World's tallest timber tower reaches structural completion in Brisbane

World's tallest timber tower reaches structural completion in Brisbane
Staff reporterDecember 7, 2020

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

Designed and manufactured by Lendlease and owned by Impact Investment Group (IIG), the ground floor plus nine-storey timber commercial tower features open and flexible office space.

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

Global engineering firm, Aurecon, will occupy 43.5% of the net lettable area, with IIG working within Lendlease to secure new tenants for the remaining office space.

25 King (pictured above) is on track for completion later this year.

"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," said Tony Orazio, General Manager QLD & NT, Lendlease Building.

“With each new milestone, we get more and more excited about this brilliant building. 25 King is the definition of a connected, collaborative workspace for high-performance teams,” stated Darren Brusnahan, Head of Funds Management – Real Estate, Impact Investment Group.

JLL has been appointed to manage 25 King Street, the world’s largest engineered timber office building. 

It is a Queensland first and the world's largest by gross floor area.

The management role will be led by JLL Director and Head of Commercial Management, Lydia King. 

At a height of almost 45 metres, the ground plus nine-storey tower designed by architect Bates Smart will become the future home of global engineering firm Aurecon, which is also the project’s lead engineer. 

Aurecon has committed to 6,500 square metres on a 10-year lease. 

Aurecon was advised by JLL's Michael Greene, while Lendlease was represented by JLL’s Adam Barrett and Sam Barr. 

The tower includes three bespoke ground level retail tenancies built using a revolutionary building timber technology called cross laminated timber (CLT) and glulum (glue laminated timber) which has a structural strength akin to traditional concrete and steel.

Constructed with wood, CLT has a far lower carbon footprint than other building materials, the production process produces zero waste, and timbers are sourced from certified sustainably managed forests.

King said 25 King Street represented the next generation of workplace design. 

“25 King is targeting a 6 Star Green Star Design and As Built v1.1 and a NABERS Energy 5 Star rating," she said.

The building will be LendLease’s fifth engineered timber building in Australia.

JLL also manages Kingsgate, the first tower developed by LendLease at the RNA precinct. 

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