Kangaroo Point Green Bridge
Kangaroo Point Bridge not only improves connectivity across the Brisbane River, but also revitalises the natural environment, improves civic life, and reveals the history of Traditional Owners. It is the result of an integrated and highly collaborative approach to design and planning, which balanced the functional requirements of the client and stakeholders with the protection of the existing character of the site.
- TRADITIONAL OWNERS & ONGOING CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND Turrbal
- CLIENT Brisbane City Council
- LOCATION Brisbane, Australia
- YEAR 2021 – 2024
The bridge connects three intensively-used public spaces—the City Botanic Gardens, Kangaroo Point, and CT White Park. Each of these have a distinct and recognisable character, and the landscape design needed to balance any intervention with the preservation of those qualities.
The result is several legible and connected plazas that mitigate potential clashes between pedestrians and cyclists, addressing unique requirements at each landing, united by a consistent design language.
The landing near the City Botanic Gardens “borrows” mature vegetation from the edges of the gardens for shading and comfort. The green roof on the Mulga Bill’s café is an extension of this tree canopy. Cues for movement are made through the orientation of furniture, the placement of planters and visual connections to streets. Salvaged Brisbane tuff has been reused and recycled within the project, with the remainder stockpiled for future city projects.
The result is several legible and connected plazas that mitigate potential clashes between pedestrians and cyclists, addressing unique requirements at each landing, united by a consistent design language.
The landing near the City Botanic Gardens “borrows” mature vegetation from the edges of the gardens for shading and comfort. The green roof on the Mulga Bill’s café is an extension of this tree canopy. Cues for movement are made through the orientation of furniture, the placement of planters and visual connections to streets. Salvaged Brisbane tuff has been reused and recycled within the project, with the remainder stockpiled for future city projects.
The interface between the street and the bridge at the Scott Street landing was designed to soften the impact of the built form, with new canopy trees mitigating the impact of the surrounding high-rise buildings.
CT White Park also benefits from the new Scott Street landing, connected by stairs, seating nodes and grassed batters. The park has been energised by being brought directly into public life, improving recreation opportunities for residents and creating a more scalable space for events.
Traditional Custodian engagement was undertaken in conjunction with Blaklash and informed the interpretive design, which surfaces stories specific to the site, such as the history of the Bunya Festival, or the fishing practices of Indigenous people.
CT White Park also benefits from the new Scott Street landing, connected by stairs, seating nodes and grassed batters. The park has been energised by being brought directly into public life, improving recreation opportunities for residents and creating a more scalable space for events.
Traditional Custodian engagement was undertaken in conjunction with Blaklash and informed the interpretive design, which surfaces stories specific to the site, such as the history of the Bunya Festival, or the fishing practices of Indigenous people.
The planting reintegrates indigenous riverine species to the predominately exotic palette of the Brisbane River edge. Planting considers the complex microclimates of overhead structures, wind exposure and containerised conditions on the bridge deck. At the city-wide scale, exhibition species such as Poinciana and Jacaranda are included, originally chosen by CT White and Walter Hill (of the City Botanic Gardens) for their “quintessential Brisbane” character. This diverse approach between environmentally significant and culturally familiar protects critical riverside biodiversity in the inner city.
Collectively, the landscape has successfully advocated for efficient investment into the spaces that support expanding infrastructure in our growing cities. Through a consistent approach to character and cultural interpretation, these highly constrained and unique landings have resourcefully demonstrated how large-scale infrastructure interventions can facilitate small scale functional connections, while providing opportunities for improving public life offering.
Collectively, the landscape has successfully advocated for efficient investment into the spaces that support expanding infrastructure in our growing cities. Through a consistent approach to character and cultural interpretation, these highly constrained and unique landings have resourcefully demonstrated how large-scale infrastructure interventions can facilitate small scale functional connections, while providing opportunities for improving public life offering.
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- TEAM ASPECT Studios, BESIX Watpac, Rizanni de Eccher, WSP, Blight Rayner, Dissing and Weitling, RWDI, F-POV, Right Angle Studios, Rowland, UAP and Blaklash
- RENDER CREDIT Renders courtesy of Brisbane City Council
