Residences shaped by climate and context, for community
Rivière
Designed for Aria Property Group, Rivière’s distinctive sawtooth form references the striking and angular faceted shapes of Kangaroo Point Cliffs.
Guy Lake
Director, Bates Smart
The form opens up views of Brisbane’s iconic river, the Botanic Gardens and the city’s rapidly changing skyline.
The tower features a unique board-marked concrete and glazed brick façade. The high quality of the architecture’s materiality scales down to the 124 apartments, which are planned to maximise spatial efficiency and views. Each apartment is entered through a perforated metal screen that encourages residents to leave their front doors open, promoting community and allowing apartments to be cross ventilated through the naturally ventilated corridor.
The cross ventilation is further enhanced by breeze block sunscreens that allow sliding windows to be fully retracted. This, along with an optimised form and orientation help the architecture, as a whole, to leverage Brisbane’s subtropical climate and reduce the building’s overall environmental impact.
Native plants create a distinct landscape palette that stands apart from typical tropical plantings. The landscape works with the interior design to create an urban residential resort; the interiors balance elegance with warmth across all amenity areas. The result are shared spaces — such as Rivière’s stunning lobby and rooftop — that look and feel good, helping to build community across the building.
Brenton Smith
Director, Bates Smart
Details
Client
Aria Property Group
Collaborators
- Rivière Construction
- RPS Group
Location
Kangaroo Point | Turrbal and Yuggera Country, Australia
Sectors
Year
2023
Status
Completed
Area
25,500 sqm, 124 apartments
Awards
- Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) QLD, State Architecture Awards, Winner The Job and Froud Award for Residential Architecture - Multiple Housing, 2024
- Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) QLD, Greater Brisbane Regional Architecture Awards, Lord Mayor's Buildings that Breathe, Commendation, 2024
- Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) QLD, Greater Brisbane Regional Architecture Awards, Residential Architecture - Multiple Housing, Commendation, 2024
- Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), Residential Multi, Highly Commended, 2024
- Malcolm Middleton Awards, Housing Innovation, Commendation, 2025
Photography
Cieran Murphy, David Chatfield
