Albert Street Artwork, Brisbane Installation

Albert Street Artwork, Brisbane Car Park Building Project, Australian Design Installation Images

Urban Realm Development in Queensland, Australia

Albert Street Artwork, Brisbane design by Jennifer Marchant / Urban Art Projects

page updated 31 Jul 2016 ; 9 Dec 2009

Urban Art Projects’ sustainable artwork revitalises Brisbane car park

International studio Urban Art Projects (UAP) has completed a major art installation that transforms the streetscape of Albert Street, Brisbane, through the inventive reworking of an existing multi-storey car park into a highly sustainable, visually compelling art project.

Albert Street Artwork
photo © Apeture Photography

The artwork, ‘Landlines’, by Jennifer Marchant was developed and crafted in UAP’s studio in Brisbane. Wrapping around three elevations of the car park, the piece is created from 549 powder coated, laser cut aluminum panels, all 1.2m x 3.6m. Collectively these components of the design have been beautifully worked to represent the contours of a map of Cunningham’s Gap and the Main Range, Brisbane.

53 Albert Street has been a car park for thirty years. Architects Nettleton Tribe recently transformed the structure, retaining the existing nine-level car park and constructing thirteen levels of office space above. Urban Art Projects in collaboration with Jennifer Marchant were brought on board to enhance the visual character of the area, giving the development a real presence on street level.

Albert St Artwork 53 Albert Street Artwork Albert Street Sculpture Albert Street Building Artwork
photos © Apeture Photography

UAP formed the challenging brief for an integrated artwork that is both uplifting and highly functional. Visually, the artwork acts as a veil that conceals the exterior of an unsightly car park. The flowing lines of aluminum in the installation progressively diminish until only a thread like expression on the northern elevation remains.

Whilst the artwork transforms the architectural identity of the streetscape, it also acts an innovative sustainable design solution that significantly improves the project’s environmental credentials. The aluminium panels work to naturally ventilate the sub-tropical car park, a technique which has reduced the buildings carbon omissions considerably and saved the client over approximately £1m by avoiding the use of mechanical ventilation systems.

The inspiration for the design came from the undemocratic nature of most tall buildings, responding to how few people get the chance to take-in the view from the top. By illustrating the contours of the surrounding landscape, ‘Landlines” brings the view from the building down to the street level whilst also creating a visual pun that depicts a horizontal three dimensional landscape and applies it to a vertical structure.

Daniel Tobin, Principal of UAP, said, “53 Albert Street illustrates the huge potential value integrated artworks can contribute to a project, in this case saving the client money, significantly reducing the building’s carbon footprint whilst also enhancing the public realm.

53 Albert St lasercut drawing:
53 Albert St

“With this project we wanted to make visual connections to the surrounding landscapes which firmly route the work within its context and highlight UAP’s belief in site specific responses to public art.”

Albert Street Artwork Brisbane images / information received 091209

Location: Albert Street, Brisbane, Australia

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Urban Art Projects is a specialist design consultancy creating site-specific art and design commissions for architectural
and landscape environments.

The firm ensures that art and design outcomes align with a project’s aesthetic and the client vision. It collaborates with project teams in master-planning, art strategy, artist appointment, design, construction, installation and project management to ensure the creative intent of an installation is preserved and delivered on time and to budget.
UAP offers a unique turn-key approach to commissioning large-scale artwork and creative design solutions, providing low-risk solutions for clients.

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