Architectural drawings, photographs and some associated records relating to the design and construction of the Torbreck residential complex at Highgate Hill, Brisbane. The Torbreck complex was constructed in 1958-1960, and was the first multistoreyed home unit development in Queensland. Rising prominently from the crest of Highgate Hill, Torbreck comprises 150 units spread across an eightstorey garden block and a fourteen-storey tower block, surrounded by landscaped gardens on a one and a half acre site. The complex was designed by Queensland architects A.H. Job and R.P. Froud, whose design ideas and innovative use of old and new materials were adaptations of the post-war International Style, in particular the North American model. At the time of its conception, Torbreck received support from the Queensland Government which considered high-density residential developments of this kind as one possible solution to Brisbane’s emerging suburban sprawl. After construction, the project’s developer, Torbeck Pty Ltd (later Torbreck Home Units Ltd), retained company title over the units. Unit owners became share holders in the company to the value of their unit’s purchase price, an arrangement that has persisted despite the introduction of the more popular strata title option in 1965. Torbreck remains substantially intact and continues to rank as one of Brisbane’s most prominent architectural landmarks.
