Sunland's Abian tower a class above the rest The 40-storey Abian building is designed to attract well-heeled residents rather than investors looking to make a quick buck. WITH the Sydney and Melbourne apartment markets running hot, the talk is that Brisbane will be the next cab off the rank. And developers are answering the call. Luxury property specialist Sunland will officially launch its $220 million high rise project, Abian, early next year.Sunland managing director Sahba Abedian confides the group has started an expressions-of-interest campaign directed solely at its wealthy client base."We have been overwhelmed with the level of inquiry that we have received," he says. It's no surprise. On his reckoning, the tower is one of just two truly upper-end projects directed towards wealthy owner-occupiers to grace the city centre in the past 15 years. Brisbane's city centre is crying out for more luxury apartments as the city has grown more sophisticated and money has poured in on the back of the resources boom. "When you look at Brisbane, you start to discover the city has come of age," Abedian says. He cites the development of the city's much-lauded cultural precinct and Brisbane's growing vibrancy. Abedian is committed to developing a tower in which residents and other users interact well and which contributes to its overall setting. "The residential form endures for many generations and that notion of how it contributes is one we take very seriously," he says. Sunland has little to worry about on that score. The tower is designed to be a class above existing city buildings so it endures as a legacy for the group in Queensland's capital city. The curvilinear building, designed by Wood Marsh Architects, will stand out on the skyline with its 40 storeys of apartments encased within a pewter glass wall with a subtle gold tint. The location, on the corner of the city's Alice and Alberts streets, opposite the Botanic Gardens, will also provide some tranquillity, as well as the chance for some interaction between residents of the 142 apartments. Sunland wants to attract well-heeled residents rather than investors looking to make a quick buck. The entry level at Abian will consist of two-bedroom apartments rising to four-bedders and larger skyhomes. Average apartment prices are $1.6 million, with two-bedroom apartments starting from $700,000, three bedrooms with a study from $1.44m and four bedrooms plus a media room from $3.305m. The penthouses, comprising more than 1100sq m, are priced on application. Although Sunland is yet to release asking prices, the developer says the sub-penthouses and an 1100sq m two-level penthouse, complete with views of the Brisbane River and South Bank, are tipped to break Brisbane's residential apartment records. There are also soft touches. Living in Abian will be akin to a luxurious hotel with a 24-hour concierge service. Getting the details of the tower right are the key for Abedian as it will be for Sunland's entree into the Brisbane CBD. Abedian boasts the project will be one of the finest pieces of architecture in Sunland's 30-year history. Colliers International residential director Andrew Roubicek is marketing the apartments, and he says the timing is right, given Brisbane's property market has picked up during the first half of the year. "Inquiry level is up substantially and this is flowing into transactions," he says. He believes the project will take the city's apartments to the next level. Almost all of the units available in inner-city Brisbane are lower grade one and two-bedroom apartments. Now, Roubicek says, Brisbane has matured and the market is ready for a prestigious residential development. While Abian won't be on the same scale as Sunland's previous projects on Queensland's Gold Coast, where it developed Q1 in Surfers Paradise and the glitzy Palazzo Versace, the developer is counting on its reputation as one of the country's most innovative builders to make a splash on the Brisbane skyline.