Tallest Commercial Mass Timber Building in New South Wales, Australia, is Approved

Sydney, Australia, will soon become home to a 13-story high-rise recently approved for development, according to a feature by Architecture, Au (2-10-25). When completed, it will be the tallest commercial mass timber building in New South Wales.

The project was designed by architecture and urban design practice Tzannes for property developer NGI Investments. The site currently serves as a parking lot.

A key design challenge was the building’s weight, as the site sits above subterranean railway tunnels. To address this, Tzannes devised a hybrid concrete and steel structure that transfers the load from the building’s western side to a central core. This system supports 12 timber commercial floors—11 above the load transfer structure and one suspended below.

According to a communique issued by Tzannes, “all timber and steel elements will be crafted for future disassembly and reuse.”

This project is Tzannes’ third commercial timber building, following International House Sydney and Daramu House. Completed in 2017, International House is recognized as Australia’s first engineered timber commercial building.