We collaborated with the City of Gold Coast to deliver the Gold Coast Building Height Study – An Approach to City Image.

The Gold Coast, famous for its iconic tall building skyline, golden beaches, world heritage hinterland and world-class surf breaks is currently undergoing a period of significant transformation.

To retain its competitive advantage, the city needs to accommodate an expected population increase of 320,000 by 2036 in a manner that retains the city’s enviable lifestyle, protects its world-class environment and supports investment in public infrastructure.

Our design and planning teams, together with the Office of the City Architect and City Planning Branch, worked over a number of years to understand and capture the values that define the Gold Coast.

We then distilled those values into a suite of principles to guide developments across the city.  These principles will guide future strategic planning and development assessment decisions across the city.

Our approach enabled us to replace a blunt, binary approach to regulating building height with good, clear policy (and supporting regulation) that is deeply rooted in the values of the city. We’re proud of that, because we know that it will play a crucial role in shaping our city.