# 1 William Street, Brisbane

1 William Street (colloquially known as the Tower of Power) is a skyscraper in William Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. At 259.8 metres (852 ft), it is the third-tallest building in the city and 12th-tallest building in Australia as of 2022. The modernist office building is located in the Brisbane CBD, and in close proximity to the neighbouring Parliament House. The building was developed for the Queensland Government as part of its plan for a renewed Government Administrative Precinct and to meet accommodation demands. It was completed in October 2016 with over 5,000 government staff moving in over six weekends.

## History of the site

The site was formerly bisected by Short Street and comprised a number of different allotments and uses. Buildings occupied the area as early as 1854 and it was used for a variety of functions including; manufacturing, warehousing, shipping, housing, and electricity generation.
The Queensland Government began purchasing the properties in the 1960s as part of their Government Precinct development scheme and began demolishing the existing buildings, some dating to the 1850s. The demolition of the adjacent Bellevue Hotel and construction of 80 George Street saw the spoil from there dumped on the 1 William Street site. Short Street was closed and all of the site was amalgamated into one allotment, 1 William Street.
In 1974, the site was allocated for future government offices.
1 William Street is a 6,778-square-metre (72,960 sq ft) site, owned by the Queensland Government, and from 1982 until 2013 it was used as a government car park. The site encompasses a whole city block between William, Alice and Margaret streets and Riverside Expressway.

## Cultural heritage significance

The site has archaeological potential of possible cultural heritage significance. Remnants of 1850s buildings are visible above the current ground level and it is likely that significant sub-surface fabric survives.

## Development

In August 2012, Expressions of Interest were called for from experienced organisations interested in bidding for the project. It was proposed that the site would be available to the successful party under a long-term lease arrangement and that the Queensland Government would take a long-term lease over approximately 75,000 m$^2$ (810,000 sq ft) of the office space in the development.
In September 2012, six developers were shortlisted to develop proposals for a new high-rise tower. The shortlisted companies were Cbus, Lendlease, Brookfield, Westfield, Leighton Properties and Grocon.
In December 2012, Cbus was announced as the developer for 1 William Street. The developer was granted a 99-year lease over the site and a guaranteed 15-year government lease for 60,000 m$^2$ (650,000 sq ft) of office space.

## Design

1 William Street has a gross floor area of 119,977 m$^2$ (1,291,420 sq ft) and a net lettable area of 74,853 m$^2$ (805,710 sq ft) of office space, excluding retail which covers 1,169 m$^2$ (12,580 sq ft). The design includes 318 car bays.
About 60,000 m$^2$ (650,000 sq ft) has been allocated for government space, leaving around 15,000 m$^2$ (160,000 sq ft) to be subleased by the private sector. It is intended to receive a 5-star NABERS office energy rating and a 3-star NABERS office water rating. The building is the first new commercial office building developed for government in the Brisbane CBD since the completion of the government office building at 33 Charlotte Street in 2004.
The theme and colour scheme for each floor has been dedicated to a Queensland icon or natural phenomenon.
| Level | Themes |
| G to 2 | base palette (neutral cream, brown and grey tones) |
| 3 to 5 | Barramundi |
| 6 to 8 | Moreton Bay Fig |
| 9 to 11 | Saltwater Crocodile |
| 12 to 14 | Coloured Sands |
| 16 to 18 | Purple Fan Coral |
| 19 to 21 | Cassowary |
| 22 to 24 | Green Tree Frog |
| 25 to 27 | Pineapple |
| 28 to 30 | Orange Pore Fungi |
| 31 to 33 | Outback Sands |
| 34 to 36 | Sapphire |
| 37 to 39 | Sugar Cane |
| 40 to 41 | Water Dragon |

## Construction

The construction, which was undertaken by Multiplex, commenced in early 2013 and was completed in 2016. The groundbreaking of the site, attended by Treasurer Tim Nicholls and Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, was held on 4 March 2013.
From 1 October 2016, nine full departments and agencies, all state government ministers, most Directors-General and more than 5,000 public servants moved to 1 William Street. Some sections from 11 other departments also shifted to 1 William Street, while other sections of these departments will move to other buildings in the inner-city. Three buildings were demolished: the Executive Building at 100 George Street, the Executive Annex at 80 George Street and the Neville Bonner Building at 75 William Street.

## Tenants

The building houses between 5,000 and 6,000 public servants. The entirety of the 1 William Street building is occupied by various departments in the Queensland Government:
* Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts
* Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (also 41 George Street)
* Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (plus 111 George Street)
* Department of Education (plus 54 Mary Street)
* Department of Energy and Climate
* Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (plus 400 George Street)
* Queensland Health (plus 33 Charlotte Street)
* Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works (plus 41 George Street and 60 Albert Street)
* Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning
* Department of Justice and Attorney-General (plus 400 George Street)
* Department of the Premier and Cabinet (plus 400 George Street)
* Department of Resources
* Department of Employment, Small Business and Training
* Public Sector Commission
* Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water (plus 140 Creek Street)
* Department of State Development and Infrastructure
* Department of Transport and Main Roads (plus 61 Mary Street, 313 Adelaide Street)
* Trade and Investment Queensland
* Queensland Treasury
* Department of Tourism and Sport (plus 63 George Street)
* Queensland Corrective Services
* Queensland Fire Department
* Queensland Ambulance Service
* Queensland Police Service