Torbreck, Brisbane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Torbreck, Brisbane |
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| Location | 182 Dornoch Terrace, Highgate Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1940s - 1960s (post-World War II) |
| Built | 1958 - 1960 |
| Architect | Aubrey Horswill Job Robert Percival Froud |
| Architectural style(s) | International Style |
| Official name: Torbreck | |
| Type | state heritage (landscape, built) |
| Designated | 17 December 1999 |
| Reference no. | 601256 |
| Significant period | 1950s (fabric, historical) 1950s - (social) |
| Significant components | tower - observation/lookout, swimming pool, garden/grounds, furniture/fittings, views to, garage, residential accommodation - home unit/s, roof deck/terrace/promenade, views from, lawn/s, direction dial |
| Builders | Noel Austin Kratzmann |
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Torbreck, also known as the Torbreck Home Units, was the first tall apartment building in Queensland, Australia. It was also the first to combine different uses in one building. These apartments are now a heritage-listed site. They are located at 182 Dornoch Terrace in Highgate Hill, Brisbane. Architects Aubrey Horswill Job and Robert Percival Froud designed the building. Construction started in 1957 and finished in 1960. Noel Austin Kratzmann was the builder. The building got its name 'Torbreck' from a small house that used to be on the site. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on December 17, 1999.
Contents
Building Torbreck: A New Idea
Torbreck was built between 1958 and 1960. It was designed by Brisbane architects Aubrey Horswill Job and Robert Percival Froud. The project had two parts: a shorter Garden Block and a taller Tower Block. The Garden Block faces Chermside Street, and the Tower Block faces Dornoch Terrace.
This was the very first multi-story apartment building in Queensland. At the time, Brisbane's building rules did not even have laws for apartment units. It was advertised as a huge step forward for homes in the state. When the idea was first shared in 1957, the Premier of Queensland (the leader of the state government) Frank Nicklin supported it. He thought this type of housing would help stop Brisbane from spreading out too much.
How Torbreck Became Famous
Even though Torbreck was just a simple drawing at first, it made big news. This was thanks to the developer, Rowley Pimley, who worked hard to get the word out. As Queensland's first tall apartment building, Torbreck got a lot of public attention. The media covered it a lot from October 1957 until 1960. When construction finished and people started moving in, the public's interest was huge. It was bigger than anything Brisbane had seen before.
The design and planning for Torbreck began in 1957. Rowley Pym asked for the project. Money for building came from selling apartments before they were even finished. This also brought a lot of media attention to the tower. The project was done very quickly, and it faced many money problems and mistakes.
The Companies Behind Torbreck
Torbreck Pty Ltd was formed in 1957. It later became Torbreck Home Units Ltd in mid-1960. The company leaders were Wilfred Charles Betts (an accountant), Noel Austin Kratzmann (a builder), and Sholto Douglas (a lawyer). Their goal was to build a new kind of home in Queensland: a multi-story apartment complex.
The company formed to build the apartments, Torbreck Kratzman Pty Ltd., went bankrupt. This happened before the Tower Block was even built. The project was then sold to Reid Murray Developments in 1959. However, Reid Murray Developments also went out of business before the project was finished.
Rowley Pym was the first person to support the idea. He was a former fencing contractor from Western Queensland. His grandmother is believed to have owned the first Torbreck, a house from around 1876. The name 'Torbreck' meant "top of the hill." The land on Dornoch Terrace was transferred to the company in mid-1958. The land facing Chermside Street was bought later, in 1961-62.
Design and Construction Style
Queensland architects AH Job & RP Froud designed the apartment complex. Their work was influenced by the International Style from after World War II. This style, especially from North America, had a big impact on Queensland architecture in the 1950s. WG Alexander & HV Browne were the engineers who designed the building's structure.
NA Kratzmann Pty Ltd built Torbreck. By the late 1950s, they were one of Queensland's biggest building companies. The eight-story Garden Block was built using a special method called the 'lift-slab technique'. This meant the roof and floors were built on the ground first. Then, they were lifted into place by jacks on the building's supports. This was the first time this building method was used in Queensland. The fourteen-story Tower Block was built using more common methods.
Selling the Apartments
Rowley Pym created Torbreck Real Estate Brokers to sell the new apartments. Most of the units were sold before the complex was even finished. Buyers paid a one-third deposit first. Then, they paid the rest in four parts while the building was being constructed.
Owners became investors in the company. They received shares in Torbreck Home Units Limited equal to the price they paid. The directors of the company are chosen from the unit owners. Even though a different ownership system called "strata title" has been available since 1965, Torbreck still uses the "company title" system.
What Torbreck Offered
Torbreck brought a new way of living to Queensland. Advertisements promised people a piece of the "American dream." This dream had reached Australia through Hollywood movies. It offered amazing views, a large landscaped garden, and fancy, easy, safe, and private homes. The estimated cost for each owner was very low.
Each floor had the newest automatic lifts. Every apartment owner got a private garage and a mailbox. All 150 apartments had at least one private balcony. They also came with built-in furniture, electric kitchens, and two phone connections. They had systems for sewerage and garbage disposal, plus a washing machine and clothes dryer. Water was pumped from city reservoirs to large tanks on the roof. This water was treated with special equipment to make it soft. Television reception was available, and a swimming pool was built in the gardens.
Some of the more detailed plans had to be dropped. This was due to rising building costs or not getting approval from the Brisbane City Council. These dropped plans included shops and offices on the ground floor. Also, a basement laundry service, a top-class restaurant, a terrace cafe, and roof gardens were not built. A tennis court, putting green, and a children's playground were also cut. A planned rooftop observation lounge became a simple enclosed viewing deck.
Torbreck's Impact
Even before building started, Torbreck caught the public's imagination. By May 1958, "Torbreck" was the most popular name for lottery groups in Brisbane. By mid-1959, the developers were so sure of Torbreck's success that they announced plans for similar projects. These were Torbreck-Surfers Paradise and Torbreck-Burleigh. Neither of these projects happened. However, Torbreck opened the door for apartment buildings in Queensland. Other projects that followed included Camden, Glenfalloch, and Kinkabool.
To market the property, the developers Reid Murray Developments Pty Ltd published a small brochure. It described Torbreck's features and showed floor plans for seven types of apartments. This brochure highlighted the "commanding and panoramic views of Brisbane" and the "cooling breezes" the units offered.
In 1962-1963, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Queensland Chapter) praised AH Job and RP Froud for the Garden Block at Torbreck. The architects also won other awards.
What Torbreck Looks Like
Torbreck is easy to spot from many places in Brisbane. It sits high up on Highgate Hill. It is a soft-modernist tall building. It is located between Dornoch Terrace and Chermside Street. The land is about 6,521 square meters. The building itself covers about 1,749 square meters. It has 150 individual units, with a total floor area of 19,892 square meters.
Torbreck has two buildings made of reinforced concrete and brick. They are built on a site that slopes steeply to the north. One is an eighteen-story Tower Block facing south. The other is a long, narrow, eight-story Garden Block facing north. The Tower Block offers wide views of Brisbane city. The Garden Block looks over a landscaped garden and a shared swimming pool. The Tower Block sits on four levels of garages and storage. It has a glass observation room at the very top. The Tower Block connects to the top floor of the Garden Block at the entrance level. The Garden Block is eight stories tall. It faces lawns and a pool, and you can also get to it from Chermside Street. The way the buildings are placed on the land makes the most of the northern views and sunlight.
The outside of the Tower Block has concrete sections that stick out. These sections have full-length verandas on the north and south sides. They also have balconies on the east and west, including small "Romeo and Juliet" balconies. These are angled to catch glimpses of the southern views. The east and west sections have tall, wide blue steel louvers. These are next to textured concrete panels. The building sits on a concrete-louvred base. It rises up to meet the observation tower at its highest point.
The Garden Block is a long, rectangular building. It has verandas to the north and walkways to the south. These walkways look over gardens with lawns, trees, and a kidney-shaped pool. It has brick walls on the east and west. All the brickwork on Torbreck has patterns and textures. Some bricks stick out to create this look.
The entrance on Dornoch Terrace has a tiled area under the building. It has large square columns. Next to it is a space with a glass wall that can be rented out. This entrance leads to a waiting area, a lift lobby, a hallway, and a concrete bridge. This bridge connects to a large concrete viewing terrace on the top floor of the Garden Block. You enter the Garden Block through a covered entrance for cars and a glass lobby.
Inside the Apartments
Torbreck has 150 apartments. These include studio apartments, one, two, and three-bedroom units, and penthouse flats. The walls between apartments are made of brick and reinforced concrete. The Tower Block typically has four apartments around a central service area. A single apartment wing extends to the north, and a double apartment wing extends to the south. The Garden Block typically has seven apartments next to each other. The apartments are well-designed to make the most of space and views. They have tall wooden sliding doors that open onto tiled balconies.
The building has thoughtful details for the climate and people living there. The balconies and verandas have concrete planter boxes. Above these are sloped steel railings with frosted glass panels. These provide both privacy and views. Metal sunshades with louvers above the Garden Block balconies help keep the heat out. Louvers on the Tower Block also help with comfort.
The walkways in the Garden Block have different colored checkered tiled floors on each level. This helps people know which floor they are on. The lift landings in the Tower Block also have different decorations for different levels. All landing levels in both blocks have steel garbage chute doors and wooden milk bottle hatches. The observation tower has sloping glass walls for better viewing. It also has a central stainless steel and brass dial that shows directions. From the observation tower, you get amazing 360-degree views of Brisbane and the areas around it.
Torbreck shows great design skill. It adapted the "international style" to its location, climate, and the needs of its residents. It makes the most of the site's natural advantages. This includes sun shading, louvers, and detailed railings. The original lift landing features and the observation room are also well-preserved. It also clearly shows the style of the 1950s in its outside shape and the materials used. This includes the textured brick and concrete work, and the use of steel louvers.
Torbreck is still largely the same as when it was built. It remains an impressive landmark in Brisbane. The areas around the building have many plants. These plants provide shade for the outdoor living areas and car park. Each apartment in Torbreck has at least one balcony. These balconies include planter boxes and glass railings. Torbreck is built from concrete and brick. It has detailed brickwork, stone, and timber to give it a homey feel. The building was originally planned to have shops and restaurants on the ground floor. These were never built.
How the Climate Influenced the Design
Job and Froud believed it was important for each apartment to have privacy, good views, and the right direction. These ideas, along with a trend called passive climatic design, shaped Torbreck's design. Passive climatic design was popular in Queensland, thanks to Karl Langer. This design style uses natural elements to control temperature.
Torbreck's design included special features to manage breezes, sun heat, and glare. It also maximized the use of natural light. For example, it used an innovative aluminum vertical blade sun shading system. The importance given to the outdoor garden spaces also shows how Brisbane's climate influenced the design.
Building Methods Used
Both blocks show different ways of building with concrete. The Tower Block is a typical example of a reinforced concrete structure from the late 1950s. The Garden Block, however, used a new system called 'lift slab construction'. This was the first time this method was used in Queensland. In lift-slab construction, each floor and the roof are built on the ground in a stack. Then, they are lifted into place along vertical supports.
The outside walls are made of cavity brick. This gives the building a home-like look and helps with insulation. Inside walls between apartments were double brick to reduce sound. Walls within apartments were not load-bearing. This allowed for easier renovations in the future. Different room layouts were also possible when buying off the plan.
The apartments had connections for televisions, which were quite new then. Each apartment also had a gas clothes drying cupboard. The building had a filtered water supply from tanks on the rooftop. A garbage chute was on every floor in both towers. Rubbish was originally burned in a basement incinerator. This was done at night so the smoke from the rooftop was less visible. The building used to have (and might still have) a mailbox in the lobby for sending letters. Mail is delivered to each floor by Australia Post, not to central mailboxes like in modern buildings. The rooftop observation deck was a common area for all residents. It was first planned to be a cocktail lounge, but this never happened.
To buy an apartment before it was built, an initial deposit was needed. Then, payments were due at certain times during construction. The rest of the money was due when the building was finished. One monthly fee per apartment covers council rates, water, and maintenance fees. At one point during construction, potential buyers could even see their future view from a helicopter! In the early years, there was little security. Locals from Highgate Hill used to walk through the lobby from Dornoch Terrace. They would then exit on Chermside Street using the Garden Block lift as a shortcut. The original Tower Block lift doors had a small rectangular window. Through it, you could see the different floors, concrete, and brickwork as you went up and down.
Why Torbreck is a Heritage Site
Torbreck was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on December 17, 1999. It met the following important reasons:
- It shows how Queensland's history has changed. Torbreck is historically important because it was the first multi-story apartment building in Queensland. It used a "company-title" system and was based on 1950s North American designs. Building Torbreck helped create the market for this type of apartment development in Queensland.
- It shows the main features of this type of place. Torbreck is important for its architecture. It is a well-designed example of a multi-story apartment building. Its site planning and details are especially good. The Torbreck complex is a great example of 1950s architecture and landscape design. This is seen in its shape, how it controls climate, and the materials it uses.
- It is beautiful and important to look at. Torbreck is important for its beauty and its social meaning. It is a well-known landmark in inner Brisbane.
- It shows high creative or technical skill from a certain time. The Garden Block used the 'lift slab construction' method very early in Queensland. This makes it important for its technology.
- It has a strong connection with a community or group. Torbreck is important for its beauty and its social meaning. It is a well-known landmark in inner Brisbane.
Images for kids
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Torbreck, Highgate Hill
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Torbreck tower, 2012
