World’s Tallest Hybrid Timber Tower Under Construction in Australia

It’s hardly news when a successful tech company wants to build a new towering headquarters in the middle of a metropolitan area. It is news, though, if that company plans on building said headquarters out of a potentially revolutionary and environmentally-friendly new material.

That’s exactly what Atlassian, a technology solutions company, is doing.

According to Business Insider, the Australia-based company recently unveiled plans for a 40-story building in Sydney that will be made of hybrid timber, glass and steel. Atlassian hopes that by doing do, the project will produce half the carbon emissions of a traditional construction project.

The key to these reduced emissions is hybrid timber, a relatively new building material that replaces concrete in traditional construction. The Portland cement-based concrete typically used requires huge amounts of heat to produce, which releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Mass timber, on the other hand, outputs scant CO2 during production and actively sequesters carbon.

Once completed, the headquarters will be the tallest hybrid timber building in the world. By building their entire headquarters with sustainability and eco-consciousness at the forefront, Atlassian is putting into action the typical corporate promise to be environmentally friendly. Once completed, the structure is expected to consume 50 percent less energy than comparable traditionally-built structures.

“The project is a reminder that architecture can serve as a tool to not only announce a company’s environmental intentions but to physically embody them,” said Nic Monisse of Monocle.

The building’s sustainable design does not sacrifice overall aesthetic. The renderings showcase a striking, avant-garde structure that stands out on the city’s skyline. That high-profile design is key to the purpose of the building — to turn Sydney into Australia’s version of Silicon Valley.

“If you want to work in tech – this is the place you will want to be,” said Atlassian CEO Scott Farquar in a statement. “Sydney has the potential to be one of the world’s leading technology cities and the creation of a tech precinct sends a loud signal that we’re in the race to take a slice of the world’s most valuable market. That’s an exciting place to be.”