Archipelago’s work on the precinct planning and urban design studies for Cross River Rail, has developed into a fabric of significant city-making design proposals, one of which being – Brisbane Live. 

Brisbane Live is a once in a generation CBD civic entertainment venue legacy opportunity to heal the rail scar between Albert and Roma Streets.

Rich with character and opportunity but remarkably poor in physical connectivity, burdened by heavy rail constraints and topographical tyranny, the proposed Brisbane Live location nonetheless presents a location with the potential for exceptional and expansive connectivity.

It has been Archipelago’s profound delight to have led the urban design and landscape architectural concept design for the Business Case for this transformational project.

Our design team has worked in close collaboration with Woods Bagot and Populous in their respective leadership of the arena facade, commercial architecture and arena bowl and Arup in their provision of project management and engineering services.

Beyond the fundamental construction and engineering pragmatics of building over a main rail artery in the Brisbane CBD, the most significant project challenge and its greatest triumph, is the holistic manner in which Archipelago have thoughtfully and seamlessly stitched Brisbane Live into the complex urban topography. Importantly, our team has reimagined Emma Miller Place as the civic epicentre unifying the Roma Street Station, Wickham Park, the Courts Precinct and the Roma Street Parklands.

Our design response creatively unites the disparate topographies of these key CBD destinations in providing an Emma Miller Place as the arrival forecourt for Brisbane Live and a civic gathering destination with its own distinctive but complementary identity.

In emphasising its current and historic importance as a workers gathering place the design integrates equitable and cycle access and hostile vehicle management throughout the precinct whilst concurrently delivering rich subtropical shade and catering for event activation, security screening and crowd management.

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