A new 31-storey timber skyscraper will break ground in the heart of Adelaide, with Barrie Harrop reviving plans for a $250m timber hotel on the site of the heritage-listed MLC building in Victoria Square.
The update, revealed by Green Street News and shared by Harrop via LinkedIn, will see Brookfield Multiplex start construction on the upmarket lifestyle hotel later this year—to be operated by a “globally recognised international hotelier”—with the Cox Architecture-designed project to use cross-laminated timber and green steel in its construction.
According to Hallop, who, with a fellow Adelaide developer, runs Thrive Construct, a firm that specialises in carbon-neutral projects using modular and prefab construction, “The property could welcome guests by late 2026 or early 2027,” with the development to offer 324 hotel suites, 20 residential apartments, and four penthouses.
“This is what a sustainable, scalable plan looks like, with up to 65% fewer skilled workers on site,” Hallop said. “This is an innovative, scalable plan: a chance to create a whole new GDP growth industry in Australia collaboratively with the Thrive Alliance and its global expertise of over 100,000 sustainable major urban projects in CLT, a fast-market solution.”
“It is a scalable, fast-track solution for inclusive, quality residential-grade midrise apartments. Especially for international hotels”
Barrie Harrop, who through Thrive Construct specialises in carbon-neutral projects using modular and prefab construction
The new project—which, once constructed, will be the world’s tallest hotel development built out of cross-laminated timber—comes after Wood Central earlier this year revealed that Australia’s largest wooden beams, by weight and volume, were escorted through the streets of Adelaide and installed as part of the Adelaide Aquatic Centre—part of a long line of timber-rich projects growing in the city of churches.
Last year, Wood Central reported that the state was emerging as a hub for timber buildings, with Premier Peter Malinauskas committed to “a smart, sustainable and inclusive path” to build “taller and more complex timber buildings.” Already, Adelaide developers are looking to cross-laminated timber for mid-rise construction, with the city’s iconic Adelaide Oval turning to mass timber produced by Xlam to build a new hotel connected to the stadium.
- To learn more about the push to build timber buildings in Adelaide, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
