T3 Collingwood - the pinnacle of mass timber architecture

Elevating the skyline on the fringe of Melbourne stands T3 Collingwood, a remarkable achievement in mass timber construction with an emphasis on sustainability. Without doubt it raises the bar for commercial infrastructure construction in Australia.

• Timber Used: Australian Oak
• Application: Mass Timber
• Architect: Jackson Clements Burrows
• Builder: ICON
• Client: Hines
• Project Partners: AECOM, Barzen

As Australia’s leading mass timber manufacturer, ASH was chosen to supply the project’s glulam elements. An impressive 738 glue laminated timber columns and beams, totalling 874 cubic metres of mass timber, were designed and prefabricated in our world-class facility in regional Victoria.

Developed by global real estate specialists, Hines, T3 Collingwood is the first Australian project in their T3 global portfolio. Engineered timber was specified on this project due to its lower embodied carbon and improved sustainability credentials. Timber is the only renewable construction material which Hines recognise in their innovative T3 methodology – timber, transit and technology.

T3 Collingwood was the first project to be financed through the CEFC Timber Building Program to help drive mass timber construction across the property sector in Australia with the aim to cut embodied carbon emissions and contribute to Australia’s goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

The striking tower, which now claims the title of Australia’s tallest mass timber office building, is a hybrid 15-storey building of timber, steel and concrete, with the top nine levels constructed from visually expressed MASSLAM GLT post and beam elements and concealed cross-laminated timber flooring panels.

This project exemplifies using the right material for the right job, and preferencing sustainable solutions wherever possible. A long list of features makes this project an impressive example of the power of mass timber to not only drive aesthetically beautiful results, but knock sustainability targets out of the park.

Australian Oak was utilised in T3 Collingwood’s MASSLAM glulam. One hundred percent of MASSLAM GLT is PEFC certified meaning ASH’s timber is sourced from sustainably managed forests. Furthermore, the timber stores more than 360,000kg/CO2e, even after embodied energy is considered.

The use of timber for the superstructure decreased the required concrete footings and core structure in volume by approximately 15%. Early design work for this project compared a concrete and mass timber scheme and calculated a 34% reduction in embodied carbon from structural components.

The inclusion of MASSLAM in T3 Collingwood has helped the project achieve a 6-star Green Energy rating and 5.5-star NABERS rating.

T3 Collingwood benefited from enhanced speed of construction thanks to the MASSLAM bearing connection. The typical primary beam-to-column connection utilised bearing as opposed to proprietary steel bracketry.

By leveraging the inherent and unique strengths of the hardwood used for MASSLAM, an optimal connection solution was achieved that epitomises the synergy between Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) and structural performance while celebrating the beauty in the simplicity of traditional timber-to-timber connection.

Impressively, a mere three minutes on average was all it took to install each beam – by far the quickest installation of glue-laminated timber beams ever completed by the specialist installer, Barzen.

The nine levels of timber were erected in only 60 days – demonstrating the significant and sometimes unquantifiable cost benefits associated with mass timber construction.

Using local timber resulted in reduced manufacturing and transport times, reduced transport costs, reduced transport emissions, enhanced on-site support and improved installation sequencing.

This project took advantage of the enhanced structural properties of hardwood glulam to reduce cross sections of columns, reduce steel bracketry resulting in lower cost and embodied carbon of typical connections, provide increased beam spans whilst maintaining acceptable ceiling heights, and reduce overall volume of timber required for the 120min FRL thanks to the lower char depth of hardwood.

Including timber in the project also provides unmatched wellness and productivity benefits compared to traditional construction materials. Exposed timber within a workspace has huge biophilic benefits, increasing occupants’ connection to the natural environment which in turns boosts well-being, reduces stress and increases creativity and productivity.

T3 Collingwood is a pioneer of mass timber construction, providing compelling proof to the commercial construction industry that greener and energy efficient buildings are not only achievable, but easier and cheaper to build.