The Brisbane City Council and the State Department of Environment and Heritage have completely failed in their duty of care to protect the legacy of the design of the MRD building and gardens designed by Carl Langer and built in the 1960s. The history of this building and the contribution of the gardens in the context of the overall design has been ignored by the planning authorities because a development approval has been granted which will destroy these gardens and impact severely on the amenity and setting of the MRD building (now named “The Johnson”).

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The Brisbane Times article”‘It’s too big, it’s too dense” referred to Cox Architects’ proposal for the West Village development.  View the article here.

Excerpt:

Cox Architects director David Cox said he believed there was more that could be done with the site.

“We’re just going to be left with taller and taller buildings littered all over the site,” Mr Cox said.

“I’m not anti-development, I’m just anti-bad development.”

Mr Cox’s proposal involved creating a ring of seven buildings around the perimeter of the site. The building height or number of apartments was not included, but Mr Cox proposed the buildings facing Mollison Street be about eight storeys to allow light and air into the courtyard and the buildings at the rear of the site go no higher than 15 storeys.

Mr Cox’s proposal allowed for 35 per cent open space, including a large internal courtyard of approximately one hectare.

Mr Cox also proposed a new transport hub by setting back the buildings facing Mollison Street to cater for lay-by areas, and said the original design had no access for emergency service vehicles within the site.

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Cox Architects have undertaken a wide variety of indigenous architectural work over the past 35 years in many different locations in Australia. This long developed experience was utilized recently in the completion of an international indigenous project in the Solomon Islands.

Cox Architects have completed the first part of a project in a remote region of the Solomon Islands by providing professional expertise and assistance in the construction of Infrastructure Works designed to improve the living standards and safety of the local community.

Besides the technical expertise provided, Cox Architects’ Project Manager Pacific Mr. Christopher Cox, lived and worked with the communities to ensure the implementation of the assistance programme.

With a passion for sustainable development, Christopher spent the last twelve months working on various projects on Vangunu Island in providing aid and assistance to these communities.

Christopher worked alongside local communities in extremely remote settings to install multi-function community shelters with access to clean water, renewable power systems and remote satellite internet connectivity. He worked closely to improve the longevity in these buildings by mitigating the effects of termite and tropical storm damage.

Christopher stated: “Due to the inter-connective nature of these local communities, the multi-function shelters developed were able to be used by health clinics, schools and religious organisations”.

Cox Architects have continued their assistance to these communities by providing a research scholarship to the same to enable these new ideas developed to flourish and continue.

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About the Green Dot Awards

The Green Dot Awards honor excellence in innovative environmental projects, products and services. They reward and promote forward-thinking businesses that create environmentally sustainable products or services and to reward revolutionary green business plans and proposals.

The purpose of Green Dot is to reward those who practice excellence in environmental responsibility. Recognition from the Green Dot Awards allows businesses to promote their products and services as items that are manufactured and delivered in an environmentally friendly manner.

Green Dot Awards was Juried by experts in the industry: Alison Kwok Ph.D, co-author of Green Studio Handbook; Christina Amacher, Braungart Consulting and EPEA GmbH; Christine Mason McCall, co-founder of GoGreen Online and GoGreenTV; Dave Evans, Author of Cool Green Stuff; Daniel D. Chiras Ph.D, Author of Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy; Darryl Hooks, CEO and President of ActiClean; Efren Zuniga Reyes, co-author of Green Graphics, graphic communication for sustainability; Kira Gould, co-author of Women in Green: Voices of Sustainable Design; Lori Dennis, best-selling author and star of HGTV’s The Real Designing Women; Luis Valenzuela, Founder of Green Art USA.org; Patrick Fry, designer and art director; Ruth Singer, sustainable and recycled materials designer; Steven Foster, President of the Steven Foster Group and commercial consultant for eco-sustainability; Shelagh McNally, writer and editor on environment issues; Tamsin O’Neill, Director of Green Press; Vicky Eckert Von Grotthuss, co-author of Green Graphics and owner of Flaflafeditions, a publishing house creating board games related to environment and culture.

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When those fires ravage the terrain, all too often urban or rural inhabited areas are in the

firing line and homes as well as other structures are destroyed.

The Xanthorrhoea 1 multi-function display building was opened at Thulimbah on Saturday and is the result of a research project started in 2005 by Cox Architects managing director David Cox which he said was intended to demonstrate it was possible to build in the line of fire.

“Every year houses are burnt out and people re-built in the same way which is dangerous as well as a gross waste of resources,” he said.

“I was convinced you could build in a fire zone and this structure has proven you can.”

Mr Cox said the building was constructed from inert materials which made it resistant to fire and designed to provide shelter during other natural disasters like cyclones and floods.

“It incorporates composite materials in its construction and is extremely resistant to attack which means we’ve achieved a standard of resistance not achieved before,” he said.

“The building is designed so it can be locked down and is thermally efficient so there is the comfort of knowing occupants will be sustained in cyclones and fires.”

While more expensive to build than a standard house Mr Cox said the building would pay off over time through its longevity and durability.

“We want this building to lead by example and it opens up the possibility of building in and enjoying areas you couldn’t previously,” he said.

“We don’t see this building as an end, we are committed to continuing research and development.”

The building is not open to the public but for more information on the Xanthorrhoea 1 project visit coxarchitects.com.au.

“New building is ‘disaster-proof’ article courtesy of the Stanthorpe Border Post.

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Cox Architect’s research work on Bushfire Resistant Buildings was recognised and the firm noted as a winner of the inaugural “What’s Your Big Idea Queensland” award.

The award, which received over 600 entries from all industries groups, provides industry recognition and government  financial assistance for further research work.

An intensive selection process over 4 months was held by industry experts. The jurors included:

• Former CEO of Virgin Blue, Brett Godfrey
• QUT Deputy Vice Chancellor, Arun Sharma
• QMI Solutions CEO, Jim Walker
• Vulture Street Consulting principal, Kate Morrison.

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