Podium plan for Coast

HIGHRISE towers with a slightly different look could become a trend on the Glitter Strip with the Gold Coast City Council looking for ways to make the best use of space.

The council’s planning committee yesterday was given a lengthy presentation about the use of podiums with highrise towers and how that effects the layout of the city.

A podium is when the bottom floors of a tower take up a larger area than the main tower.

Planning Committee chairman Cameron Caldwell said they are often used to put more shops and recreation areas on the street front.

“They are generally just a square base to a building and can generally be used to deter a wind-tunelling effect,” he said.

Cr Caldwell said the podium allowed recreation areas usually found in highrise building to be brought out into the street.

“We are seeing recreation areas being lifted up into podiums rather than being at ground level,” he said.

Examples of podiums already built include Circle on Cavill and the Q1 building.

The 103-storey Orion towers approved in May will also use a podium but for car parking.

“Car parking in podiums will be used in some areas of the city but it’s important to make sure that’s done in a sensible and sustainable way,” he said.