US real estate firm Hines will break ground on Melbourne’s tallest mass-engineered timber office building later this year after pausing plans for the $200-million project last year. The 15-level office project, dubbed Wellington, secured development approval late last year and other regulatory hurdles more recently, putting construction back on track to begin in the third quarter of this year. 

Hines director Simon Nasa said it had planned to begin construction last year, but put the project on hold to rethink its design and amenity as the pandemic hit. Hines remains committed to developing the building using its “T3 strategy”, employing timber benefiting from new transit and technology systems.

“Timber construction increases staff connection to their workplace, creating an enjoyable working environment which will appeal to forward-thinking tenants seeking a true ‘live, work, play’ balance for their staff,” Nasa said. “We are all about creating collaborative and adaptive workspaces that respond to the changing needs of progressive businesses, blurring the boundaries of what an office can do.”

Myerscough said the timber building and its sustainability credentials would appeal to and draw “young, dynamic tenants” in the technology, marketing, professional services, design and medical sectors looking to be on the cafe- and restaurant-lined Collingwood boulevards.

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