Glenfalloch Apartments facts for kids

Glenfalloch Apartments is a special building in New Farm, Brisbane, Queensland. It was built in 1962 and is known for being one of Brisbane's first tall apartment buildings. It was designed in a Modernist style, which means it has a simple, clean look.

History of Glenfalloch

Glenfalloch Apartments was designed by a team of architects called Lund, Hutton, Newell, Black and Paulsen. It was finished in 1962. Stanley Korman developed the project, and J.D Booker Constructions built it. This company also built another famous building called Kinkabool in Surfers Paradise.

The building stands tall and overlooks the beautiful Brisbane River. Before Glenfalloch was built, this spot was home to two sports clubs: the Merthyr Bowls Club and the Limbless Soldiers Bowl Club. Glenfalloch was the very first tall building, or "high-rise," built in the New Farm area. Today, it is listed on the Brisbane City Council Heritage Register. This means it's an important part of the city's history and is protected.

Building Features and Design

Glenfalloch is a very tall building, reaching 15 storeys high. You can get to the different floors using lifts or stairwells. These stairwells stick out from the main rectangular shape of the building.

The building has two garages located underneath. There are 98 apartments in total. Most of these are two-bedroom units. The very top floors have larger apartments called penthouses. There are also one-bedroom units on the sides of the building.

Smart Design for Comfort

The architects thought carefully about the design. The apartments mostly face north. This helps them get the best sunlight and stay comfortable, rather than just focusing on river views.

Protecting Against Floods

Brisbane can sometimes have floods. To keep the apartments safe, the two driveways leading to the garages have special walls. These walls are two metres high. During big floods in 1974 and 2011, residents used sandbags to protect the garages and driveways. This helped stop water from getting into the lower apartments.

Green Spaces and Updates

A unique thing about Glenfalloch is that a lot of its land is used for gardens. About 60% of the area around the building is beautiful garden space. This leads down to the river, giving residents a lovely outdoor area.

Over the years, some parts of the building have been updated. These modern changes include new glass windows, doors, and railings.

Where to Find More Information

If you want to learn more about how Glenfalloch was designed, you can find the original plans. These plans are kept at the University of Queensland Fryer Library.