The world's tallest timber apartment building Forté by Lend Lease is now complete in Melbourne.
The building located on Victoria Harbour is made up of mainly Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). The use of CLT is expected to produce significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional concrete and steel based on a study done by RMIT University.
Head of operational excellence for Lend Lease’s Australia business, Daryl Patterson said that the key findings for the cradle to grave study found that there was a 22 per cent reduction over a 50 year cycle.
The building is aiming to be the first 5 Star Green Star As Built residential building in the country, and is over 10 storeys, with 23 residential apartments and 4 townhouses.
“Designed and produced in a factory environment, Forté was 30 per cent faster to build, safer and with higher precision than traditional construction materials. It also resulted in reduced construction traffic to and from site, caused less disruption to the community and produced less waste.
“Unlike Europe where the revolutionary material has been used for more than a decade, Australia is only at the beginning of its CLT journey and still has a way to go to recognise the enormous potential in our market.
“While we are in the early stages of developing environmentally friendly apartment buildings, we are noticing a changing perception among consumers towards the long-term value that sustainable housing offers.
“Forté is built on the principle that what’s good for the environment is good for the resident too. Using CLT offers better thermal performance and requires less energy to heat and cool – which means reduced energy and water costs with average savings of $300 per year or up to 25 per cent less than a typical code-compliant apartment."
Lend Lease has embarked on its next CLT project- a library to be located in Victoria Harbour also.
