Hamilton Reach delivers award winning apartments with $44.1m Newport

A Brisbane riverfront luxury apartment project has been named Best Residential Development in the national Property Council of Australia Innovation and Excellence Awards for 2018.Newport, by Frasers Property Australia, took out the title in a competitive field featuring 12 other projects from some of the country’s best developers. Newport was the only Queensland project to win an award at this year’s awards.The $44.1 million building is part of the Hamilton Reach masterplanned community and has unrivalled Brisbane River frontage and views stretching from the Royal Queensland Golf Course to the Brisbane CBD.Cameron Leggatt, General Manager Residential Queensland for Frasers Property Australia, described the award as a massive win.“This is as good as it gets in the residential award space nationally,” Mr Leggatt said.“It is a building we are immensely proud of and it is fantastic to be recognised by the industry.“The building has been well designed and reflects the high-quality outcome we are looking for and delivering across all our projects.”Judging criteria included project innovation, the developer’s ability to overcome site complexities, corporate social responsibility plus quality design and finishes.Mr Leggatt said Newport’s unique façade was designed to mimic the movements of the Brisbane River and the 34 luxury two and three-bedroom apartments were configured to connect residents to the river and parklands.“The five-storey height of the building respects the local environment, sitting comfortably just above the adjoining mangroves, and its triangular shape minimises its bulk to the street,” he said.Pedestrian and cycle paths, riverfront seating and a green pocket park were integrated into the design, ensuring a continuation of connectivity to the wider Hamilton Reach community.Construction of the building’s curved façade was complex involving the steel slab edge forms for each level being made off site to exacting surveyed dimensions. This allowed for perfectly symmetrical and plumb façade curves to be maintained as the building rose from floor to floor.Among its environmental initiatives, the building has a 10,000 litre rainwater storage tank for garden irrigation, a 5kW solar power system for lighting common areas as well as double-glazing to reduce the need for artificial heating and cooling.Mr Leggatt said the project was popular with local empty nesters downsizing from their luxury Hamilton homes.Apartment prices ranged from $695,000 for a two-bedroom apartment up to $2.195 million for three bedrooms.Designed by Rothelowman architects, considered planning has delivered residences that offer the convenience of apartment living with strong connections to natural light, the external environment and natural materials. A landscaped atrium sits at the centre of the building.Bespoke interior details with custom Tasmanian oak screens and dramatic entries were created to be reminiscent of a boutique hotel.Kitchens feature stone benchtops – which appear to be a single element of chiselled stone – while the joinery comprises Tasmanian oak veneers, white two-pac painted panels and matching matt-white, powder-coated handles.In the bathrooms, Caesarstone has been used in a continuous wall to the shower, on the benchtops and splashbacks.The project also won a 2017 Queensland Master Builders Brisbane Construction Award (residential building over three storeys, $20 million to $50 million).Newport is part of the $700 million Hamilton Reach community within the $5 billion Northshore urban renewal project – the largest of its kind in Queensland. For more information go to hamiltonreach.com.au.