Lend Lease last unveiled plans to build the first high rise apartment building in Australia and the tallest in the world using Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), which it says heralds a new era for the construction industry.

A render of Lend Lease's project, Forté. Images via Syscrapercity.com and Forte Living

Building with CLT is seen as a more efficient and environmentally-friendly construction process, which has proven successful in Europe for more than a decade, but has not been undertaken in Australia before.

By using CLT, Lend Lease claims, the project, Forté, will reduce CO2 equivalent emissions by more than 1,400 tonnes when compared to concrete and steel — the equivalent of removing 345 cars from our roads.

CLT is an engineered mass timber product and very different to a traditional wood frame. Mass timber - dense solid panels of wood engineered for strength through laminations of different layers — provides significant benefits and has the equivalent structural integrity to concrete. CLT on a weight to strength basis meets, and in some cases exceed, the performance of reinforced concrete, resulting in a very stable and durable structural outcome.

Designed and produced in a factory environment means it will also be built 30 percent faster than its material counterparts, while being cleaner and more efficient.

Chief executive officer for Lend Lease’s Australian business, Mark Menhinnitt said CLT is the most significant form of innovation in construction technology that Australia has seen in many years.

“CLT will transform the construction industry by introducing a more efficient and environmentally-friendly construction process that has never been undertaken in Australia before.

“In 2001, we introduced the innovation of chilled beam technology to the Australian market which has now become the industry norm. CLT is another example of how Lend Lease is leading the way with innovations that will create value for consumers in the industry.

“With an increasing number of people moving to urban areas, this innovation is timely given the urgency to create liveable, sustainable cities that are climate positive. The adoption of green technologies, materials and construction processes, like CLT, means we are closer to achieving this,” said Mr Menhinnitt.

Aspiring to be the first 5 Star Green Star As Built residential building in the country, Forté in Victoria Harbour, Melbourne will rise over 10 storeys, offering 23 boutique residential apartments and 4 townhouses.

Designed and built by Lend Lease, the building will reflect the contemporary inner-city lifestyle of Victoria Harbour while combining environmental initiatives such as better energy efficiency in terms of heating and cooling.

“Forté is a showpiece for natural and new, where modern architecture meets a natural building material. It will offer a different way of living through reduced energy costs due to better thermal performance, an abundance of natural light, ventilation, sweeping views and a healthier living environment,” said Menhinnitt.

“Building with CLT is becoming increasingly popular overseas with other residential building developments such as Bridport House and Stadthaus Murray Grove, both in London being built successfully with CLT. It proves that the appetite is there for this kind of living.”

Following on from Forté in Victoria Harbour, due for completion in October 2012, the company is aiming to develop 30-50 per cent of its apartment pipeline using CLT and sees application elsewhere across the Lend Lease Group.

“Lend Lease has a proud history of landmark innovations in sustainable construction and this project demonstrates how we are, once again, leading the way,” said Mr Menhinnitt.

Currently, the tallest high-rise is timber residential building in the world is the nine-storey Stadthaus in London, designed by Waugh Thistleton Architects (pictured below).

Waugh is credited as one of the drivers of the global trend.

Meanwhile, Canadian architect Michael Green, Principal at Michael Green Architecture, recently published a feasibility study, The Case for Tall Wood Buildings, outlining the case for wood as a viable material for tall and large buildings. (rendering from the case study below. Renderings by Seng Tsoi of Michael Green Architecture)

Above mages via Michael Green Architecture

*Editor's note: This article was updated with images of Forte, May 29, 2012