Macarthur Gardens, Australia

Almost 3000 cubic meters of Cross Laminated Timber panels, more commonly known as CLT, arrived in Campbelltown from Austria, for the construction of the Australia’s largest wooden building project. “The Gardens” is the largest affordable housing project in Australia that has been delivered without any government funding. Developed by Tier 1 affordable housing provider, BlueCHP Limited, the project will set a new benchmark in the delivery of high-quality housing for Key Workers in one of Sydney’s key growth centres. Macarthur Gardens North will provide new homes and open spaces, close to public transport, shops and educational facilities. The project includes a mix of housing including 56 terraces and between 700 and 944 apartments, in buildings up to 10 storeys high, a vibrant civic plaza, with a playground and terraced area, retaining more than 13ha of open space with Cumberland Plain Woodland and River Flat Eucalypt Forest, recreational space for sport and leisure. The design of the affordable housing development was carried out using a CLT (Cross laminated Timber) structure and by a team of consultants comprising architect, structural engineer, fire engineer, acoustic consultant, thermal modelling and LCA consultant. The scheme design was undertaken for the use in a design-and-construct tender in due course. The CLT design was developed alongside a ‘base’ design in conventional reinforced concrete, including cost and programming comparisons and comparative life cycle assessments in tonnes of CO2 equivalent global warming potential. The acoustic design addressed all the floor, walls and junction details both in CLT and reinforced concrete to achieve the BCA Australian targets.