensure strategies and design innovations were implemented and integrated into the design. In addition, an Inclusive Design Report was prepared to provide the client and the design team with an access evaluation of the proposed plans and evidence on how the design has addressed the criteria required to achieve the Green Star Inclusive Access Credit.
The criteria and requirement to achieve the credit points are as follows:
Criteria – The precinct is designed and constructed to be inclusive to a diverse range of people with different needs.
Requirement – The precinct allows easy navigation and enjoyment for a diverse range of ages, genders, physical and cognitive abilities.
Northshore Brisbane’s (Central) precinct has achieved a 6 Star Green Star – Communities certified rating, acknowledging the sustainability innovations integrated into the design. This commitment to inclusivity and sustainability sets a new standard for urban development, paving the way for a more accessible and climate-positive future.
