One of Australia’s largest engineering firms is the latest to join a group dubbed Brisbane’s Design Alliance – pushing for timber-rich infrastructure ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games, starting with the Northshore Vision 2050 plan, a $6 billion proposal to help save the Brisbane games.
Now, Wood Central can reveal that Aurecon— a strong supporter of the Australian Government’s Advanced Timber Hub—has joined a group spearheaded by Brisbane-based Buchan architects, Japanese architect Nikken Sekkei, stadium specialist HKS, the principal architect behind SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and the NRA Collaborative.
According to Tim Spies, Aurecon’s Managing Director of Community and Place, the Northshore Vision has been six months in the making. It provides a “one-in-a-generation opportunity” for the river city.
“Given the anticipated growth in Brisbane and Southeast Queensland over the next decade and beyond, Northshore provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a liveable city and region that celebrates our unique history, climate and lifestyle.”
The first stage, set to be implemented in phases, includes the 60,000-seat stadium, warm-up facilities, and a 2,500-apartment athletes’ village—already slated to be built out of mass timber.
“As the engineering partner of the Brisbane Design Alliance, Aureon is well-placed to provide sustainability and engineering service for timber buildings,” said Quentin Jackson, Aurecon’s Principal and Sustainability Leader. “Having designed the most significant mass-engineered timber buildings in Australia, we are responsible for 25 King Street (once the world’s tallest timber building) and Monterey (in Brisbane) and Murdoch University’s Boola Katitjin building in Perth.”
Aurecon is backing timber to solve net-zero construction.
In February, Wood Central reported that Aurecon will commit $200,000 towards the $16.5 million “ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub to Advance Timber for Australia’s Future Built Environment.”
The Hub aims to develop the resources, enablers, and drivers to advance timber as a natural resource and be the material of choice, leading towards a net zero future for Australia’s built environment.
As the Principal Partner, Aurecon will be involved in various research nodes, including the Performance of Building Components, Manufacturing Innovation toward a Low-Carbon and Circular Economy, and Building Performance for Occupiers.
“Timber has a key role to play in decreasing both embodied and operational carbon as we move towards a net zero future,” according to Aurecon’s major project director, Ralph Belperio, who now sits on the Hub’s Executive Board. “Several of the research nodes the Hub is tackling are relevant to the decarbonisation pursuits of many of our key clients.”
“We have assembled a team of our most eminent practitioners to focus on each of the relevant nodes that can help guide the research strategies to ensure that the outcomes remain industry-focused and meet the needs of the broader construction community,” Mr Belperio said.
“Our significant investment is key to our desire to remain at the forefront of innovation, both in the efficient and effective use of timber in our efforts to decarbonise the built environment and in our broader drive for more sustainable outcomes.”
- To learn more about the Northshore Vision 2050 plan, and the role that timber is playing in helping save the Brisbane Games, visit Wood Central’s special feature.
