The Hyne Group congratulates the project team and the Queensland Government following the announcement that the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services North Coast Region Headquarters and Maryborough Fire and Rescue Station, has taken out the international Built by Nature ‘Public Infrastructure’ award.

Principal Architect of Baber Studio, Kim Baber, who led the design of the project, was in London to accept the award, which recognises excellence in timber building projects and their unparalleled sustainability credentials.

Maryborough Fire Tower - Christopher Frederick Jones.jpg — *Maryborough Fire Tower (Photo: Christopher Frederick Jones)*

The Hyne Group’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Katie Fowden described the award as a remarkable achievement, which now gives this building international exposure as a leader in design and construction.

“Congratulations to Kim and the project team as well as the Queensland Government and the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service following this well-deserved recognition of an outstanding building selected from almost 400 entries.

“This building came about through the Queensland Government’s ‘market led proposal’ avenue, to demonstrate how mass timber can be utilised for perfectly functional, not ‘showy’ and within budget construction of public infrastructure.

“Being locally grown and manufactured mass timber from certified plantation pine, it delivered sustainability credentials, carbon sequestration, excellent fire performance qualities and aesthetic appeal.

“The original proposal was led by the Hyne Group with a team of specialists and therefore, by default, had the all-important early contractor involvement, design for manufacture, prefabrication and overall efficiency gains.

“The structure was constructed in just two weeks with few trades on site, and was substantially cleaner, quieter and less disruptive in the heart of Maryborough when compared to a traditional construction project.

“All up, it was the perfect recipe for construction of today and the future, which has seen it win multiple awards in innovation, marketing, design, construction, sustainability, and now this exposure on the international stage,” Fowden said.

The Built by Nature award follows a rigorous shortlisting and judging process by international experts including Kevin McCloud, Architect and Grand Designs host.

As the winning building, it will be further showcased as part of COP30 being held in Brazil in November including the showing of a short documentary.

The building is Australia’s first mass engineered timber fire and emergency services complex. It came about from an idea at an innovation forum held in Maryborough, hosted by the Queensland Government.

Passionate project partners got on board including the Hyne Group (Hyne Timber and XLAM) as the mass timber supplier, Kim Baber and Baber Studio, Hutchinson Builders, the University of Queensland’s Centre for Future Timber Structures and Bligh Tanner.

Architect Kim Baber Using Hyne Timber_s BIM Content.jpg — *Architect Kim Baber using Hyne Timber's BIM Content*

The design included the restoration of the original brick façade, which is considered of heritage value to the Fraser Coast community while specifying materials to ensure the right use of the best material, prioritising XLAM’s Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Hyne Timber’s locally sourced and manufactured Glue Laminated Timber beams and framing for the new structure.

The Hyne Group has been an active contributor and partner of The University of Queensland’s Centre for Future Timber Structures, established in 2015, which has evolved into the ARC Advance Timber Hub. The centre played a key role in the project’s development, including a full 3D scan of the previous structure to help inform the design process as well as expert guidance from the UQ Fire team, led by Professor José L. Torero at the time.

Independent analysis by Nezo (formally V-Quest) confirmed this project saved 1,742 tonnes CO2 compared to using conventional building materials.

For more information on the Hyne Group’s mass timber products and design support, please visit XLAM for your regional contact representative.

Architecture & Design Team

Hyne Timber

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