Façade Detail on Tall Buildings

Façade detail on tall buildings

Brisbane City Plan 2014 (City Plan) has been developed by Brisbane City Council in consultation with the community to support a simple, fast and clear development assessment process. City Plan guides how land in Brisbane can be used and developed to support economic growth, while protecting our city’s enviable way of life.

Brisbane City Council recognises the need for higher density in certain locations and has allowed for tall buildings in certain parts of the city. Council also recognises the visual impact andcontribution to internal comfort the façades of these buildings provide.

This factsheet provides information for industry professionals who may be submitting tall building designs for assessment.

Tall buildings may have a life span of several decades and the building design can have a lasting impact.
The architectural quality of the design of these façades will help ensure that taller buildings have an appealing appearance and function well in our subtropical climate.

City Plan 2014 requires applicants to address performance outcomes relating to appearance, amenity, contribution to the streetscape and skyline and to performance. Submissions which include the detail outlined in this document will help Council officers to assess a tall building.

At what height does a building become a ‘tall’ building?

Council considers all buildings of five storeys or greater to be ‘tall’ buildings.

What type of information will Council need to assess the façade design?

Applicants need to provide details describing what the building will look like at completion including the site plans, floor plans, elevations and sections depicting the entire building. These are likely to be at
a scale of 1:100 to 1:500 depending on the overall size of the development. Council will also need to assess preliminary details of the façade design at a larger scale which may include:

detailed plans, sections and elevations at 1:50 scale or 1:20 scale for elements at the façade including structural elements and fixed and operable elements such as balustrades, screens, doors, windows, projecting fins and planter beds/trellises
all servicing and infrastructure, including but not limited to, pad-mount transformers, pump rooms, fire hydrant boosters etc. must be included on
the plans
roof top or building capping elements, awnings, eaves, and soffits
submission of a digital 3D model of the complete building for visualisation by way of Virtual Brisbane
one rendered perspective showing the intended finished built form consistent with the details above.

Façade detail is required for the following locations throughout the built form:

at the ground levels
all floor levels throughout a tower form which are typical
atthe roof top or building capping levels.

Information to be provided on all drawings

All drawings/plans should include some basic information to allow for an assessment including:

dimensions showing the extent of projecting elements
dimensions for balustrade height and door and window/glazing configurations
nominated materials, colours and finishes
title blocks and cross references to larger scaled drawings and plans.

Use of a Qualified Design Professional

In recognition of the impact tall buildings have on Brisbane’s skyline and the overall quality of the internal environment for these tall buildings, Council will require submissions to be prepared by design professionals. Details of the designer’s affiliation to recognised professional bodies should be clearly marked on all drawings including registration details and the full name of the designer.

How specific does this information need to be?

The design of tall buildings requires a process of evolution and refinement to allow the design to vary over time, to incorporate changes for practical reasons such as constructability or availability of materials. Council acknowledges that the information provided during a development assessment may include some generic references to materials or building products at early stages of the design rather than specific references.

With that in mind, Council will need to see enough information on the drawings so as to clearly convey the design intent for the façade and will allow for generic terminology about materials, colours or textures.

Do I need to provide this level of detail at the initial assessment stage?

Yes. Given the long lasting impact tall buildings have in terms of their aesthetic appearance, performance for internal users and impacts on surrounding civic spaces, Council considers it important to be able to understand and assess these impacts.

What happens post approval?

To ensure a level of design quality is maintained through the design development and documentation phases of a scheme, Council will issue approvals with a standard condition.

In this scenario, applicants still need to submit general

arrangement drawings for the overall building at 1:100, 1:200 or 1:500 scale with sufficient annotation and dimensionsto allow assessment of the proposed development.

Can the façade design be changed at a later point?

Yes, subject to formal compliance assessment or permissible change applications as required. Where the façade design changes any new design will still need to achieve a high level of visual interest and maintain a strong response to Brisbane’s subtropical environment.

Example of a façade drawing

The drawing below includes the following elements:

title block including the name of the architect or designer, project name and location, document control information e.g. project number, drawing number, revision, documentation phase and date
drawings that are named and numbered and, where appropriate, cross referenced
a key diagram showing the general location on the façade
larger scale details (1:50 or 1:20)
a three dimensional perspective view showing the anticipated appearance of the façade detail
detail drawings including grid reference lines and markers
floor to floor heights
section markers shown on the elevation
annotation and dimensions on key aspects of the design in both plan and elevation
spacing of fixed external elements
an indication of which elements are operable
external elements including material, finish and colour e.g. aluminium composite panel in dark bronze powder-coated colour.

These elements can also be used for other parts of a tall building that are unique such as podium levels and roof top/building capping levels.

The following elements are not required:

finished construction detailing
actual proprietary product detail e.g. ApolicTM/FR cladding, colour M9221 Medium Bronze Metallic (G30).

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*Information can be reproduced for public purposes only

Disclaimer: The content of this information sheet is a summary only and has been prepared to assist the reader to understand City Plan. Please refer to the full City Plan document, entitled Brisbane City Plan 2014 on Council’s website for further detail.

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