Tasmania will be the first state in Australia to introduce a statewide Wood Encouragement Policy (WEP).
WEP aims to ensure that sustainably sourced timber is considered as a key design component, where feasible, in the construction and refurbishment of all public building projects.
Announcing the 'wood-first' policy, the Minister for Resources, Building and Construction, Guy Barnett, said the policy will apply to state government projects where the use of timber represents value for money, provides appropriate quality and functionality and complies with the government's buy local policy and relevant Australian standards.
The announcement brings Tasmania in line with two local government authorities and 12 councils across Australia that have adopted WEPs since December 2014.
Planet Ark's Make it Wood campaign manager, David Rowlinson, said it is a positive move and hopefully more states will adopt the policy.
More than 20 per cent of Australia's carbon emissions come from constructing and maintaining the built environment, so making the switch to wood is a key strategy for addressing climate change.
"Timber is renewable, it absorbs carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in the wood, and there are fewer carbon emissions associated with its production when compared to more energy intensive building materials such as concrete and steel," Rowlinson said.
In fact Australia’s tallest engineered timber building will be developed in Brisbane by Lendlease and Impact Investment Group. The 45metre-tall building will be located at 5 King Street at the Brisbane Showgrounds complex.
The10-storey building will offer 14,000sq m of lettable office space, and global engineering firm Aurecon has committed to lease four of the nine office floors.
Amendments were made to the National Construction Code (NCC) to lift height restrictions on timber buildings.
Architects, developers, designers, engineers, and builders have welcomed changes to the NCC that apply to both traditional timber framing and innovative mass timber systems – such as cross-laminated timber (CLT), which was used to construct the Docklands Library in Melbourne.
The King Street building will use cross-laminated timber (CLT) for the floors, lift shafts and stairs; glue-laminated timber for the beams and columns; energy-efficient LED lighting, optimised airconditioning and rooftop rainwater harvesting.
The NCC changes will allow architects to explore and demonstrate the potential of engineered timber, while also increasing the use of traditional timber framing.
Ultimately, the code change will mean quicker, more cost effective and environmentally-friendlier construction of residential apartments, office blocks and hotel buildings.