Place Design Group

22/08/2025

Place Design Group is proud to support the Centenary Pools Project, a community-led initiative celebrating one of Brisbane’s most iconic examples of modernist architecture.
 
Designed by City Architect James Birrell and opened in 1959, the Centenary Pool Complex has been a defining feature of Brisbane’s civic and cultural landscape for more than six decades.
 
Through a landmark publication and exhibition, this project invites the public to share stories, artworks, photographs, and memories that capture the enduring spirit of this Brisbane landmark, and to reflect on its role in the city’s future as we move towards the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
 
Find out more via
 

22/08/2025

On Tuesday, we celebrated the official opening of the redeveloped Girraween Visitor Precinct in Girraween National Park, a project two years in the making.
 
This special occasion was marked with a welcome ceremony by representatives of the Kambuwal Aboriginal Corporation for Culture, Heritage and Land, whose knowledge and contribution were central to the project. The Girraween visitor building was officially opened by the Honourable Andrew Powell, the Minister for the Environment and Tourism, and Minister for Science and Innovation.
 
Place Design Group designed the external spaces to reflect the natural landscape patterns and forms of Girraween National Park and the Granite Belt region, collaborating closely with the team to ensure good synergy with the built form and interpretive displays, and a sensitive integration into the Park environment. Our design featured elements which have special significance to Kambuwal representatives, including granite boulders, hand laid granite walls, cultural depictions, such as carpet python pattern sandblasting, and the use of native plants found at Girraween.
 
The upgrades highlight the Queensland Government’s ongoing commitment to enhancing visitor infrastructure across our national parks for visitors and staff, ensuring these iconic places continue to inspire and welcome all tourists who visit.
 
Client: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Landscape Architects: Place Design Group
Architects & Lead Consultant: Lightbox Architecture and Interiors
Lead Contractor: Bryant Building Contractors
Civil & Structural Engineers: Bligh Tanner
Traffic Engineer: TTM Group
Stone Mason: Albert Piper

31/07/2025

Our Brisbane studio is growing, and so is our impact.

As our national consultancy continues to grow, we’re proud to see that momentum reflected in our Brisbane office. Four new team members have joined us, bringing fresh perspectives and deep expertise across planning, landscape architecture and urban design:

- Owen Haslam – Senior Associate Planner
- Micheal Jones – Associate Landscape Architect
- Giovanni Veronesi – Senior Designer
- Sophia O’Reilly – Senior Urban Designer

These appointments bring multidisciplinary insight that will strengthen our team and help shape the future of our Brisbane practice.

25/07/2025

Menangle Park Taking Shape

Construction is nearing completion on Hilltop Park. It will deliver a connected, flexible space designed for an active, green, and community-focused future.

Project: Menangle Park Town Centre
Client: Dahua Group
Landscape Architects: Place Design Group

18/07/2025

Boat Harbours Fast Tracked for Queensland Future…

Having partnered with Transport and Main Roads Queensland on the early master planning for and Boat Harbours, our team is proud to continue this work and extend it to and Bay to unlock economic growth for these critical coast communities. This week the Queensland Government announced investment in an accelerated master planning process across its eight government-owned and managed boat harbours.

The investment will lay the foundation for community access, business and service opportunities, and jobs across marinas, slipways, chandleries, public boat ramps and maritime tourism.

The Queensland Government is fast-tracking master planning for the State’s eight Government-owned and managed boat harbours. It says a $13.2 million investment in accelerated master planning, backs the maritime industry to support jobs, boost tourism, and unlock economic growth in coastal communit...

11/07/2025

Week 2025 celebrates a 50-year milestone honouring First Nations voices, culture, and resilience. It has been an important opportunity for us to reflect, recognise and learn of the enduring strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and how we can participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.

Our teams across , have taken part in a range of activities this week to deepen our appreciation and understanding of this year’s theme - The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy. Participating in the opening of NAIDOC 2025 Exhibition at Birrunga Gallery with Artist Kane Brunjes, engaging in a cultural awareness tour at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney to learn about the resourceful nature of our native plants and taste some of our native fruits, and sharing food from Dreamtime Kullilla-Art across all our studios and learning of how these were traditionally made and enjoyed.

It has been a fantastic week, and a key part of our ongoing learning journey of how we can connect with Country and with each other.

30/06/2025

Urban Artwork I Cotton Tree, Sunshine Coast
A vibrant addition to Cotton Tree Park, this bold pop art mural—commissioned by and created by —transforms everyday ping pong tables into striking urban canvases. With its high-contrast design and contemporary style, the mural enlivens the park and enhances the urban fabric, adding a creative spark to one of Maroochydore’s popular community spaces.
Located near basketball and netball courts, the playground, and picnic areas, this artwork enhances both leisure and landscape—celebrating art in action within Des Scanlan Park.
 
 
 
# PingPongTables # DesScanlanPark

28/06/2025

Honouring artists and the powerful usage of art in murals. From revitalising town centres to cityscapes, murals bring people together and inspire conversations as well as beautify public spaces.

24/06/2025

MENANGLE PARK | Open Space, Landscape Strategy
Delivering a benchmark in master planned communities, construction is underway in key open spaces within this 500ha development in southwest Sydney integrates 140 ha of vibrant, accessible public open space — connecting people, place and nature.
Led by Place Design Group for Dahua Group Australia, the Menangle Park Open Space and Landscape strategy covers detailed landscape character initiatives, open space recreation, street tree planting and active transport connections. It celebrates the site’s natural assets to provide inviting and memorable places for residents and visitors of the future.
A significant feature of the landscape framework is the ‘green spine’ – a 1.25ha linear park running through the development. The green spine offers a variety of fine-grain social spaces that will deliver social interaction and engagement, provide passive surveillance and connect pedestrians and cyclists directly to over 80% of the extensive open space network.
Project: Menangle Park Town Centre
Client: Dahua Group
Landscape Architects: Place Design Group
Image credit: Dahua Group
LANDSCAPE | PLANNING | URBAN DESIGN | VISUAL DESIGN
 
 
 

23/06/2025

AURA I Baringa Town Square, Public realm 
A vibrant public realm at the heart of Stockland’s future city, a key community destination. Baringa Town Square is a bold expression of place, purpose, and community. Adjacent to 700 hectares of conservation reserve, this inclusive destination blends nature with human-centric design to engage the community —featuring a vibrant community hub, including an urban youth skate plaza, social lawns, seating pods, picnic facilities, immersive design, youth-focused amenities and bespoke Baringa scalable signage. A true glimpse into Aura’s green, distinctive, and human-centric future. The design focused on allowing the environment to flow into the space, achieved through soft feathered edging and a boardwalk viewing platform to promote the area’s melaleuca character.
We are pleased to be working with Stockland on the evolving stages of Aura, spanning landscape design and current wayfinding.
 
 
 
 

20/06/2025

RAK | Feature A postcard from Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE, , Principal, features in PIA’s Winter Edition of The Agenda a spotlight on our planning project currently underway in this northernmost Emirate in the United Arab Emirates.

We are pleased to share this contribution as part of PIA’s current edition of The Agenda.


Al-Khaimah
# UnitedArabEmirates.

20/06/2025