T3 Collingwood is Victoria’s best commercial project, with the Australian Institute of Architects Victorian chapter crowning the massive build during a lavish ceremony last week.
Announced by David Wanger, the state president of the Australian Institute of Architects, T3 Collingwood – also shortlisted for the Sustainable Architecture award – demonstrates a total commitment to environmental, economic and social sustainability.
As Australia’s first project financed under the federal government’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s timber incentive program, the project is in many ways a frontier project, dubbed by its developer, Hines Global Real Estate, as a “green magnet,” which the real estate giant is fast trying to replicate in Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland.
The 15-storey tower, designed by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, is constructed from mass timber, encompassing two basement levels, five concrete podium levels, and ten levels of exposed glulam post-and-beam structure with CLT floor panels.
In total, Hines used 2,358 cubic meters of cross-laminated timber (CLT) from XLam Australia and an additional 874 cubic meters of glue-laminated timber (GLT) from Australian sustainable hardwood (ASH).
The Australian Insitute of Architects Jury Citation
According to the jury, “T3 should be applauded for its critical position in commercial design moving towards a post-carbon future,” with the project demonstrating “conceptual clarity and strength of conviction, resulting in a building which exudes purpose, thoughtfulness, and rigour.”
“Designed and delivered within the challenges and constraints of COVID lockdowns, commercial yield drivers and construction market volatility, Jackson Clements Burrows Architects’ steadfast commitment to delivering a quality architectural benchmark is admirable,” the judges said.
In addition, “T3 responds to human needs and workplace habitation, in this case, through the tenant’s working week. It offers extensive access to natural light and views, excellent end-of-trip facilities, and the mass-timber structure, with all the sensory warmth this material brings.”
According to Mr Wanger, more than 61 awards were handed out, with more than 228 projects shortlisted. “What is fascinating is the breadth of ways that sustainability can be approached,” he told the Age newspaper, adding that “it can be approached through an operational perspective trying to reduce the amount of carbon energy we consume in operating our homes, offices and schools.”
Last year, Wood Central reported that ’embodied carbon’ is on the radar of every developer and landlord as the world looks to replace carbon-heavy steel and concrete with timber. That is according to Green Building Council of Australia CEO Davina Rooney, who pointed to a surge in timber-rich buildings registered for 4-star, 5-star and 6-star (like T3 Collingwood).
- To learn more about how Hines Global Real Estate is now using mass timber buildings, like T3 Collingwood, to attract the next generation of A-grade tenants, visit Wood Central’s special feature.
