What makes a Project of the Year? Inside Toowong’s Monarch Residences

Monarch Residences has been named Project of the Year at the 2026 UDIA Queensland Awards for Excellence, the top honour at the awards run by the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Queensland, the state’s industry body for property developers. 

It also won Apartments (High-Rise) and Community Engagement, and was a finalist in Urban Renewal.

Awards are one thing. What’s more useful is what sits behind them. Here’s what stands out about the 224 apartments across two 15-level towers on the Brisbane River in Toowong.

A rare riverfront site, brought back to life

Direct river frontage on this scale, this close to the CBD, is hard to come by. 

The 1.2-hectare site had been an underused, derelict block before Monarch, and more than 130 metres of river frontage now sit at the centre of a thriving residential precinct. 

It took four years of planning and delivery to get there.

History kept at the centre

Middenbury House, a heritage-listed home built in 1865, sits at the heart of the site. 

Rather than being cleared, it’s been restored and woven into the masterplan (the overall design for the whole site), with a boutique tenancy planned for the riverfront. 

The home also has a good story: according to the project’s history, it once hosted a party for the then Prince of Wales in the 1920s.

Homes designed to live like houses

Wardle led the masterplanning, architecture and interiors, with Cottee Parker as delivery architect. 

The homes were designed to feel like houses, with generous proportions, open-plan living and plenty of natural light. 

The muted palette of porcelain, timber and stone takes its cues from the riverbank, with Queensland-style batten detailing and a choice of two colour schemes, Champagne and Bronze.

Delivered, then lived in

All 224 apartments are now settled and in the hands of owners, including many people who traded a traditional house for apartment living. 

Brisbane City Council noted that, at a time when many projects have faced delays, Monarch was delivered efficiently, with council and utility providers working together to clear the way for settlements. 

Residents also have access to River Living, an on-site property management service launched by the developer.

Community, not just construction

The Community Engagement award recognises how a development connects with the people and place around it. 

At Monarch, that includes restoring a piece of local history and giving a once-private riverfront home a new future in the neighbourhood. 

Consolidated Properties Group says the achievement is shared with its project team and partners.

A great site, design that lives well, a build delivered properly and respect for what was already there: it’s a short list, and it’s not easy to get right.

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