Company builds interest in prefab timber product
Philip Hopkins
November 8, 2010
TRADITIONAL timber construction methods could be in for a shake-up, with signs that the innovative massive building system called cross-laminated timber, could soon be made in Australia.
According to Tony Neilson, editor of the magazine timberDESIGN, Australasian softwood giant Carter Holt Harvey may be considering a CLT manufacturing plant – possibly within two years.
”But we understand architects have been approached about the design and construction of a CLT building to promote the system and gauge potential demand,” Mr Neilson told BusinessDay. ”They seem to be most interested in residential or low-rise commercial applications – certainly not something of the scale of that nine-storey apartment block in the UK built entirely with CLT.”
The nine-storey apartment block made entirely of wood was the subject of an Australian tour last year by British architect Andrew Waugh. The structure, 30-metres high, is believed to be the world’s tallest timber building. It does not have a timber frame, but is made of timber panels.
Full story HERE
The Age
