Architects across Australia are using 3D modelling and automation to design the next generation of low- and zero-carbon timber buildings. Among them are Kim Baber, Principal of Brisbane-based Baber Studio and a fellow at Bond University, who is part of a growing cohort working with mass timber fabricators to explore “material, space and structure.”
One of his most celebrated projects is the Maryborough Fire and Rescue Station—the first fire station in Australia built from Responsible Wood and PEFC-certified mass timber. Designed in collaboration with engineer Bligh Tanner, XLam (Australia’s first CLT manufacturer), Hyne Timber (one of the country’s oldest timber companies), and Hutchinson Builders, the cyclone-rated emergency services building contains 500 cubic metres of Australian-grown timber sourced from certified softwood plantations.
The project was the result of years of advocacy to the Queensland Government and a collaborative effort across disciplines. “It was really rewarding to see that effort translate into a timber building that’s so valued by both its users and the local community,” Baber said. In 2022, Baber was among a team that was awarded the Richard Stanton Memorial Leadership Award for his work on the fire station and his total commitment to “chain of custody” certification. The award, presented by Responsible Wood, recognises individuals who demonstrate leadership in sustainable forest management and certified timber design.
“As architects and designers, we have a lot of responsibility to ensure selection of the materials we use—and the impact of the buildings we create—are managed in a responsible way,” Baber said when reflecting on the award. And with nominations for this year’s Richard Stanton Award closing Friday, 15 August 2025, Baber believes recognition through awards like this plays a broader role in promoting better practice across the industry. “It’s not just about recognising good design practices,” he said. “We need to understand where materials are coming from, that they’re being used properly and how that’s going to impact the future life of the building—and the footprint of the resource extraction from the current environment.”
Fittingly, Baber used award’s $2,000 bursary o travel to Japan, where he presented at a Tohoku University seminar series focused on resilient timber design. “In Japan, their focus is often seismic resilience, but they’re also facing typhoons and tsunamis,” he said. “We were able to share insights into designing for cyclonic conditions here in Australia. I was able to put my bursary towards making that trip happen.”
The Maryborough project also showcased the power of technology. Baber and the University of Queensland carried out a full 3D scan of the original 1950s building, providing the team with key intellectual property and demonstrating how digital tools can inform not only commercial buildings and fire stations, but also complex artefacts and World Heritage Sites.
Kim Baber is also a Gottstein Trust fellow
In 2016—just before XLam opened Australia’s first CLT plant in Albury-Wodonga—he received a Gottstein Trust Fellowship to study timber architecture and fabrication technologies in Europe and Japan. His research project, The Expressive Capacity of Timber in Architecture, explored how exposed timber structures can be both pragmatic and expressive in modern construction.
Baber wrote that the project aimed to “identify why the use of expressed timber structure in construction may be considered beneficial and pragmatic…can be implemented effectively in construction.” “It was important for us (on the Maryborough project) to understand what worked well overseas, with a number of similar-use facilities already demonstrating mass timber as a sustainable and ideal building solution,” Baber told Wood Central’s Jim Bowden in 2022.
About the Richard Stanton Memorial Leadership Award
Established in 2015, the Richard Stanton Memorial Leadership Award honours individuals who have made significant contributions to sustainable forest management or chain of custody certification under the Responsible Wood Certification Scheme. The award includes a $2,000 bursary to support professional development, such as conference travel, training, or research.
Nominees are recognised for excellence in areas such as:
- Innovation in sustainable forest management
- Promotion of certified forest products
- Commitment to the principles of Responsible Wood and PEFC certification
Nominations for the 2025 award close at 5:00 pm on Friday, 15 August. To learn more or submit a nomination, visit the Responsible Wood website.
