A new apartment building that will soon take shape on the banks of the Brisbane River at Kangaroo Point, Thornton Street is the result of seven years of design that involved the collaborative input of an architect, gallerist, artist and chef, and a site that presented an "unrepeatable” design opportunity for developer John Livingstone.
It’s a breath of fresh air when a new development has the design credentials of a meaningful developer-architect relationship, where quality across every aspect of the process is front and centre of the project. For developer John Livingstone, that process involved close collaboration with local architect Liam Proberts on a seven year journey to design world-class apartments for one of Brisbane’s most iconic sites at Kangaroo Point, and the input of Brisbane’s most respected gallerists, artists and chefs.
Located amongst the lush treed landscape of the Kangaroo Point peninsula with water vistas north to the city, the former industrial area includes the Evans Deakin shipyards, now gentrified, and the heritage Water Police house that forms part of the development and will be “sleeved" with a small retail space to activate the precinct and connect to the new footbridge which, when completed by the City of Brisbane, will provide a pedestrian link to the city. For a developer with a string of successful residential buildings in Brisbane, Thornton is the latest example of how the right collaborations can open up conversations about a better architecture model.
"Very simply, we won't do a project unless we'd be prepared to live there ourselves. For us it is about doing quality projects, but it's also about learning from the past and doing things better every time", John Livingstone remarks when we catch up to discuss the project that will break ground next month.
Friends for over 20 years and internationally recognised for buildings in Australia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, architect Liam Proberts heads up Bureau Proberts and has delivered other projects including the Newstead Series in Livingstone's growing residential portfolio. For the design of Thornton Street, the brief would embrace full floor apartments and a thoughfully articulated plan developed in collaboration with chef Thierry Galichet who helped the team refine the relationship between kitchen and living hubs for gatherings and quieter moments. While a fine-grained approach to materials focuses on a timeless, solid palette that "transcends fashion" and includes Noceto Striato stone and oak herringbone floors.
"Working with our architect Liam Proberts, we've sculpted a striking glass facade”, remarks Livingstone. "The amenities floor is above the foyer, with a pool, lounge and dining areas, and the first residence is above that. It means that we give the heritage house a lot of breathing room which is really important, and it also pushes the first residence up high to take advantage of the views. It’s directly opposite the CBD providing amazing skyline views during the day, and at nighttime the city sparkles when the lights turn on”.
"In the seven years we’ve been working on Thornton we've had a lot of time to think about and develop the building’s unique features. It will be one of the first double-glazed residential buildings in Brisbane which is obviously great for solar protection, but it also has a white ceramic frit built into the facade system that will create real interest."
John Livingstone, JGL Properties
Describing the collaboration "as something greater than the sum of its parts”, in the following interview we meet developer John Livingstone to discuss the design of Thornton and the unique collaboration he has fostered with architect Liam Proberts, gallerist Philip Bacon, artist Ralph Wilson, and chef Thierry Galichet.
More Space: Thornton has been described as a project to rival the “best city museum or gallery” which is an interesting analogy. Can you share some of the thinking behind the project?
John Livingstone: If you look at major galleries or museums anywhere in the world, they comprise of beautiful stone, timber and white walls that let the art and history do the talking. At Thornton our approach was to ensure that 10 years after residents move in, they still remain timeless. Working with our architect Liam Proberts, we've sculpted a striking glass facade and each full-floor residence has oak herringbone floors, pristine white walls, and just one linear stone selection, Noceto Striato. It’s a palette that is classic and timeless.
That is a very fine-grained approach, detail and craftsmanship are obviously key to the design?
Yes, it is. As is art. We embed art into our projects where it is appropriate. We've had some great experiences with local artists in previous projects and I think working with Philip Bacon on Thornton, we've landed on a great commission with Ralph Wilson. Ralph is one of Queensland’s most celebrated artists and he is painting three amazing artworks: one of the upper reaches of the Brisbane River; one of the Brisbane River around Kangaroo Point Cliffs; and one at the mouth of the Brisbane River. Our collaboration with Philip has gone beyond the foyer and into each residence via the integration of a unique art hanging system and German Erco lighting which you find in galleries around the world. Each residence has at least 65 metres of art hanging space so residents can rotate their collections with ease.
"Thierry Galichet is a mind-blowing chef and his restaurant La Cache a Vin is an institution in Brisbane. He understands how to best use a kitchen and he was pivotal in ensuring we maximised both the functionality and design of the Thornton kitchen layout."
John Livingstone, JGL Properties
Bringing a chef to the table is such a great idea, how did that collaboration take shape?
Thierry Galichet is a mind-blowing chef and his restaurant La Cache a Vin is an institution in Brisbane. He understands how to best use a kitchen and he was pivotal in ensuring we maximised both the functionality and design of the Thornton kitchen layout. As an example, where most people will place a sink in the middle of a kitchen island, Thierry thinks the island bench is sacrosanct and must be used for celebration and gathering. His contribution was very meaningful.
The building’s external skin and the way it responds to Kangaroo Point is interesting, can we discuss some of the key features of the architecture?
In the seven years we’ve been working on Thornton we've had a lot of time to think about and develop the building’s unique features. It will be one of the first double-glazed residential buildings in Brisbane which is obviously great for solar protection, but it also has a white ceramic frit built into the facade system that will create real interest. Portions of the facade resemble a raised eyelid and they were designed to add signature architectural form and allow crossflow ventilation that is very important in Brisbane’s subtropical climate.
And finally, have there been any surprises along the way?
We have been lucky to have great collaborators who are actually friends as well, and that makes for a really dynamic, interesting and rewarding project. The design of Thornton Street has been a very authentic process which is what it's all about: genuine relationships that are pushing what we are doing to a different level.
Thanks John.
The Thornton Street project involved architect Liam Proberts, gallerist Philip Bacon AM, chef and restauranteur Thierry Galichet, and artist Ralph Wilson and will break ground next month. Space Furniture is working with the team on the development of a furniture collection for the display apartment.
