Lendlease has reached structural completion of the world’s tallest and largest engineered timber office building, 25 King, at Brisbane Showgrounds.

The ground floor plus nine-storey building is on track for full completion later this year.

Lendlease Building general manager Queensland and NT Tony Orazio said engineered timber offered design versatility, rapid and efficient installation, reduced waste, fire protection, lighter weight (compared to concrete), and improved thermal performance and energy efficiency.

“It significantly reduces the carbon footprint of the building and the sustainably-sourced timber is a fast-growing renewable resource,” he said.

Mr Orazio said the 25 King structure consisted of concrete from the basement, ground level and level 1 slab, where it then transitioned to Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) slabs/soffits, coupled with glue laminated beams, columns and bracing.

The timber structure continued until it reached level 10, where the plant room structure was structural steel, he said.

“The CLT is made by spruce sheets stacked on top of each other at 90-degree angles and glued together under high pressure to create large sized cross-laminated panels (2.95 x 17.5m),” Mr Orazio said.

“There is also use of Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), a high-strength engineered wood product that has thin veneers oriented in the same direction and glued together and used for strengthening penetrations within the glulam beams.

“It is a pre-fabricated building system delivering safety, sustainability and commercial benefits over conventional delivery methods.”

Lendlease is targeting a 6 Star Green Star rating, 5 Star NABERS Energy rating and WELL Core & Shell rating for 25 King.

“The topping out of 25 King represents another significant milestone in the completion of what will be the world’s tallest and largest engineered timber office building by gross floor area,” Mr Orazio said.