Brisbane’s high-end apartment market has evolved considerably in recent times, with increased interest from owner-occupiers expecting more from their new homes.
Demand for spacious, design-led apartments has soared, driven by strong population growth and interest from affluent buyers.
The latest Urbis Apartment Essentials National Snapshot report revealed in Q2 of 2025, 56% of buyers of projects under construction and in pre-sales in inner Brisbane were owner-occupiers.
Pikos Group founder and executive director Pedro Pikos says with apartments now outperforming houses in terms of growth, it’s changing how people think about them.
“Brisbane’s high-end apartment market has shifted toward larger, owner-occupier focused homes, supported by strong population growth and increasing confidence in the city,” he says.
“Historically in Brisbane, downsizing came with a trade-off – you were choosing lifestyle and lower maintenance, but you weren’t expecting the apartment to perform the same way as your house.
“What’s changed is not just the market, but the product.”
Brisbane is becoming a hotspot for discerning, luxury-minded apartment buyers.
Brisbane’s prestige downsizer shift
Kangaroo Point’s River Terrace spans 550 metres of riverfront and is widely regarded as one of Brisbane’s most tightly held residential addresses.
Established in this coveted enclave is Skye by Pikos, a benchmark project perched atop the Kangaroo Point cliffs featuring 64 large-format three-bedroom apartments and five penthouses across three 14-storey buildings.
It’s the combination of proximity to key attractions, outlook and absolute scarcity that make both River Terrace and Skye so appealing.
“You’re right on the CBD, but elevated above it, with uninterrupted river and city view lines that simply can’t be repeated,” says Mr Pikos.
“The position along the Kangaroo Point cliffs gives it a sense of permanence that you don’t get elsewhere.”
Alongside the showstopping views and central location, Mr Pikos says the project’s success is down to designing Skye in response to Brisbane's prestige downsizer shift.
“With Skye, we introduced a different type of product – larger residences with lower density and a higher level of finish – and saw strong demand at that level.
“It demonstrated that the market support higher price points when the product is delivered properly.”
With exceptional views of the river, Skye by Pikos offers downsizers a luxury home in one of Brisbane's most exclusive neighbourhoods.
Space, innovative architecture and climate-responsive comfort
At Skye, the apartments are designed to replace a traditional house.
They are primarily three-bedroom residences, but it’s the way they’re planned that matters more than the bedroom count, according to Mr Pikos.
“The intention is that when you move in, you’re not adjusting your lifestyle to suit an apartment. The apartment is designed to support the way you already live,” he says.
“You’ve got expansive living zones, full kitchens, generous storage, and large outdoor areas that function as real extensions of the home.
“We reduced the number of residences per floor to two, which allows for better proportions, natural light, ventilation and privacy.”
The building is broken into a series of forms rather than a single volume, reducing its scale against the cliff face and allowing it to sit more naturally within the landscape.
The façade is articulated through deep balcony recesses and integrated planter zones, which soften the edges and create depth and shadow that aligns with the cliffs.
Internally, the material palette draws on the same language of permanence and texture, creating continuity between the building and its setting.
“The result is a building that reads as part of the cliff line, not something placed in front of it,” says Mr Pikos.
What sets Skye apart is the level of consideration in how the building performs and how it’s experienced day to day.
There was a strong focus on materiality, with around 20,000sqm of travertine used throughout the building – one of the largest applications of the material in an Australian residential project.
The building is also designed to breathe, with fewer residences per floor allowing for better cross ventilation, natural light and privacy.
Solar exposure was resolved through design from the outset, with deep balconies, integrated planting and operable shading to manage heat and glare without compromising outlook.
“It’s that combination of material quality, environmental performance and liveability that makes it a benchmark,” says Mr Pikos.
The apartments at Skye are designed to feel more like the full-sized home downsizers are used to.
Enduring connection
Since launching in 2021, Skye has attracted strong interest from owner-occupiers, with a mix of local and international buyers, downsizers and established homeowners.
“What’s been particularly interesting is the way people are purchasing,” says Pikos.
“We’ve seen a number of buyers purchase more than one residence, whether that’s one for themselves and another as an investment, or multiple homes for family members.
“That speaks to the level of confidence in both the product and the location.”
At Pikos Group, the long-term liveability of their residences is a key focus, which is why they’ve launched Pikos+, the group’s new building management arm.
This means Pikos stays on the journey, from design through to performance and maintenance.
“A third-party manager can operate a building, but they weren’t part of the original decisions, the detailing or the intent behind how the building is meant to perform,” says Mr Pikos.
“Pikos+ allows us to carry that thinking through.
“It’s about maintaining the quality, presentation and performance of the building in line with what was originally delivered.”
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