Brisbane architects bureau^proberts have reimagined the traditional Queenslander for contemporary high-rise apartment living.

Walan is a 14-storey development located at the edge of the Brisbane River. According to Liam Proberts, bureau^proberts managing and creative director, the building can be described as a “Queenslander in the sky”.

“Walan breaks the mould of apartment buildings over the last decade and represents a new era of design for our climate and lifestyle in the river city,” says Proberts.

“We thought of each floor like a house in its size and connection to the outside. In a nod to the traditional Queenslander, all rooms open to a veranda edge, providing cross ventilation while maintaining privacy.

“Carefully selected travertines and natural stones for benchtops and walls feature throughout, referencing the surrounding cliffs of Kangaroo Point.”

The connection to these cliffs was key to the building’s design. Its unique façade of bespoke screens references the fissures and openings of the surrounding cliffs, while also modulating the light and heat of the all-glass building.

Each of the screens is slightly different, contributing to the design’s complexity and giving an individual feel to each residence.

Making the apartments feel more like individual houses, each whole-of-floor residence has its own unique pocket garden, some with full-size trees and shrubs that will grow over two storeys.

The building has been integrated with an existing heritage building on the site that was designed by Elina Mottram, Queensland’s first registered female architect.