South Perth, Australia, Approves Construction of World’s Tallest Hybrid Timber Tower

PerthNow reported on Thursday (9-28-23) that after redesign efforts and negotiations, the City of South Perth, Australia, has approved plans to build the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower. The proposed building is named C6 after the periodic table’s symbol for carbon and would become the State’s first carbon-negative building.

Victorian developer Grange Development Consulting, using designs by Fraser & Partners, will build the $350 million (AUD) tower with 51 stories and 237 apartments.

Grange Development founder and director James Dibble told PerthNow that timber as a building material has been around for centuries, but mass timber construction and fabrication methods had made it a viable option to use only recently. “C6 represents the future of what is possible, except we will deliver it now. If we get this right, we should never have to rely on building another solely concrete or steel tower in our lifetime.”

Post-construction, Grange Development has committed to sharing its C6 research, design, and construction documentation as a call to arms for other developers to take up, evolve, and develop the building methodology.