Sydney’s most ambitious social housing project in decades will soon welcome 130 or more tenants after crews finished work on the Prince’s Quarter, a partnership between the Kings Trust Australia and the NSW Land and Housing Department.
The Cowper Street project—inspired by Glebe’s wool stores and Victorian terraces—includes 75 apartments and terraces built predominantly from cross-laminated timber and glulam. Importantly, it has the blessing of King Charles III, Australia’s head of state, who last year toured the site with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns.
Charles, who has rallied for decades against cookie-cutter, high-carbon concrete jungles, is a strong proponent of traditional construction, including timber, in driving low-carbon communities to help solve climate change and promote social inclusion. Inspired by the King’s Foundation and the Duchy of Cornwall’s many projects, the development is amongst the largest ever undertaken by one of Charles’ trusts, with the construction of affordable, lightweight and sustainable accommodation “featuring green roofs, as well as extensive landscaping, accessible apartments and footpath upgrades.”
Designed by Johnson Pilton Walker and constructed by Kane Constructions and Bridge Housing, the project used more than 2,500 cubic metres of cross-laminated timber and glulam, all supplied by Xlam and Hyne Timber and fully certified under both the PEFC and Responsible Wood certification schemes: “A standout feature is the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) – a renewable, low-carbon alternative to traditional materials that enable faster construction, improved quality and reduced environmental impact,” according to Jesse Burns, of Xcel Carpentry and Construction, an expert in mass timber installation.
Charles is a long-time supporter of sustainable timber production.
The King’s Trust is a United Kingdom-based charity founded in 1976 by Charles to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to 30-year-olds who are unemployed or struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. In 2013, the Prince of Wales established Prince’s Charities Australia under the leadership of Tony Beddison AC and inaugural Chief Executive Janine Kirk AO (with the Trust rebranded as the King’s Trust once Charles ascended to the throne).
The King is a long-time supporter of sustainable forestry, with the then Prince of Wales appointing Geraint Richards as Head Forester of the Duchy of Cornwall. And in 2023, Charles visited a James Jones and Sons sawmill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where the processor sourced 150,000 tonnes of certified timber from the Balmoral’s 1200 hectares of forests.
- To learn more about the project, click here for Wood Central’s special feature covering Charles’ visit to the Cowper Street, Glebe, site.
