Orchid Avenue

Design Competition Entry

The Orchid Avenue project, with its centrally geographic location, was conceived to act as a Civic Plaza for Surfers Paradise. The buildings architectural expression is dramatic, plastic and sensuous, which will become a unique and dramatic signifier of the renewal of Surfers Paradise into a sophisticated and cosmopolitan international destination.

The Orchid Avenue project is located at the geographic centre of the Surfers Paradise entertainment precinct and was conceived as a civic plaza. The building is 5 Star Green Star rated employing natural cross ventilation, sophisticated solar responses, rainwater capture and storage as well as a trigeneration plant for hot water/cooling and electricity.

A unique concept comprising two landmark towers of 40 and 70 storeys in the heart of Surfers Paradise. Permeability and accessibility is core to the project’s success. Accessibility by all modes of transport and the ability to ‘be seen’ and to people watch is central to the design concept. The spectacular central space is intended to provide a central hub to the precinct that can double as an event space for the many festivals and events promoted by the Surfers Paradise Alliance and other council and community groups. It accommodates the day time and night time economy’s in a privately owned and thus controllable environment that is none the less civic in its nature.