Lady Norman shortlisted for National Trust Queensland Heritage Awards 2026
The Lady Norman Building has been shortlisted in the Built Conservation category of the 2026 National Trust Queensland Heritage Awards, recognition that reflects years of careful, collaborative work to bring one of Brisbane's most significant Victorian-era structures back to life.
Completed as part of the broader Herston Quarter redevelopment, the project involved the sensitive refurbishment and adaptive reuse of the Lady Norman Building, a late-Victorian hospital ward constructed in 1895 as part of the former Brisbane Hospital for Sick Children. State heritage listed and long recognised as a landmark within the Herston precinct, the building had suffered decades of intrusive alterations that obscured much of its original character.
Elevation Architecture's role was one of stewardship: conserving and revealing what remained while carefully integrating the services, accessibility and safety upgrades required for contemporary commercial use. The pavilion plan, which once promoted passive ventilation and natural light across open ward spaces, remains the primary spatial organiser. Ripple iron ceilings, original verandas, fireplaces, joinery and a rare surviving 19th-century operating theatre with its original lantern skylight have all been carefully conserved.
The design deliberately contrasts new interventions against the original fabric, restrained and contemporary in character, never competing with what came before.
A key project objective was reconnecting the building with Herston Square, restoring its civic presence and strengthening its relationship to the surrounding public realm. Lady Norman is now positioned as the cornerstone of Australian Unity's Herston Quarter masterplan: a building that looks outward and forward, while remaining honest about where it came from.
The project was led by Elevation Architecture's Andrea Picanza and Patrick Thomas, supported by an exceptional client and consultant team including Australian Unity, heritage architect Ruth Woods, structural and civil engineers ADG, and a broad group of specialist consultants. The outcome is a demonstration of what heritage conservation can achieve when all parties are genuinely committed to the building's future.
The National Trust Queensland Heritage Awards shortlist is a strong acknowledgement of that commitment.
Image: Kian Gee Kee