A Hyne Timber product has been incorporated into the design of the Innovation House 2.0 in Townsville to showcase the greenhouse benefits of using wood in home building. Conceptualised as a unique display home for future homeowners, Innovation House 2.0 in Townsville sets out to challenge the 'how it's always been done' mind-set by presenting better and smarter solutions in home design, encompassing smart technology, design, health, products, energy, water management, and ongoing cost efficiencies in an environmentally responsible way.

To be completed soon, Innovation House 2.0 will help families experience various product innovations, empowering them to make independent, informed choices on the design, build and ongoing lifecycle costs of their new home.

Hyne Timber's Marketing Manager, Jeremy Mead explains that T2 Red framing has been specified for Innovation House 2.0 because timber is the only material to naturally store and lock carbon away by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as the pine trees grow. When the tree is responsibly harvested at around 30 years of growth, the carbon is locked in the wood and remains there for the life of any product made with that timber.

He adds that up to half of the weight of timber framing is carbon that's been removed from the atmosphere.

A report by Fabiano A. Xiamenes and Tim Grants titled, 'Quantifying the greenhouse benefits of the use of wood products in two popular house designs in Sydney, Australia', 2013, reveals that using a 'timber maximised' design offsets 23-25% of the total operational energy of the houses with a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of about 40-60%.

Featuring Hyne Timber’s T2 Red framing along with several energy-saving and innovative solutions, Innovation House 2.0 is expected to achieve a Green Star rating of 9, against the compliance requirement of 6 for standard new homes.

An additional advantage of using T2 Red framing is the long-term termite protection that homeowners can enjoy thanks to the treated timber supplied by Hyne Timber.

According to Mr Mead, many homeowners don't realise that home insurance doesn't cover termite damage. Termites are a problem that cannot be easily detected until it's too late. A 2012 industry study commissioned by Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association says that termites cost the housing industry billions of dollars every year.

However, treated timber from Hyne Timber comes with a comprehensive, fully transferable, 25-year termite guarantee. The company has supplied timber for more than 350,000 Australian homes over almost two decades without a single termite failure yet, says Mr Mead.

Innovation House 2.0 will become the Stockland Land Sales Office in early 2018.