Bluerock Projects is putting the finishing touches on Tuohy Gardens, a $25 million build-to-rent apartment complex dubbed “Western Australia’s largest timber-framed residential complex.” Previously reported by Wood Central in April 2024, the four-storey building that stands on land acquired from DevelopmentWA as part of the 180-hectare Midland urban renewal precinct comprises 51 apartments above 700 square metres of retail space fronting Great Eastern Highway.
Daniel Rainone, director of Bluerock Projects, said the name honours the garden that once flourished on the site in the 1950s and ’60s, a decision reached through extensive community consultation. Speaking to BTR News last month, Rainone said the developer hopes to welcome its first tenants in January or February of next year, weather permitting, with work on the timber roof starting in July / August.
Building on the precedent set by DeHavilland Apartments—the first 6-Star NABERS Energy-rated development in WA—Bluerock again turned to engineered timber, sourcing more than 154.4 cubic metres of LVL I-joists and custom-laminated billets from local manufacturer Wesbeam to deliver both environmental performance and construction speed: “The environmental factors around timber frame are a massive consideration for us,” Rainone told Wesbeam earlier this week. “Timber is the only way we can hit the high sustainability targets we’ve set.”
Tom Rickery, Technical Manager at Wesbeam, stated that local sourcing was a key factor in the project’s impact. “The timber is locally grown, the Wesbeam factory is just up the road, and all the trades and engineers are West Australians,” he said. “It demonstrates how we can support housing and jobs here in WA while innovating at scale.”
Wood Central understands that the project – one of WA’s largest build-to-rent complexes – also complies with the National Construction Code’s new provisions allowing fire-protected timber framing in buildings up to 25 metres high and celebrates Midland’s heritage by reinstating reclaimed sections of the former railway line as public art.
For Rainone, whilst the project is a for-profit venture, it delivers affordable rental housing without relying on government grants.“It is built in a sustainable manner, and it is professionally run by a professional landlord. It doesn’t rely on handouts of any sort; it is tailored to the entry-level market, more of an affordable rental product.”
And with attention now turning to the handover to leasing agent CBRE, Bluerock expects to open Tuohy Gardens early next year: “We fully intend to expand our use of timber framing in future projects,” according to Rainone. “We’re setting a new standard for greener, faster and locally grounded apartment construction in Western Australia.”
