Rising 33 storeys above South Brisbane, Upper House delivers 188 apartments beneath a sculptural timber pergola drawn from the buttress root system of the native Moreton Bay Fig. Designed by Koichi Takada Architects for Aria Property Group, the West End development was an entrant in the Multi Residential category at the 25th Australian Timber Design Awards — and ranks among the most ambitious expressions yet of biophilic design at height.
For Koichi Takada, the project set out to answer a problem he sees as endemic to tall buildings. “High-rise lifestyle has become so detached and disconnected – from the community, from nature, from one another,” the architect said. “With Upper House, we are looking to challenge that and establish a new model for vertical living that is, at its foundation, about connection.”
That ambition is written into the tower’s form. Three meandering timber pillars climb the facade, with apartment balconies arranged to “offset the roots” as they rise — a device Takada calls the building’s “architectural roots.” “We always turn to nature for inspiration,” he said in early 2024. “The ‘architectural roots’ map out a journey [that] stabilises and anchor the tree – or in this case building – to its prime location.” More than 3,500 trees and shrubs were planted across the site, which Takada said allows the building “to breathe.”
A Canopy Engineered Piece by Piece
The project’s centrepiece sits at its summit. The rooftop pergola is a first of its kind in Australia: a three-dimensionally bent glulam structure in PEFC-certified Siberian Larch, assembled from 672 individually coded elements CNC-cut from tri-dimensional production files and pieced together on site. Engineered and supplied by Theca Timber, with structural engineering by Michael Bale & Associates, the canopy stores roughly 46 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Set within the pergola are two floating timber “nests,” steam-bent from Ash and positioned on opposite sides of the tower. Linked by footbridges from Level 32, they form an open-air cocoon offering uninterrupted views across Brisbane and the ranges beyond.
The rooftop is planted with 3,544 native and tropical species — “carefully selected for their ability to thrive in the Queensland climate,” Takada said, creating “a resilient landscape and mini ecosystem that adds vitality to the rooftop setting.”
The timber carries indoors. Victorian Ash clads the walls and ceilings of the lobby, while bespoke timber panelling wraps the resident bar of the Upper Club, the building’s wellbeing and social hub. Takada described these shared spaces as “gravitational,” designed to address what he called “a connection deficit” at the heart of vertical living.
Upper House’s environmental credentials match its ambition. The building achieved a 5-Star Green Star rating and an 8.4-Star NatHERS rating, is committed to 100% renewable energy, and recycled 93% of its construction waste.
Since its entry in the 25th Australian Timber Design Awards, the project has been widely recognised — collecting the INDE Award for Multi-Residential Building, two CTBUH Awards of Excellence, two Architizer A+ People’s Choice Awards, the AIA Queensland Award for Sustainable Architecture, and the Urban Land Institute Asia Pacific Award of Excellence.
Entries for the 27th Australian Timber Design Awards Now Open
Entries for the 27th Australian Timber Design Awards are now open and close on 29 May. To enter your project, visit timberdesignawards.com.au/how-to-enter/.
