Joint Flood Task Report

"With the new defined flood level being quantified, the Brisbane property market will change forever. But how will this impact the development sites on the river that were previously plotted for medium density, and mixed-use development? The Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has released the Joint Flood Task Report and recommends that new homes in the flood-affected areas will have to be built 800mm to 2m higher to prevent a repeat of the disaster. This will impact the way buildings interact with streetscapes and change the dynamics of basement design through the city in flood prone and flood affected areas. The Ellivo Architects team have been working with government bodies, medium density developers and property owners throughout Brisbane to rework development designs quickly, and keep projects progressing through Development Approvals. From a design perspective, lower floors of buildings can be designed with hose out foyers, visitor parking and other low risk spaces, whilst raising services and switchboards above the new defined flood levels. Bund levels can be reassessed or basements avoided in favour of sensitively treated podium level parking. Now the new defined flood levels are being quantified, new designs must give certainity to developers, financiers, the buying public and the broader community that these new developments will withstand similar acts of nature in the future. That some of these affected sites are in high growth, undersupplied areas places further urgency on the timely delivery of this product. It may be prudent to question the maximum height for developments in these areas to encourage a modern form of “high set” design. This would need to be achieved in a way that is sympathetic to the street. We cannot afford to allow these valuable yet difficult areas to be “no development zones” but must work with the unpredictability of the river, designing and legislating accordingly."