World’s Tallest Timber Building in Brisbane

In the building industry, timber is making a big comeback. Within the last five to six years the advent of cross-laminated timber panels (CLT) now offers a strong and cost effective solution for large scale building construction.

Cross laminated timber is an engineered wood product. Layers are glued with the grain at right angles to create large panels. With a high strength to lightness rating, CLT is becoming a viable alternative to reinforced concrete flooring. CLT products are now made with polyurethane adhesives as opposed to formaldehyde-based adhesives. Construction is simplied as CLT panels can be pre-fabricated and sized before being assembled on-site.

Lendlease’s nine-storey 25 King St, Brisbane office building is due for completion in late 2018 and will then be the world’s largest and tallest engineered timber skyscraper. At almost 45 metres the building uses CLT columns, beams and floor panels and pre-fabricated modules which are bolted together at ground level and then raised into position.

There are around 50 buildings throughout Australia that now utilise CLT products. Reduced construction times and cost effectiveness will drive further large scale timber projects. Sustainability benefits include a lower carbon footprint, and easy disassembly and recycling at end-of-life.

Research into massive panel products such as CLT is being undertaken at University of Queensland’s Future Timber Hub which aims to transform the timber industry and foster the smart use of timber. Research is carried out with government and industry partners such as Lendlease.

More information from
Wood Solutions
ABC’s Future Tense podcast
Future Timber Hub