Ideas were drawn from two major landmarks close to the site – the leafy sheltered spaces in Mowbray Park created by the Moreton Bay Fig trees as well as the bricks and verandahs from a nearby heritage building. It is a considered proposition on creating shelter for its residents, with columns taking on the form of branches, transferring the structure between the apartment grid above to the basement grid below.

Deep slots that carry up through the whole building are inspired by the Fig tree, while sculpted banding draws its form from the leaves, blocking out the busy foreground of Lytton Road, whilst framing views of the park and river.

One of the main design drivers behind The Mowbray was to balance the need to provide shelter and respite from the noise and traffic, whilst still opening up to the surrounding views of the Brisbane River and CBD. Deep slots run up the building, splitting the structure into four elements that fold slightly in an organic manner. These slots also form two main entrances and become sheltered outdoor seating areas for the ground floor retail.

Here columns create a colonnade – a sheltered outdoor zone for the retail spaces, and a lushly landscaped zone in front of the residential communal areas, providing further amenity and respite from the traffic.

Robust and hard-wearing materials run throughout The Mowbray. Textured precast concrete forms horizontal banding which is complimented by metallic sun shading. On the ground floor, brickwork and timbers carefully soften the façade. These create textured touchpoints.