Brisbane Ferry Terminals Revitalisation
Brisbane
Architect Photographer
Christopher Frederick Jones ©
CompletedFuture Project
Project Information
The rethinking of Brisbane’s inner city ferry terminals was necessitated by the January 2011 floods when most were destroyed. A competition was held for which, with Aurecon, we devised a radical de...
Read more
Project Information
The rethinking of Brisbane’s inner city ferry terminals was necessitated by the January 2011 floods when most were destroyed. A competition was held for which, with Aurecon, we devised a radical departure from the previous facilities. The new design is based upon observation of how the previous pontoons collapsed, as well as recognising a deficiency in how they functioned. During the floods, debris accumulated around and between the multiple piles encasing the pontoons, and against the gangplanks that connected the pontoons to the shore. The combined force pushed over the piles and destroyed the gangplanks. Our observation of how nature in action acts stimulated the relatively simple proposal to position only one tall pile on the upstream end of a hull-shaped pontoon. The pile is sized to withstand impact from any debris or escaped vessel, and shaped with the pontoon to encourage debris to drift past. A stretchable anchor chain at the far end will keep the pontoon steady. Seven such new ferry terminals are scoped in the project to date. We imagine, however, they are a model for flood resilience in many other locations, and we are developing other inventive models from houses to apartment buildings in recognition that flooding is not a aberration, but an endemic characteristic of river cities.
Read Less
Other Projects From Cox Architecture
Related Transport & Connections Projects