Glenfalloch
Glenfalloch is a residential property situated in New Farm, on the banks of the Brisbane River, designed by architects Lund Hutton Newell Black & Paulsen and completed in 1962.
The architects designed the building to be naturally energy efficient with its north east orientation and windows on both the street and riverside to maximise cross-ventilation.
One of the first high rise apartment buildings in Queensland, Glenfalloch is built of reinforced concrete, steel and glass. According to its original sales brochure, Glenfalloch was the second tallest lift slab building in the world at the time of its construction. It is comprised of 17 storeys including concourse and two level car park.
There are 98 apartments including two penthouses. There are also extensive riverfront gardens and a swimming pool. The building contains two passenger lifts and showcases two impressive glass enclosed stairwells.
Glenfalloch is a heritage listed property, with a long and rich history, governed by company title.
Unlike strata titled units, where a person owns a unit in their own name, shareholders own shares in Glenfalloch Limited while the company owns the building and the land it occupies.
Glenfalloch has recently undergone renovations with an upgrade of the facade on the street side of the building being commenced in 2011 and the riverside upgrade being completed in 2019.
The name Glenfalloch has Scottish origins, deriving from the Gaelic ‘gleann-falaich’ meaning ‘hidden valley’.
History
Glenfalloch Apartments was designed by Lund, Hutton, Newell, Black and Paulsen and completed in 1962 at a cost of £750,000
It was developed by Stanley Korman and built by J.D Booker Constructions, and overlooks the Brisbane River. The site was previously the home of the Merthyr Bowls Club and Limbless Soldiers Bowl Club until it was sold.
It was the first high rise in New Farm and Queensland’s second residential high-rise at its completion.
It is the first completely prefabricated concrete residential high rise built in the Southern Hemisphere and is listed on the Brisbane City Council Heritage Register.
All Directors of the Architectural Practice worked on the design; however, Peter Newell’s climate responsive expertise contributed greatly to the livability.
The original plans of the building evidence extensive consideration given to solar shading in regards to the siting of the building on the block as well as the glazing. The building was designed to be long and thin without windows to the East or West, in order to deflect direct sunlight.
The most important rooms in the majority of units face North (they overlook New Farm instead of the Brisbane River).
The long thin design and siting of the building on the block is notable because it facilitates the most important rooms in the majority of units to be flooded in natural light and obtain airflow. Because of its design the building is passively cool in summer and passively warm in winter.
It is unique in that 60% of the land on which it sits is dedicated garden and outdoor living space leading to the river.
Modern improvements to the façade include new glazed aluminium, new windows, doors and balustrades. During the 1974 and 2011 floods which affected Brisbane, owners of the home units utilised a flood deflection barrier system devised and made onsite prior to 1974, as well as sandbagged the garage and driveway areas preventing the flooding of lower level apartments.
The garden was designed by renowned Landscape Architect, Arne Fink, an early adopter of using native plants in residential landscapes. The garden cost approximately £1500.
Plans of the designs for Glenfalloch are held in the University of Queensland Fryer Library.
