Proposed citywide amendment - planning scheme policy - Amendment package Q

Orient yourself is about locating and orientating buildings and outdoor spaces to respond to, and capitalise, on a site’s local climatic conditions (such as solar access and breezes) and the surrounding urban environment to achieve subtropical design outcomes.

Internal layout is also an important consideration for overall building mass, to reduce solar gain and allow for natural daylight and ventilation inside the building.

Street activation is the final consideration of this design element, to ensure that buildings provide a visual and physical connection between the public and private realm and support the creation of spaces and places that allow people to enjoy our subtropical character.

Occupy outdoor spaces is about design elements that can feature in new development to celebrate and increase connections to the outdoors, which is a big part of our subtropical lifestyle.

City rooms provide places for people to meet, with access to natural daylight and ventilation and generous subtropical planting to animate the private and public realm.

Sky terraces are elevated outdoor spaces and provide opportunities for passive and active recreation.

Private open spaces and balconies give building occupants a personal outdoor connection and help to articulate the built form and facilitate opportunities for natural daylight and ventilation into homes and workplaces.

Atriums found internally or on the edge of building floorplates allow natural daylight into buildings and facilitate easy movement through internal spaces.

Recessed podiums allow the street verge to enter below the floorplate of the building, giving a sense of a spacious public realm, and provide generous subtropical landscaping to improve local amenity and enhance our identity.

Movement and site connectivity is at the core of new development providing functional movement networks that improve activation and legibility.

Natural daylight and ventilation is about designing buildings to make the most of Brisbane’s average of 300 'comfortable' days each year.

Providing access to natural daylight and facilitating air movement reduces the need for artificial lighting and mechanical methods for heating and cooling, creating more energy-efficient buildings and enjoyable spaces for people to live and work.

This element looks at how building setbacks and separation distances, as well as fine grain details such as glazing, light wells and operable elements can contribute to well lit and ventilated internal spaces.

Shade and protection acknowledges that Brisbane’s celebrated climate occasionally delivers some harsh conditions, be it torrential rainfall or hot summer sun. The design of our buildings and outdoor spaces should shade and protect us while we live, work and play.

This design element identifies ways in which building occupants can be protected from our climate at all levels of the building, from the ground floor to the upper storeys, while also contributing to the architectural design excellence of buildings and outdoor spaces.

Living greenery is an important design element for new development to incorporate generous subtropical landscaping that complements the architectural design, benefits the microclimate, supports the function, and contributes to the creation of attractive and comfortable spaces that people can enjoy visiting and using.

In addition to traditional landscaping at the ground plane, there are other creative ways to incorporate subtropical planting into the urban environment. This includes vertical greenery and elevated gardens which benefit not just the building occupants but enrich our urban experience and contribute to a city profile that is open, green and subtropical.

Identity matters is an acknowledgement that our buildings and outdoor spaces are an expression and celebration of our city’s history, culture and identity as well as our subtropical lifestyle.

Consideration should be given to this in the material selection, construction and finishes of buildings and outdoor spaces that respect our past and look to our future.

The creative use of public art and lighting can further assist in new development making a positive contribution to our city’s subtropical identity and lifestyle by creating spaces and places that people enjoy visiting day and night.

Reduce energy and waste is about exploring opportunities to showcase innovative technology, best practice sustainability and subtropical design in new development. The use of technology can support the optimal function and operation of our buildings and complements the subtropical design features covered in the other design elements.

The use of technologies to support sustainable development is encouraged to consider energy supply for a building, waste and water systems, and active transport access and facilities for building occupants.