KING GEORGE GREENING GAMBIT BARKING UP WRONG TREE?

King George Square: an expansive space once proffered to be the civic heart of Brisbane, now a hot glorified passageway braved by pedestrians for a quicker route between Ann and Adelaide Street. With government elections imminent, debate posturing a more habitable future for the Square has re-surfaced with Labour Mayoral candidate Rod Harding pledging $7 million to green King George. 

Rod Harding hosts picnic on fake grass to promote $7 million greening pledge

​It is no secret that Brisbane’s public has yearned for a shadier, more hospitable square since its barely assimilated redesign in 2009, however before we jump to spending a chunk of taxpayer money on the installation and upkeep of ultimately sparse greenery it is well worth considering alternative solutions drawn from the successes and failures of current and past Square iterations. 

KING GEORGE OF OLD
In its original incarnation King George Square embodied a bustling hive of activity with twin street-scapes and central public podium. Conceived as a formal forecourt to the majestic City Hall, the square’s true success lay in crafting an appropriate setting for the grand neo-classical building. Classic symmetry, apt scale, formal statue positioning, and use of pediment to emphasise the building’s hierarchy: classical architecture remains timeless for good reason. King George Square functioned as a lively civic centre with monumental significance to the public, city, and architecture: all without a single square meter of grass.

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​​1960’s ADJUSTMENTS
The need for a multi-level underground car park on site prompted a heavy redesign in the 60’s, culminating in the removal of the vehicle thoroughfare and raised ground level accommodating the facility’s entrance off Adelaide St. The redevelopments disconnected the City Hall; overwhelming a building already submerged in a sea of high-rise with a square almost double the size. Although the green grass seemed luscious in its conception the shear intensity of the sun, accompanied by thousands of daily footsteps, soon shattered the oasis illusion. Furthermore the central fountain, perhaps the Square’s most redeeming feature, had to be drained and filled with rocks due to leakage issues into the car park below. 

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2009 REDESIGN
An attempt by the Brisbane City Council in the 2000’s to rectify the Square’s status as civic hub fell regrettably short of public expectation. From its very conception the 2009 King George Square redesign was the subject of overwhelming disparagement with architects and locals alike criticising the overwhelming heat, glare, lack of shade, and consequent encapsulation of an ‘uninviting hot concrete wasteland’. With a senseless expanse of unforgiving grey paving in no way complimenting the beautiful sandstone hall, crude steel framed structures with grey metal roofs, oversized bus way entrance monstrosities, and seemingly arbitrary arrangement of structure the square’s future was undeniably bleak. Not to mention the timeless bronze statues displayed in all their majesty on… perspex light boxes. 

How, you may ask, was such a calamitous square design chosen for the $28 million council investment in the first place? In a little known fact the current design of the major civic space fronting our most significant civic building is the conclusion to a competition to redesign the Square held by the BCC in 2006. A competition tendering many designs that not only solved the shade issue, but reinstated the hierarchy necessary to celebrate the architectural beauty that is Brisbane City Hall. 

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Neylan Group's 2006 King George Square submission

AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH
In another little known fact Neylan Group was among the many firms that entered the 2006 competition to redesign the square. Our design centred on harnessing additive built form to provide shade, space for events, and restore much needed hierarchical balance to City Hall. By simply restoring the scale of the original square and reinstating the strong axial connection to the city the square regains its majestic stature. Built space for events removes need to set up messy marques with additional monetary gain in rent. The bus way entrance poses an unobtrusive integration into this building. The palm tree salutation is restored alongside the formal placement of the statue of King George: an arrangement befitting a square of such historic and cultural significance. Paving is split into directional arrays of colour complimentary to the sandstone hall. The Square becomes a dynamic civic centre celebrating the place of culture, commerce, history, and people in our beloved City. An active urban space with ample shade for the masses- not a picturesque parkland.

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With a revamp of the current square now firmly on the table, politicians would do well to revisit the bevy of alternate designs submitted to the competition. Particularly before spending large sums of taxpayer money on a greening venture that could easily fall short in fashion of its predecessor. King George Square is a square after all- not a park.