Brookfield, Hawaiian Timber Tower Wins Approval

Brookfield Asset Management has been given the go-ahead to construct a state-of-the-art office building made entirely from timber in central Perth.

The Canadian alternative-asset manager, which operates more than 32 million square metres of real estate globally, will build a 10-storey office block on the corner of Spring Street and Mounts Bay Road.

Brookfield’s development and operating arm, Brookfield Properties, and local investment and development group Hawaiian are delivering the project, which is due for completion in mid-2023.

Brookfield Properties regional director Nicholas Ozich said the timber tower had been designed to reflect the site’s heritage importance by integrating the gardens and built environment.

“The building [will] complement the garden setting by extending the workplace experience into the garden itself and the lobby is treated as an extension of the garden landscape with a blurred distinction between inside and out,” Ozich said.

The 9800sq m office building, designed by architects Donaldson Boshard, will include a large ground floor lobby, premium end-of- trip facilities and a rooftop terrace with views across Kings Park and the Swan River.

It will also offer floor plates ranging between 777 and 950 square metres to suit the growing post-pandemic market for small tenancies.

The tower will be built of cross-laminated timber (CLT), and glue laminated timber, or glulam. The innovative materials have the structural strength of traditional methods using concrete and steel but are more environmentally friendly.

“Sustainability has continued to be a key focus for Brookfield Properties, both in Perth and globally, with this building set to become a showcase in the portfolio,” Ozich said.

“The construction methodology uses a lower embodied carbon output than typical construction methods, provides greater efficiencies with less waste, and reduces the construction period through off-site fabrication, improving site safety and minimising the disruption onsite.”

The building will aim for a 5.5 Star NABERS rating, a 6-Star Green Star rating and an IWBI WELL Gold Core rating.

For Hawaiian, the development represents an evolution in its sustainable practises and a new challenge after delivering Western Australia’s first 5-Star Green Star rated commercial tower at 235 St Georges Terrace in 2009 alongside Brookfield.

Nearby, in Perth’s Elizabeth Quay precinct fronting the Swan River, Brookfield Properties is well advanced on its proposals for Lots 5 and 6—constructing more than $1 billion of office and residential real estate across two towers.

The combined project includes more than 50,000sq m of office space and 1800sq m of retail and dining space as well as an 84-room hotel and 237 apartments.

Lot 5 will now accommodate a 56-storey mixed-use development, comprising retail, waterfront dining and prime commercial office space along with residential dwellings and a boutique luxury hotel.

The smaller project at Lot 6, which began construction at the end of 2021, will comprise a 21-storey commercial office tower with views across the river.