Brisbane Administration Centre
Encyclopedia
Northbank Plaza is an office building in the Brisbane
, Queensland
, Australia
. Located at 69 Ann Street
in the central business district, it is located immediately south of the Brisbane City Hall
. Until 2007 it was known as the Brisbane Administration Centre (BAC), and served as the administrative headquarters for the Brisbane City Council.
When originally opened in the 1930s the Brisbane City Hall
was intended to house all of the council's office staff, as well as councillors, together with public meeting rooms. However as Brisbane rapidly grew, the council converted many of the smaller public meeting rooms and vestibules to office space. Eventually by the 1960s offices were being built on the roof and in the basement of the city hall. Some council departments, such as the Transport Department, and part of the Health Department could not fit into City Hall and were located elsewhere.
During the tenure of Lord Mayor Clem Jones
(1961–1974) properties were acquired south of the City Hall with the intention of constructing a large office tower to replace the cramped conditions then prevailing in City Hall. The BAC was opened in 1975, together with a shopping plaza below street level. For many years the shopping centre struggled, owing to its awkward layout and dark interior. The plaza was completely revamped in the early 1990s, the shops were relocated to street level and their former location being taken over by a new public library.
The relocation of most council offices from City Hall to the BAC allowed the council to restore the City Hall's meeting rooms and vestibules to their original purpose and to undertake a thorough restoration of the building. This was largely completed by the mid 1980s. An underground public car park
is also located beneath the building.
In 2006 the city council moved its offices to another high rise office block Brisbane Square
, located in Queen Street. In 2007-08 the building underwent a $30 million upgrade in 2007/2008 and was subsequently renamed Northbank Plaza. The building supports 26,000m2 of office space over twenty-two levels, with the ground floor used as both a lobby and a small retail area. The tenants of Northbank Plaza are Telstra
, Parsons-Brinckerhoff, and Australian federal government departments.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Located at 69 Ann Street
Ann Street, Brisbane
Ann Street runs parallel to Adelaide Street and is the northern-most street in the Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. It is a major thoroughfare, running straight through the city and linking the suburb of Fortitude Valley with the Riverside Expressway....
in the central business district, it is located immediately south of the Brisbane City Hall
Brisbane City Hall
Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entrances in both Ann Street and Adelaide Street...
. Until 2007 it was known as the Brisbane Administration Centre (BAC), and served as the administrative headquarters for the Brisbane City Council.
When originally opened in the 1930s the Brisbane City Hall
Brisbane City Hall
Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entrances in both Ann Street and Adelaide Street...
was intended to house all of the council's office staff, as well as councillors, together with public meeting rooms. However as Brisbane rapidly grew, the council converted many of the smaller public meeting rooms and vestibules to office space. Eventually by the 1960s offices were being built on the roof and in the basement of the city hall. Some council departments, such as the Transport Department, and part of the Health Department could not fit into City Hall and were located elsewhere.
During the tenure of Lord Mayor Clem Jones
Clem Jones
Clem Jones AO a surveyor by profession, was the longest serving Lord Mayor of the city of Brisbane, Australia, representing the Australian Labor Party from 1961 to 1975.-Public life:...
(1961–1974) properties were acquired south of the City Hall with the intention of constructing a large office tower to replace the cramped conditions then prevailing in City Hall. The BAC was opened in 1975, together with a shopping plaza below street level. For many years the shopping centre struggled, owing to its awkward layout and dark interior. The plaza was completely revamped in the early 1990s, the shops were relocated to street level and their former location being taken over by a new public library.
The relocation of most council offices from City Hall to the BAC allowed the council to restore the City Hall's meeting rooms and vestibules to their original purpose and to undertake a thorough restoration of the building. This was largely completed by the mid 1980s. An underground public car park
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
is also located beneath the building.
In 2006 the city council moved its offices to another high rise office block Brisbane Square
Brisbane Square
Brisbane Square is a high-rise building in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The building has 38 floors and rises to 151 metres. The building's main use is for office space, the lower floors leased to retailers, with a 350-space car park below the building...
, located in Queen Street. In 2007-08 the building underwent a $30 million upgrade in 2007/2008 and was subsequently renamed Northbank Plaza. The building supports 26,000m2 of office space over twenty-two levels, with the ground floor used as both a lobby and a small retail area. The tenants of Northbank Plaza are Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
, Parsons-Brinckerhoff, and Australian federal government departments.