Forté has proven that cross laminated timber (CLT) offers a viable alternative to traditional construction options, such as concrete and steel, which are carbon intensive.
Forté, the world’s tallest and Australia’s greenest timber apartment building, has been completed. Located in Melbourne’s Victoria Harbour, Forté has proven that cross laminated timber (CLT) offers a viable alternative to traditional construction options, such as concrete and steel, which are carbon intensive.
According to Daryl Patterson, head of operational excellence for Lend Lease’s Australia business, CLT provides a more efficient and environmentally friendly construction process and has enormous potential in the Australian market.
“Designed and produced in a factory environment, Forté was 30 percent faster to build, safer and with higher precision than traditional construction materials. It also resulted in reduced construction traffic to and from site, caused less disruption to the community and produced less waste,” he states.
In addition, Patterson notes that using CLT offers better thermal performance and requires less energy to heat and cool, which means reduced energy and water costs, with average savings of $300 per year or up to 25 percent less than a typical code-compliant apartment.
The Centre for Design at RMIT University was commissioned to conduct a cradle-to-grave comparison of the environmental performance of CLT against traditional concrete and steel for the construction of Forté. The findings revealed a 22 percent reduction in greenhouse emissions over a 50-year cycle, which has never been achieved by an Australian residential building before.
Built and designed by Lend Lease, Forté aspires to be the first five-star Green Star As Built residential building in the country. Rising over 10 storeys, it offers 23 boutique residential apartments and four townhouses.
