Construction giant Lend Lease recently put the finishing touches on Forté, a 10-story apartment complex in Melbourne, Australia's Victoria Harbour that was built entirely with cross laminated timber (CTL) technology. The $11 million complex is the world's tallest timber-framed apartment building and the first CTL-framed project in Australia.
The CTL panels were manufactured in Austria and shipped to the jobsite to be used for the floors, walls, and ceilings of the building. A total of 760 panels were used to build the complex. The blog Architecture Source posted a time-lapse video of the construction.
CTL came on the scene in the early 1990's in Switzerland as an alternative to concrete and steel frame construction. Proponents claim the construction method produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than traditional processes and it can handle heavy loads thanks to its layered composition.
CTL panels are made by gluing multiple layers of board that are stacked with wood grain orientation alternating 90 degrees at each layer. The sandwich is then placed in a large-format press to create a dimensionally stable building material.
(http://designbuildsource.com.au/melbourne-launches-the-worlds-tallest-timber-building)
Related Stories
Wood | Jun 24, 2020
One of Europe’s largest office and warehouse buildings is made entirely of wood
Exli designed and built the project.
Wood | Apr 1, 2020
HDR will design a mass timber Ramada Hotel
The hotel will be located in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Wood | Feb 3, 2020
Mass timber construction grows up
Mass timber is finally making a dent in commercial construction. But can it keep up with demand?
Wood | Jan 24, 2020
105,000-sf vertical mass timber expansion will cap D.C.’s 80 M Street
Hickok Cole is designing the project.
Urban Planning | Jan 13, 2020
Henning Larsen designs all-timber neighborhood for Copenhagen
The project hopes to set a standard for how modern communities can live in harmony with nature.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 12, 2019
Top Building Envelope Products for 2019
Sto's beetle-inspired exterior coating and Dörken Systems' UV-resistant vapor-permeable barrier are among the 28 new building envelope products to make Building Design+Construction's 2019 101 Top Products report.
Wood | Dec 11, 2019
Design plans submitted to San Francisco for the largest mass timber office building in North America
Suppliers of engineered wood products are suddenly scrambling to keep up with demand.
Wood | Dec 6, 2019
The University of Arkansas is now home to America’s largest mass timber building
A design collaborative led by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Modus Studio, Mackey Mitchell Architects, and OLIN designed the project.
Wood | Oct 24, 2019
Could mass timber be a game changer for stadium design?
Projects throughout the U.S. and Canada showcase the design and environmental traits of large-scale wood sports facilities.
