Largely abandoned since the 1960s, the historic 3.43 hectare Howard Smith Wharves site on the Brisbane River has been transformed to a world class riverside precinct. It includes more than 2.7 hectares of public open space, the 166 room Fantauzzo Art Series Hotel, an exhibition and events centre, craft brewery, and an array of restaurants and cafes.

The historic development was undertaken in two separate portions — the precinct and the hotel. The design and construction of the entertainment precinct and community space included significant civil works and landscaping. The scope encompassed the full restoration and transformation of the existing heritage buildings and wharf, plus the construction of a new 1500m² convention centre (Howards Hall), with two commercial kitchens and a viewing deck. Hutchies worked closely with HSW Nominees team to keep the Wharves’ historical essence, taking extra steps to create an authentic and energetic space that revitalises Petrie Bight and respects the value of the site. To cater for the vast number of expected visitors, Hutchies installed two operating substations, various toilet blocks and water enclosures.

2019 MBA Awards National President’s Award

2019 QMBA Awards Queensland Refurbishment/Renovation over $750K

2019 QMBA Awards Brisbane Refurbishment/Renovation over $5M

2019 AIB Professional Excellence in Building Awards Queensland Commercial Construction over $50M (High Commendation)

Anyone who knows Hutchies knows we’re all about community. So we were super proud to deliver this high-quality community space that celebrates its history and waterfront location. The development provides 30,000m² of parkland that connects local residents, nearby workers, and visitors to the city via the New Farm Riverwalk and Bowen Terrace. The new events and exhibition space can cater for functions of up to 1,000 people.

Throughout construction, we coordinated with the local community to make sure they were well-informed about construction progress and any activities that might impact. We published monthly updates on our website, distributed flyers to letterboxes and local businesses, and utilised community noticeboards around the area to make sure information was readily accessible to all.

Nestled under the Story Bridge at the base of a spectacular cliff face, the brand new Art Series Hotel by Deague Group was designed to blend into its rocky backdrop with a uniquely jagged façade of varying textures. The distinctive face of the building also provides a simple backdrop to the restored heritage buildings to allow them to stand out as the feature of the development. Inspired by acclaimed Australian painter Vincent Fantauzzo, the new six-story hotel is an immersion into creativity and contemporary luxury, boasting decadent suites, a rooftop pool, function rooms and a gymnasium.

The original concept for the riverfront boardwalk was to seat it upon a series of piles placed into the Brisbane River. Hutchies modified the design to incorporate a cantilevered steel beam structure for the boardwalk to sit on, rather than having it piled into the river bedrock. To assist with the cantilever — which spans out 5m — hollow core precast planks were used for a working deck which assisted with load bearing, with the final concrete finishes placed above. The new design maximised project and build, minimising time and benefiting our client through great cost savings.

With a tight construction schedule, we seized upon any approach that could expedite construction. We used Ortech panelling as finished ceilings on the main convention centre (Howard's Hall / Building 2), which allowed the roof to be used a walking platform, and enabled work to begin immediately below whilst the roof was still being installed, saving significant time and costs. The material also functioned well because of its strength, sustainability, reverberation control, and ability to reduce noise.

Hutchies used an acoustic ceiling to achieve the highest possible Rw rating and minimise reverberation of music from Mr Percival’s to alleviate any noise pollution. Our proposed value management included an alternative timber species, which reduced costs without compromising acoustic requirements. We gave the bar a minimalist look by seamlessly integrating the air-conditioning into the wall panelling system.