Daisho Group Launches $300M Speculative Office Project in Brisbane’s CBD

By Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Queensland, Australia—Japanese developer Daisho Group has recently broken ground on a $300 million office tower in Brisbane, the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland.

According to Architecture & Design, the 34-story commercial project will bring the first speculative high-rise on the city’s skyline since the start of the global financial crisis. Colliers International and Knight Frank are the project’s leasing agents.

“As Watpac begins principal construction works, local and interstate companies are showing keen interest in becoming tenants of 180 Brisbane when it is completed in late 2015. These include mining and resource companies, professional service firms and others looking to establish or expand their presence in the Brisbane CBD,” Yasuo Iwasaki, Daisho Group’s general manager, says.

Designed by Crone Partners, the new building at 180 Ann Street will offer approximately 630,000 square feet of space, including large floor plans, ground floor retail, a food court, an on-site management office and basement parking. Amenities also include direct escalator access off Ann Street, extensive landscaping, generous lounge and meeting spaces, secured bicycle storage, along with jogger and cyclist changing rooms, showers and lockers.

One of the most notable architectural features of the 180 Brisbane tower will consist of a distinctive river-shaped graphic wrapped around the building’s façade.

The project aims to achieve a 6 Star Green Star and 5.5 Star NABERS Rating. Environmentally sustainable design features include reduced water and energy consumption, increased levels of fresh air, as well as a creative use of glass, which maximizes natural lighting inside the building.

“Daisho has owned 192 Ann Street since 2001 and 180 Brisbane will be another high-quality addition to the city and Daisho’s long-term investment here. It will also rejuvenate the CBD by forming a new hub which links key parts of the city’s center,” Iwasaki adds.

Headquartered in Japan, Daisho Group is an international property developer with offices in Malaysia and Brisbane. Since it was founded in 1986, the company has amassed a portfolio currently valued at more than $1.5 billion.