In creating a ‘New World City’ Brisbane’s entertainment offering must align with the progressive nature of the initiative. Being synonymous with Brisbane entertainment Fortitude Valley is a key part of the city’s transformation. Currently 5pm marks the close of the business day, there is a disjointed relationship between the city and valley which only begins to come to life from 9pm. These crucial 4 hours mark an opportunity to bridge this relationship.

Fortitude Valley’s success as an afterhours destination operating primarily from 9pm through till the early hours of the morning creates an opportunity to utilize and extend the range of the Valley’s offering. By bringing forward the Valley’s hours to include the evening (3-9pm) and promoting the use of underutilized spaces the precinct will attract a wider range of users and recalibrate its hours to suit recent Brisbane initiatives (‘City of Lights’ initiative and revised lock-out laws).

By utilizing Centenary Place as a bookend for the Valley, a connection can be made between the business district and the city. A trail of illuminated globes will draw people into and through the site – marking the Valley as Open for business’. These trails of light act to lead people towards focus areas which will be used to create a connection between the day and night as a live outdoor music venue marking the start of an evening. The illumination of the globes will mark the start of the night.

Activating an urban space that is in close proximity to transport hubs and a dense range of local business the proposal provides opportunity for further development of mixed uses in the area. These mixed uses include the catering of the venue, provisions for a flexible space and activation of a retail thoroughfare with pedestrian traffic.

In re-activating an outdoor space the proposal draws on Queensland’s backyard culture and temperate evening climate. Acting as a group meeting space the initiative creates a new precinct for social interaction and gathering with the intention of offering both free and bookable live music from local emerging and established artists. The proposal will offer Brisbane’s music industry an outdoor setting to develop artists with exposure to a wide and dynamic range of listeners in the public realm. Utilizing this area for the music industry draws on historical cues for the area including local radio, Barry Parade’s long standing guitar stores and Fortitude Valley’s record labels.

The deliberate decision to reduce the extent of new built-form within the proposal ensures there is minimal impact on the historical ecological landmarks. Using the established trees to provide shade and natural cooling for the venue, the initiative provides an opportunity integrate the existing ongoing maintenance of the area with a higher public use and renovation. Wireless embedded and innovative technologies are to be used in the area to create a platform for the booking of the spaces, event schedule and overall connectivity.

The full implementation of the proposal is intended to have minimal overall cost with the ability to be staged and having minimal built-form by using existing and new landscaping. The maintenance of the project would include a partnership with local council, Brisbane’s music industry and the private sector with implementation to consist of a six-month program.