Versatile and durable, with an immense aesthetic appeal and biophilic properties, timber is undoubtedly one of the architecture and design industry’s favourites. And the growing importance of adapting sustainable practices and products in the construction industry – a contributor of 38% of the global CO2 emissions, according to the UN – further accentuates the incredible potential of this renewable material.
Using timber that comes from a sustainably managed plantation ensures that carbon is captured from the atmosphere for the lifecycle of the building. And with 699 kg of CO2 removed and locked up by every cubic metre of structural pine used, that’s just one of the benefits that have earned timber the status of one of the most sustainable building materials today.
Companies like Timberlink (an Australasian business that transforms sustainable plantation pine into timber products) are committed to helping industry professionals harness the capabilities of this ultimate renewable resource, and actively participate in moving the construction sector onto a low-carbon pathway.
NeXTimber is Timberlink’s new brand for their forthcoming engineered wood building solutions which is manufactured from Australia pine timber sourced from sustainability managed plantations. The range comprises a selection of Australian-made Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panels and Glue Laminated Timber (GLT), with both types of products created by gluing together solid pieces of radiata pine structural timber under pressure to produce an extremely strong, larger building element. CLT can be used for floors, walls, roofs and stairs. GLT is manufactured with pieces of structural timber layered and glued in the same direction, and is often used in structural beams and columns because of its strength. CLT, on the other hand, is created by laying these panels of laminated solid timber in alternating directions. The cross direction layup of the panels, combined with digital fabrication, offer a strong, rigid, dimensionally stable and highly accurate building product which reduces construction time.
The excellent strength and durability of the new mass timber offering are matched by incredible sustainability credentials. “When you compare a building that utilises CLT & GLT with one built with conventional building materials, there is a lower carbon impact because of the carbon sequestered in the timber. The manufacturing process creates less carbon to manufacture,” explains Dr Trevor Innes, GM Technical & Sustainability for Timberlink Australia. The NeXTimber range is manufactured from local certified radiata pine from plantations where every used tree is replanted, providing carbon negative mass timber solutions for building components, and offering an opportunity to reduce the embodied carbon of a project.
The innovative range will be manufactured in a brand new, purpose-built facility in Tarpeena, South Australia and is scheduled to begin production in 2023. Adjacent to Timberlink’s state-of-the-art timber manufacturing plant in Tarpeena, the new development will feature a combined world class softwoods CLT and GLT manufacturing line – a first of this kind in Australia.
The plant used to manufacture NeXTimber plans to have dual certified sustainability credentials. “Our intention is for the products to be dual certified to both FSC® and PEFC standards when they hit the market,” Trevor explains. “All the feedstock we intend to use once the plant’s running is manufactured by our existing timber manufacturing facility, which holds both of those certifications. As far as I'm aware, we're the only Australian manufacturer that will be able to offer that.”
This aspiration to support Australian specifiers and builders in using locally grown and made mass timber underpins Timberlink’s ambition to equip industry professionals with tools and products that advance the move towards a more sustainable future. That’s why they are making a meaningful investment in engineered timber – the ultimate renewable and building material of the 21st century. Particularly, as it is also a timely response to the growing demand for engineered timber, expected to further accelerate in the next decade. Currently, it is estimated that around half of the CLT used in Australia is imported so NeXTimber’s new manufacturing facility is an important step in increasing sovereign capability to manufacture Australian CLT & GLT.
