Guidance for designing with heritage sites

Heritage buildings and places are an important part of Queensland's quality, character, and identity.

When considered early and effectively during the design process, heritage inspires better ideas and more thoughtful designs. This helps creates places that are layered, distinctive, and memorable.

QHeritage: Designing with heritage places (PDF, 28MB) is a practical guide for anyone working with heritage sites. It aims to:

  • connect heritage policies, design quality, and development practices
  • build on the QDesign principles and apply them in a heritage context
  • provide practical guidance to help people confidently navigate the design and development process.

Developed by the Office of the Queensland Government Architect, QHeritage is part of the government's QDesign series—an initiative aimed to improve the quality of architecture and urban design across the state.

The QHeritage guide is arranged around 3 core themes, with each building on the one before.

Appreciation

Understand what heritage means, why it matters, and the value it brings to urban design.

Designing well with heritage starts with appreciation. This means understanding why a place is important, the stories and histories it holds, and the statutory landscape that protects it. By appreciating heritage, we create a shared understanding of what it is, why it matters, and how it shapes Queensland's cities and towns as they grow and change.

Attitude

Embrace the values and potential of each place.

There is no single way to design well with heritage, but the right attitude can lead to better outcomes. There are 4 ways to guide design responses in heritage settings:

  • Reveal—uncover what makes a place significant.
  • Rethink—see heritage as an opportunity, not a constraint.
  • Reimagine—reinterpret heritage with creativity and care.
  • Reconnect—strengthen the connection between people, place, and identity.

Approach

A clear, collaborative process for designing with heritage.

Achieving good outcomes in heritage design starts with a strong vision for the project and clear design principles, all carried out through a well-organised process.

There are 4 steps that outline recommended activities, expected outcomes, and 'check-in' points with heritage authorities:

  1. Data gathering and site familiarisation.
  2. Concept design.
  3. Design development.
  4. Implementation and delivery.

Throughout QHeritage, you’ll find examples of projects that show how these core themes and principles work in real life and celebrate good design.