Structurally glazed awning windows maximise living experience at luxury Brisbane apartments

Completed in late 2023, Upper House Apartments designed by Koichi Takada Architects offers residents a unique living experience. The design focuses on maximising natural light and space through minimalistic structurally glazed awning windows from Alspec, balancing wind pressure and achieving a 5-star Green Star rating.

Architecture & Design Team

20 Apr 2025 • 2m read • View Author

With architectural features inspired by Queensland’s iconic Moreton Bay fig tree, Upper House Apartments in South Brisbane is the city’s first project designed by internationally acclaimed Koichi Takada Architects. From the outset, the architects were aiming for high drama – and they succeeded!

The 30-storey apartment complex includes 188 apartments, three-metre-high ceilings, and Australia’s very first double-storey rooftop club.

To evoke a sense of maximum height and space and flood the building with an abundance of natural light, a local fabricator – Queensland Façades Systems – was briefed to provide and install minimalistic awning windows from the Alspec range.

The challenge, however, was balancing the extreme wind pressure the building is subjected to year-round with the need to maximise window openings. In addition, the building needed to achieve a 5-star Green Star rating, so energy efficiency was also top of mind.

Undeterred, Queensland Façades Systems suggested structurally glazed awning windows and a multipoint locking system, which rose to every challenge, to the complete satisfaction of the entire design and construction teams.