Decade-Long Vision Realised for Riverside Gaia Apartments in Kangaroo Point

After more than a decade of planning, the developers behind the Gaia apartments project in Kangaroo Point can finally realise their vision, having secured approval from Brisbane’s local officials.


Read: Riverside Elegance: Unveiling Arden’s Eighteen Park Above Mowbray Park


It was not an easy path to approval for the Gaia development, as the development application received hundreds of submissions from residents who opposed the project due to several reasons, including potential traffic, access and parking impacts.

The developers eventually amended their plans, with two rather than three, 15-storey towers (aligning with surrounding approvals and the maximum height intent of the Neighbourhood Plan), and significant improvements to the ground plane. 

Artist’s impression of Gaia (Photo credit: DKO Architecture)

The development by Pikos Group will see two 15-storey residential towers constructed at 108 Lambert Street, comprising 215 luxury apartments oriented to capture sweeping views of the Brisbane city skyline and river.

Gaia, meaning “connected to earth,” aims to provide a holistic wellness precinct grounded in nature, according to Pikos Group CEO Michelle Wooldridge. The riverfront site will feature the city’s largest private parklands along the Brisbane River.

Gaia
Photo credit: DKO Architecture

The DKO Architecture-designed towers will offer luxury interiors with natural stone, timber flooring and premium appliances. Exclusive resident amenities will include a riverside pool and terrace with plunge pools, an indoor/outdoor gym, BBQ and dining areas, rooftop gardens, yoga lawn, outdoor cinema, private dining room and work lounge.

Gaia
Communal open space (Photo credit: DKO Architecture)

The developers are also currently in discussions with the Brisbane City Council about extending the riverwalk at the Gaia development site, with the goal of providing a pedestrian promenade along the river that would connect to the city and the Docklands City Cat Ferry Terminal.

Pikos Group founder and Executive Director Pedro Pikos said the vision for the 5,284 sqm riverfront site has been over 10 years in the making, gradually amalgamating eight separate lots.

Mr Pikos stated that Gaia would transform the rare waterfront location into an inner-city sanctuary that embraces its incredible connectivity to the river and city. He also said it would deliver Brisbane’s premier residential address and set a new standard for riverfront living.


Read: Kangaroo Point Wellness Campus Gets the Green Light


Construction on Gaia is expected to commence later this year, with completion slated for 2027. 

Published 4-April-2024

Lambert Street Development Appeal Worries Residents Over Council Backflip

Residents in Kangaroo Point are worried that Brisbane City Council could backflip on a rejected development application for a high-rise on Lambert Street, now on appeal at the Planning & Environment Court.



The group Say No to 108 Lambert St believes that despite Council’s commitment to fighting the appeal, there are concerns that it might enter into secret talks with the developer, Pikos Group. 

There is a precedent for their concern as the Council entered into a resolution process with the development of TriCare’s retirement facility in Taringa. Say No to 108 Lambert St said that this process was not conducted in a court hearing thus there are no public records of the resolution. As a result, the Taringa facility’s development will adapt minor amendments only, despite a number of opposition from the residents. 

Photo Credit: Say No to 108 Lambert St/Facebook

Residents also question the relationship of some Council members to Pedro Pikos, the head of Pikos Group, who was part of the Community Planning Team and served as the advisor for the Kangaroo Point Peninsula Neighbourhood Plan. 

A spokesperson for the Council, however, said that the planning team consisted of “local residents, workers, property owners, business owners and students” who are familiar with the area and could best provide inputs during the mapping out of the neighbourhood plan in meetings between 2016 to 2017.

Meanwhile, new evidence has emerged that one of the three buildings in the planned 108 Lambert Street development is beyond the height limit. Independent surveyors assessed that the 15-storey building’s height could actually be for a 16-storey building. This suggested that Council could has stronger grounds to win the appeal at the Planning & Environment Court. 



Check the Lambert Street development application at Developmenti Brisbane DA A005542190