Qantas

The future is flat-pack

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A truckload of prefabrica­ted flflat-pack material, a handful of carpenters, some cordless screwdrive­rs and – hey presto – you have super-fast, low-carbon, multistore­y constructi­on.

The flflat-pack skyscraper is the extraordin­ary promise of a building material called cross-laminated timber (CLT). Think jumbo panels of bonded timber layers, similar to plywood, that are cut to shape then trucked to the building site. Unlike IKEA furniture, it requires more than an allen key to assemble but an everyday power tool will do the job.

CLT is versatile and, most importantl­y, stronger than concrete and one-fififtfth of the weight. Five years ago, Melbourne’s Docklands boasted the world’s tallest timber building. According to developer Lendlease, the 10-storey Forté apartment tower reduced carbon emissions by more than 1400 tonnes compared with a concrete and steel constructi­on.

CLT buildings are now getting taller – 14 storeys in Norway and 18 in Vancouver being the highest so far. But height might not be the ultimate goal of this technology, even though there are dramatic proposals on the world’s drawing boards, including London’s 80-storey “Toothpick” to be constructe­d with a timber frame.

Another benefifit of engineered timber is its fifire performanc­e. Steel loses much of its strength in the intense heat typical of building fifires and concrete can become brittle. Wood, on the other hand, chars, forming an outer layer that protects the inner core from burning. It’s nature’s own fifire retardant.

Sourced sustainabl­y, CLT is also environmen­tally friendly and likely to have an increasing impact on building practices. In 2017, about one million cubic metres of CLT were produced worldwide and Australia now has its own manufactur­er, Crosslam, of the raw material.

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