1 William Street, Brisbane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 1 William Street |
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Building at sunset
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Government office tower |
| Architectural style | Modernist |
| Location | Brisbane CBD |
| Town or city | Brisbane |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 27°28′30″S 153°01′33″E / 27.47512°S 153.0258°E |
| Current tenants | Queensland Government |
| Construction started | 4 March 2013 |
| Completed | October 2016 |
| Cost | A$650 million |
| Client | Cbus Property |
| Owner |
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| Management | JLL Australia |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 260 m (853 ft) |
| Top floor | 179.1 m (588 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 49 |
| Floor area | 76,022 m2 (818,290 sq ft) |
| Lifts/elevators | 24 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Woods Bagot |
| Developer | Cbus Property |
| Structural engineer | Hyder Consulting |
| Services engineer | EMF Griffiths |
| Main contractor | Brookfield Multiplex |
| Other information | |
| Parking | 318 spaces |
1 William Street is a very tall building, also known as a skyscraper, located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It stands at 259.8 metres, making it the second tallest building in the city. This modern office building is found in the heart of Brisbane CBD, very close to Parliament House.
The building was created for the Queensland Government. It was part of a plan to update the government's office area and to provide enough space for all their workers. The building was finished in October 2016. Over 5,000 government staff moved into the new offices over six weekends.
Contents
History of the Site
The land where 1 William Street now stands used to be quite different. It was once divided by a street called Short Street and had many different plots of land with various uses. Buildings were on this site as early as 1854. Over the years, the area was used for things like making goods, storing items, shipping, homes, and even generating electricity.
In the 1960s, the Queensland Government started buying these properties. They wanted to create a special area for government offices. Old buildings, some from the 1850s, were torn down. When the nearby Bellevue Hotel was demolished and 80 George Street was built, the extra dirt was dumped on the 1 William Street site. Short Street was closed, and all the land was combined into one large plot at 1 William Street.
By 1974, this site was set aside for future government offices. From 1982 until 2013, it was used as a car park for government workers. The site covers a whole city block, bordered by William, Alice, and Margaret Streets, and the Riverside Expressway.
Since 2012, 1 William Street has often been called the "Tower of Power" by the media. This nickname refers to the political strength of the government that started the project. It also highlights that the building is completely filled with Queensland Government public servants.
Old Buildings and History Underground
The site might hold important historical remains underground. Parts of buildings from the 1850s can still be seen above the ground today. It's likely that more significant old structures are still buried beneath the surface.
Building the Skyscraper
In August 2012, the government asked experienced companies to show if they were interested in building the project. The plan was for the winning company to rent the land for a very long time. In return, the Queensland Government would rent about 75,000 square metres of office space in the new building for a long time too.
By September 2012, six developers were chosen to create plans for the new tall building. These companies included Cbus, Lend Lease, Brookfield, Westfield, Leighton Properties, and Grocon.
In December 2012, Cbus was announced as the company that would develop 1 William Street. Cbus was given a 99-year lease (a very long-term rental agreement) for the land. The government also promised to rent 60,000 square metres of office space for 15 years.
Design Features
1 William Street has a total area of 119,977 square metres. Out of this, 74,853 square metres is office space that can be rented, not including the 1,169 square metres for shops. The building also includes 318 car parking spaces.
About 60,000 square metres of the building has been set aside for government use. This leaves around 15,000 square metres for private businesses to rent. The building aims to be very energy efficient, hoping to get a 5-star NABERS energy rating and a 3-star NABERS water rating. This building is the first new office tower built for the government in Brisbane's CBD since the one at 33 Charlotte Street was finished in 2004.
A cool feature of the building is that each floor has a special theme and colour scheme. These themes are dedicated to a famous Queensland icon or a natural wonder.
| Level | Themes |
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| G to 2 | Base palette (neutral cream, brown and grey tones) |
| 3 to 5 | Barramundi (a type of fish) |
| 6 to 8 | Moreton Bay Fig (a large tree) |
| 9 to 11 | Saltwater Crocodile |
| 12 to 14 | Coloured Sands (like the famous sands of Fraser Island) |
| 16 to 17 | Purple Fan Coral |
| 19 to 21 | Cassowary (a large, flightless bird) |
| 22 to 24 | Green Tree Frog |
| 25 to 27 | Pineapple |
| 28 to 30 | Orange Pore Fungi |
| 31 to 33 | Outback Sands |
| 34 to 36 | Sapphire (a precious gemstone) |
| 37 to 39 | Sugar Cane |
| 40 to 41 | Water Dragon |
Construction Process
The construction work was carried out by Multiplex. It began in early 2013 and was completed in 2016. The official start of construction, known as the groundbreaking, happened on March 4, 2013. Important people like Tim Nicholls (who was the Treasurer then) and Jeff Seeney (who was the Deputy Premier then) attended the event.
Starting from October 1, 2016, many government offices moved into 1 William Street. Nine full government departments and agencies, all state government ministers, most Directors-General, and more than 5,000 public servants moved there. Some parts of 11 other departments also moved to 1 William Street, while other parts of these departments went to different buildings in the city centre. Three older government buildings were planned to be torn down: the Executive Building at 100 George Street, the Executive Annex at 80 George Street, and the Neville Bonner Building at 75 William Street.
Who Works Here?
The entire 1 William Street building is used by various parts of the Queensland Government. This means many different government departments and agencies have their offices here, including:
- Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships
- Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
- Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services
- Department of Education and Training
- Department of Energy and Water Supply
- Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
- Queensland Health
- Department of Housing and Public Works
- Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning
- Department of Justice and Attorney-General
- Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing
- Department of Natural Resources and Mines
- Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Services
- Public Service Commission
- Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation
- Department of State Development, Tourism and Innovation
- Department of Transport and Main Roads
- Trade and Investment Queensland
- Queensland Treasury
- Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games
See also
In Spanish: 1 William Street (Brisbane) para niños
