Hybrid: CLT, Concrete, Steel

T3 Collingwood

Client:

Hines

Architect:

JCB (Jackson Clement Burrows)

Structural Engineer:

AECOM

Builder/Construction:

ICON

Location:

Collingwood, VIC, Australia

Building Methodology:

Hybrid: CLT, Concrete, Steel
XLam CLT (2,360m3)

ALL PHOTOS:ICON

XLam manufactured and supplied the CLT for Melbourne’s largest mass timber office building, the 15-storey T3 Collingwood Office Tower designed and built with a specific focus on sustainability and the use of CLT driven by the developer Hines.

XLam is proud to have been chosen as the CLT provider for T3 Collingwood, Hines sustainable development in Collingwood, adjacent to the Melbourne CBD.

Global Investment Manager Hines commissioned the T3 Collingwood project, a 15-level hybrid timber and concrete office building, as a development focussed on sustainability with the intention to appeal to “young dynamic tenants” in the technology, marketing, professional services, design, and medical sectors.

This vision was developed and delivered by an experienced project team including; Architect: JCB, Structural Engineer: AECOM, Project Manager: Duo Projects, and Builder: ICON.

Utilising 2,360m3 of XLam CLT, T3 Collingwood showcases sustainable construction and was designed and built to meet the expectations of both tenants and the community for whom sustainable construction is a key decision driver. The marketing for T3 Collingwood calls out the benefits of “mass timber construction” which “naturally stores carbon and is ethically sourced from local renewable forests.”

The use of XLam CLT translated to 1,690 tonnes of carbon that has been sequestered from the atmosphere. The saving is equal to having 850 fewer cars on the road for a year. XLam CLT uses renewable plantation timber, which means the timber used in the CLT was regrown in just 7 hours.

Design & Structure

Designed by Jackson Clement Burrows and built by ICON, the T3 Collingwood office tower delivers 18,200m2 of net lettable area over 15 storeys with floor plates ranging from 900 to 1,500 square metres.

The building utilises a hybrid structure combining steel and concrete with XLam CLT to maximise the benefits from each material. A 2-level, concrete basement was poured, levels ground to 6 were then built using steel and poured concrete. Mass-timber-construction and XLam CLT was used for floors 6 to 14 and then the roof was poured in concrete.

JCB highlights that Wellington St aims to achieve best-practice sustainable design, encompassing mass timber construction, building performance, occupancy comfort and the urban environment. Timber, including 2360m3 of XLam CLT, has been used in the structure of the building and the interior fit-out. Inside, visible wood reflects the timber structure of the building, to provide the benefits of a biophilic environment including stress reduction and productivity increases associated with the use of natural materials.

Maria Hindy from ICON has confirmed that utilising XLam CLT delivered several important benefits that ensured safe, efficient, and sustainable construction.

Sustainability

XLam CLT uses sustainably grown renewable plantation pine. Chain of Custody is PEFC certified, meaning that XLam products have been sourced from sustainable, Responsible Wood (PEFC) certified resources.

The use of XLam CLT meant that in total, the project used 2,360m3 of renewable plantation pine, which translated to 1,690 tonnes less carbon being used throughout construction than if it were built with conventional building materials.

That saving is equivalent to having 850 fewer cars on the road for a year. And by using renewable plantation timber, the timber used in the XLam CLT was regrown in just 7 hours.

In addition to the direct sustainability, the prefabrication of mass timber, such as XLam CLT, has additional proven environmental benefits in; reducing site waste, improving the thermal performance and efficiency of the building, fire performance, and community and lived environment benefits.

The ongoing benefits of improved thermal efficiency are also significant. The density of mass timber assists buildings in ongoing environmental performance through excellent thermal insulation, reducing the need for additional insulation and improving energy efficiency throughout the life of the structure saving money and protecting the environment.

Faster construction with less processes performed on site reduces environmental impact of construction on the surrounding environment and community. It reduces common construction environmental problems; noise pollution, dust pollution, site run-off and site waste. In the case of T3 Collingwood, the inner-city location made these benefits even more important for managing the build while maintaining a small footprint on site.

"The accuracy XLam delivered really helped us achieve the installation speed that we did and the outcomes we achieved on site to prevent double handling and increase efficiencies.”

Maria Hindy, Project Coordinator, ICON

Efficiency

ICON highlighted that the time saving in the programme during the CLT phase of construction, levels 6 to 14, is the result of several factors;

XLam CLT Comes at Strength: Compared to concrete (which must cure). This means that XLam CLT enables faster construction, faster access to floors below the live deck, and can be made watertight more quickly, ultimately leading to faster handover and improved project ROI for builders and developers.
XLam CLT is Lightweight: The superior strength to weight ratio of XLam CLT means that it is a lighter material than the alternatives. This results in both direct material and cost savings in other structural elements of the building, such as foundations, which need to support less weight thanks to the use of XLam CLT.
Faster Construction Access: Using XLam CLT in mass-timber construction is more efficient because it allows access to the floor directly below the live deck. This compares favourably to concrete and steel, which requires approx. 4-floor gap between the live deck and the access decks. This means that with Mass Timber Construction (MTC), using XLam CLT, ICON were able to progress the phases of construction more quickly.
Faster Water-Tight Buildings: The ability to work on the deck directly under the live deck means that the curtainwall can be installed without delay as construction progresses and the building can be made water-tight faster.
Faster Fit-Out: Access to watertight floors directly below the live deck means a faster fit-out, as services can be installed and other trades can move into these floors without delay, enabling faster finishing and handover.
XLam Accuracy & Logistics: The DfMA nature of mass timber makes accuracy and logistics critical. This was amplified by the tight site access and limited space available on site for rectification works. XLam lived up to it’s reputation for superior logistics delivering 495 panels with a 99% accuracy rate, an effective approach to stacking and ordering panels, and 95% of deliveries arriving on-time.
Faster Handover & Improved ROI for Builders: For builders and construction companies, faster handover means satisfied clients and tenants as well increased profitability. Improved profitability for the builder comes from faster project turnover, so construction crews and management resources can be employed on the next project. This means more construction output from the same number of resources.
Improved ROI for Developers: Developers benefit from faster construction through reduced timelines equalling reduced funding and capital costs and faster occupancy. This means that a mass-timber building is cheaper to build and returns an income more quickly.
Effective Partnership: ICON and XLam worked closely together and invested in the planning stage, drawing on the mass-timber construction experience of XLam, ICON’s past timber projects and AECOM to ensure that the construction programme extracted the maximum benefits from the use of XLam CLT.

"XLam CLT makes an important contribution to improving environmental performance in the construction industry by helping to create “greener” buildings.”

Rob duToit, Head of Business Development, Aust & NZ, XLam

Safety

Importantly, from an OH&S perspective, ICON confirmed that there were no injuries during the CLT phase of the construction. In addition to the safety procedures reinforced and observed by ICON, the DfMA nature of the mass-timber construction approach using XLam CLT means that there are less processes being performed on site with less people reducing the chances and instances of injury and protecting workers.

"From planning to completion, the stakeholders and partners in the project commented on many occasions that they had complete confidence in the competency of XLam to deliver as promised.”

Rob duToit, Head of Business Development, Aust & NZ, XLam

Outcome

XLam has once again delivered to exceed the expectations of all the project stakeholders. XLam CLT has contributed to increasing construction efficiency, contributing to improved site safety, and creating “greener” buildings.

The T3 Collingwood development meets the vision of Hines and the expectations of tenants and the community, showcasing sustainable construction, and utilising XLam CLT.