'Best views in Brisbane': Horizon Collection, the luxe apartments atop Brisbane's tallest building

Life at the top of a soaring high-rise tower has an ethereal beauty those on the ground can only dream about. Panoramas of the sky, the tiny features of the city below and stunning sunsets and sunrises give sky homes a breathtaking backdrop.

At the 90-storey Brisbane Skytower, which reaches up 274 metres, the 360-degree views are likely to leave residents speechless. There’s all that’s immediate – the waters of Brisbane River, Story Bridge and the City Botanic Gardens – and afar – the Gold Coast, Moreton and Stradbroke islands.

Skytower, by developer Billbergia, is Brisbane’s tallest high-rise and the fourth-tallest in Australia. Between levels 82 and 89 is the exclusive Horizon Collection – 46 penthouses and apartments where the views are the best the building has to offer.

“They have the best views in Brisbane,” says building architect Noel Robinson of the NRA Collaborative.

“You can watch all the sailing events on the bay. The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron has an event every Wednesday called WAGS [Wednesday Afternoon Go Sailing], so you can see all the boats sail out to Moreton Island.”

The sheer height of the building and its outstanding views have quickly established Skytower as an iconic address.

It also lays claim to the highest outdoor infinity edge pool in the southern hemisphere. Located on the 89th floor, the pool along with a large outdoor entertaining area with barbecue facilities is exclusively for residents of the Horizon Collection.

Additional exclusive facilities include a gym, and on level 82 a private entertaining space designed to be flexible enough to accommodate functions to small group meetings.

Leading the high life in a Horizon Collection also entitles residents to use the services of the neighbouring Westin Hotel. This includes housekeeping and room service, all on a user-pays basis.

Adding yet more layers of luxury are the generous floor plans – some covering more than 500 square metres – and opulent fittings.

Lavishly finished with Caesarstone benchtops, mirrored splashbacks and timber-veneer cabinetry, the kitchens will be the highlight for those who love to entertain or just to bake in style. The floors are finished in semi-polished Carrara porcelain and to top it all off the kitchens come equipped with a suite of Gaggenau and Miele appliances.

It’s five-star style all the way in the bathrooms and en suites. Timeless styling, including high-end Villeroy & Boch basins and free-standing baths, ensures these elegant spaces outlast fashion changes. There is also scope for potential buyers to customise their apartments, says Robinson.

The uber-cool furnishings come from high-end furniture retailer Coco Republic. Senior interior designer Georgina Holmes chose quality products to match the standards set by the building’s design.

“For such an iconic building we had to make sure the furniture was fit for purpose,” she explains.

“So for the roof terrace we went with a luxe contemporary look. The pool is actually a salt-water pool, so we had to make sure the furniture up there would withstand not only the wind and the weather, but the salt water.”

Again aiming for long-lasting materials, Holmes and her team also installed concrete tables on the roof terrace. It achieves a solid, sculptural look while also tying into the grey palette achieved throughout the building.

At the level 82 lounge, the furniture had to suit relaxed small groups just as well as it did large formal gatherings.

“The space there and the furnishings we put in had to be extremely flexible for the multi-use purpose of that lounge to anything from meetings with a large screen and talks, to it being divided into three rooms,” Holmes says.

“We’ve provided stackable furniture, but also kept the luxe level by providing lounge chairs with a nice silhouette that are fully upholstered. There’s no having to fluff and puff every time it’s used and there’s a quick turnaround, it will still look beautiful.”

Priced between $1.6 million and $7 million, the penthouses and apartments in the Horizon Collection residences are attracting interest from local and international high-net-worth individuals plus empty-nesters, interstate purchasers and locals upgrading from older city apartment buildings.

“It’s perfect for people who want a proper quality new bolthole in Brisbane, a lock-and-leave situation,” says Murray Wood, partner at Knight Frank’s residential marketing Australia.

“Prices in Brisbane are going in the right direction and quality supply is very short. With the strength of the dollar, we’re definitely looking at offshore expats – high-net-worth internationals possibly buying for themselves or their kids to go to uni.

“It’s brand new and complete so they can move straightaway. Whether they come back to it now or hold onto it and come back later, they’ll see value in the building because it’s smack bang in the centre of Brisbane.”