Currently at 55 Southbank Boulevard exists a 6 storey commercial office building. Proposed for the property was a 10 storey, 220 bed hotel development. The proposed 10 storey hotel extension to the existing commercial building presented an interesting challenge for the entire design team, but the overall vision was exciting, innovative and sustainable.
The existing commercial office building was constructed in 1989 and the structure was designed to accommodate a future extension of 6 storeys with a traditional concrete framed construction. In order to accommodate the 10 storey extension, traditional construction methods would not have worked. The solution was the use of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) construction. When complete, the project will be one of the tallest timber buildings in Australia. In addition to being significantly lighter than concrete, CLT use results in lower transport costs and therefore reduced carbon emissions.
In addition, the following systems are to be implemented:
