A call to action for industry to embrace the full potential of timber structures was the key message from an industry seminar hosted by AECOM in Melbourne this week.
Architects, developers and builders were among those who came together to hear about the cost, sustainability and efficiency benefits that timber presents. The panel of speakers spoke about the outcomes of timber projects currently underway in Australia and New Zealand, including the Macarthur Gardens project in Sydney. Once constructed, the three tower, eight storey 101 unit residential development will become the largest timber apartment building in Australia.
Adam Strong – Managing Director of Strongbuild – the builder on the project, said that using timber shaved four months off the project programme and three percent in cost compared to the traditional concrete alternative. “In the medium term, there are much greater cost savings that could be achieved, especially when building at scale. We will be able to realise these savings when tradespeople become more familiar with the material locally, and when projects are designed with timber in mind.”
While it was acknowledged that there was a growing interest in integrating timber into building projects, there is still some way to go before we start to see the larger scale developments that are more common in Europe.
Speaking at the event, Helmut Spiehs – Managing Director of Binderholz, a timber manufacturer based in Austria – said that Australia is a huge potential market for mass timber construction. “Worldwide trends are all pointing towards increased prefabrication to save time on site, waste and embodied energy and timber is a key material for this in much of Europe. Australia is beginning to see the benefits of prefabricated timber and there is still a large scope for further innovation and cost savings”.
Some of the perceived drawbacks of timber as a larger scale construction material were discussed, including the acoustics and fire risk considerations.
Nick Hewson, senior structural engineer at AECOM said that some of these perceptions were inaccurate and often exaggerated. “There are simple features that we can embed into building design to overcome these risks. What is absolutely key is that each of these factors are considered holistically at the start of a project, and not independently of each other. This will enable successful projects which are high performing and deliver on commercial and liveability objectives.”
To find out more about timber and upcoming events in your area, please contact Emma Corless.