Illuminated Tower to Light Up Brisbane Olympics Skyline

It’s finally time for Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley to shine.

Wedged between the city’s newly declared Victoria Park Olympics precinct, nearby athletes village site and landmark Story Bridge, it will no doubt be a major backdrop to all the action of the 2032 Olympic Games.

And it will now be even harder to miss with plans approved for an illuminated 28-storey residential tower to rise on the skyline of the city-fringe hub.

The greenlit project—in the planning vernacular, that is—comprises 164 apartments and is earmarked for a 2270sq m site at 300 St Pauls Terrace.

It includes lighting integrated into the curved built form of the approved tower design “that showcases the building’s architecture and enlivens the streets”.

Luxe Property Investments, led by Tony Jo, is behind the development, which will be its debut residential highrise development in the River City.

“I grew up and went to school in Brisbane and Fortitude Valley has changed a lot since then,” Jo told The Urban Developer.

“It’s become a much more popular destination compared to the past, and we saw an opportunity to design something that really makes a statement for the Valley as an extension of the city.”

He said the announcement of Victoria Park as the location for the Olympics main stadium and aquatics arena, as well as the nearby RNA showgrounds as the site for the athletes village, was “a pleasant outcome”.

“We always thought it’d be at The Gabba but now the Olympics precinct is just two blocks away,” Jo said. “So, we’re really focused on this building not only doing justice to the area but also making Brisbane look great on the international stage.”

Under the scheme designed by McFarland Architects, a mix of 14 one, 48 two, 62 three and 40 four-bedroom apartments across 26 floors will sit above two podium and three basement levels.

As well, the scheme includes 1152sq m of communal space at the upper ground level and rooftop, including a gym, dining areas, barbecue area, pool, seating and landscaping.

Basement parking is provided for 157 cars and 205 bikes.

According to a planning report, the illuminated tower design “will contribute to the skyline at night and form part of Brisbane’s ‘City of Lights’ strategy…which contributes to a vibrant night-time economy”.

McFarland Architects director Blair McFarland said the tower’s design and integrated lighting had been “well received” by the Brisbane City Council.

“The Olympics announcement this week is a fantastic opportunity for Brisbane that will really activate key inner-city suburbs like Fortitude Valley,” he said.

“So I think this building will be the first of a wave of similar key developments that start to pop up in the area…that bring better design solutions than we've seen in the past.

“That’s only going to be accelerated with the Olympics in the area.”

Now that approval has been granted, the project will move into the detailed design phase. Construction is expected to begin within two years.

According to property records, the site—previously owned by the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland—changed hands for $9.35 million in December, 2020.

The proposed tower will replace a three-storey office building and associated car parking area.

*This post was originally published on https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/illuminated-tower-fortitude-valley-brisbane-olympic-games-2032-approval?utm_source=TUD+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=1a9897b052-daily-briefing-bne-2025-03-28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-bc756cfaf2-195663826