Contractor Multiplex has topped out the largest mass timber construction project of its kind in Victoria, La Trobe University’s $100 million student accommodation project at its Bundoora campus.

Continuing the trend towards timber construction, 4500 cubic metres of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glulam (glue-laminated timber) will be used to deliver a mix of one, four, five and six-bed apartments supported by study areas, student kitchens and large communal spaces.

Designed by Jackson Clements Burrows, the development comprises two six-storey arc-shaped buildings surrounding a central courtyard, purposefully shaped to respect the existing campus gum trees.

Multiplex regional managing director Graham Cottam said the company, which has been busy within the higher education construction realm, was proud of its involvement in the project.

“We are passionate about sustainable design technologies, so we are thrilled to utilise mass timber and be the largest new development in Victoria doing so,” Cottam said.

Innovative construction techniques include the use of pod bathrooms and prefabricated concrete, making the construction on campus as quickly as possible.

La Trobe University project director Kimberley Wilkinson said the two apartment buildings have been designed with sustainability at the forefront.

“With La Trobe already having a six-star Green Star Communities rating, creating a modern and innovative building that showcased La Trobe’s continued commitment to sustainable building design and construction was essential.”

Part of the University’s $5 billion multi-precinct “City of the Future” plan, the project is scheduled for completion in July, with students beginning their studies in the second semester of 2020 able to move into the new accommodation.

Source: The Urban Developer