A Melbourne development has joined a push to grow the Australian timber tower movement and reduce the construction industry’s massive environmental footprint, but higher costs and fears of fire risks continue to pose obstacles. Their T3 Collingwood tower will soon be home to a 15-storey hybrid timber office complex – one of Australia’s tallest timber buildings – where 10 levels are made entirely from wood above four concrete floors.

In November, the federal government announced a $70 million investment in the Hines development, making it the first to be financed under the government’s $300 million program to help kickstart mass timber construction. It’s being developed by global real estate company Hines, is one of a handful of recent major mass timber developments in Australia that could signal the country is catching onto a trend well-established in the United States and Europe.

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