Located within the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge precinct, the project includes an 11-storey mixed-use medical research and innovation hub. The project aims to advance the treatment of a variety of health conditions and the development of new and emerging technologies across a range of health sectors. A 4-storey podium element accommodates retail on the ground floor, with office space and car parking above. The floor-to-floor height of these levels allows for conversion to office space in the future if the car parking is no longer needed. The tower floor plates are designed as flexible open plans that are easily split into multiple tenancies, making the spaces more sustainable for future uses.
Human interaction and communication form some of the core values of the design to facilitate the push for innovation. The wide and open stairways, external terraces and lobby lounge areas on each level encourage the use of common areas to create opportunities for interaction and cross-fertilisation of knowledge and ideas. These chance encounters could lead to the beginning of the next medical breakthrough. The permeability of the building facade allows people to move in, out and around the building from multiple points located within the public and semi-public domain.
The design response elegantly references the familiar design motifs through materiality, form, and texture whilst employing modern design principles and technology to situate itself within the precinct. At street level, a double height awning is supported on slender round columns which partially enclose the external entry plaza on both street frontages. A feature corner treatment, modulated and sculpted to address both street fronts, welcomes visitors with a transparent façade, showcasing the feature helical stair of the tower. This stair has been incorporated as the focal point of the design both visually and conceptually to encourage the use of stairs as the primary method of vertical circulation throughout the building and provides the advantage of naturally ventilating the building. A similar concept has been incorporated into the design of the open stair to the north of the building which provides a place to sit in the sun for short breaks throughout the working day.