Australia is poised to join similar countries around the world with proposed changes to the National Construction Code Volume 1 to allow timber construction in taller structures – up to 8 storeys for buildings including apartments, hotels and offices. Modelling indicates that this may result in construction cost reductions of 10-15%, while new material options create new scope for architects and designers.

Over the past two years, the industry services body Forest and Wood Products Australia Limited (FWPA) has been consulting with representatives from the timber, building and insurance industries, regulatory bodies and fire and emergency authorities during the development of a Proposal for Change to the National Construction Code Volume 1 (NCC).

Essentially, the proposal is to create a voluntary deemed-to-satisfy (DTS) solution for the NCC for the use of timber building systems in Class 2 (apartments), Class 3 (hotels) and Class 5 (office) buildings up to 25 metres in effective height (approximately 8 storeys).

Currently, timber building systems are restricted to three storeys under the National Construction Code’s DTS provisions with taller buildings requiring the design and documentation of an ‘alternative solution’ to gain approval. Alternative solutions, while practical on some larger projects, are generally found to be too costly for smaller constructions.

The proposed solution will cover both traditional timber framing and innovative massive timber systems (such as cross laminated timber, or CLT, and Glulam) and comprises the use of appropriate layers of fire resistant plasterboard and sprinkler systems.

A copy of the proposed changes to the National Construction Code can be downloaded from http://www.abcb.gov.au/consultation/ncc-public-comment-draft.aspx – NCC 2016 Volume 1 Public Comment Draft.