InfrastructureFor sustainable wooden skyscrapers, the sky’s the limit

Published 24 November 2017

Australia will soon hold the record for the world’s tallest timber office building, built in Brisbane. With the help of the University of Queensland’s new research hub — Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Timber Hub — wooden skyscrapers could become the norm. “This Hub represents an opportunity to transform not just our ability to design and construct healthy, resilient, sustainable tall timber buildings; but to engage and transform the entire industry – from the sustainable forests that provide the raw timber, right through to assembling the building safely on site,” said the Hub director.

Australia will soon hold the record for the world’s tallest timber office building at 5 King St Brisbane, and with the help of The University of Queensland’s new research hub, wooden skyscrapers could become the norm.

ARC Future Timber Hub (Australian Research Council) which launched today will be Australia’s leading timber research collaboration, bringing together experts from industry, government and academia.

Structural engineering expert and Hub director Professor Sritawat Kitipornchai from the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology said the research facility will draw on strong industry support to make significant changes to the building design, materials manufacturing and construction industries.

“This Hub represents an opportunity to transform not just our ability to design and construct healthy, resilient, sustainable tall timber buildings; but to engage and transform the entire industry – from the sustainable forests that provide the raw timber, right through to assembling the building safely on site,” he said. 

“The environmental benefits to using timber as a construction material are overwhelmingly positive, with engineered wood acting as a carbon sink instead of producing greenhouse gas emissions like its alternatives, steel and concrete.

“Using sustainably managed plantations to produce engineered wood products, and developing prefabricated construction technologies, allows engineers to minimize waste and enhance building quality and performance.

“Timber is also a fantastic natural insulator and is a quick and simple material to use in construction.”

The diverse team will include product manufacturers, construction managers, fire safety engineers, architects, and structural engineers.