April has turned out to be an exciting month for tall timber construction: following the proposal for the world's tallest all-timber tower comes news that the world's tallest hybrid timber tower – that is, made primarily from wood but with concrete reinforcement – is slated for South Perth, Australia. Assuming it goes ahead as planned, the tower will rise to an impressive height of 183 m (600 ft).
C6 is designed by Fraser & Partners (a research studio of Elenberg Fraser) for Grange Development.
Structurally, the building will consist of a concrete core, with its wooden columns, beams, and floorplates made up of approximately 7,400 cubic meters (roughly 261,000 cubic ft) of Cross-Laminated Timber, Glued Laminated Timber, and Laminated Veneer Lumber engineered wood.
Interestingly, Fraser & Partners notes that the timber required for the building can be regrown from 580 seeds. The firm is also keen to stress that it will be carbon negative – indeed, it's named C6 after the symbol for carbon on the periodic table – though precious little information has been shared on this aspect at this stage.
"The built environment is one of the three major drivers of catastrophic climate change, alongside transport and agriculture," says James Dibble, director at Grange Development. "With promising technological advances in both the transport and agriculture industries now working towards drastically reducing global carbon footprints, the property industry is lagging dangerously behind.
"C6 represents the future of what is possible, except we will deliver it now. On-site energy production, a complete electric vehicle solution that can totally remove the need for fossil fuel-powered cars, a huge focus on biophilic design to deliver tangible health benefits, and a building that actively sequesters carbon."
C6's sleek modernist exterior will be complemented by almost 3,500 sq m (roughly 37,000 sq ft) of greenery, including an urban farm that will provide seasonal produce to residents. Its interior layout will focus on natural ventilation and will be spread over 48 floors, most of which will be taken up by 245 apartments ranging in size from one to four bedrooms. Elsewhere will be a rooftop terrace with an edible garden, as well as dining and entertainment space, communal amenities, and a plaza and public park.
C6 was recently submitted for planning permission, though we've no word yet on when it's expected to begin construction.
Source: Elenberg Fraser
