Kim Macdonald: How a city skyscraper became a game changer for the environment

A new building in Perth looks like any other in the city — a 12-storey glass edifice, testament to Perth’s ever-burgeoning economy.

Dwarfed by the neighbouring BHP tower, Westralia Square Two is probably the kind of building you would walk past without thinking twice.

But take note, WS2 is a game-changer.

As the city’s first timber-hybrid skyscraper, it is a harbinger of change and was suitably endorsed by Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti at yesterday’s launch as the start of something new.

Not only was the tower 30 per cent faster to build than one utilising traditional construction materials of concrete and steel, but the lightweight construction allowed a building that was four times the size of one achievable with a conventional structure.

Best of it, it has 80 per cent less embodied carbon than a traditional build — which is equivalent to about seven million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

To put that figure into perspective, it is the same amount of CO2 produced by every single car in WA in a year, according to a group called Ride Beam.

Little wonder the construction sector accounts for 38 per cent of the world’s emissions according to the UN, with a third directly related to the mining and production of man-made building materials.

It is clear that no amount of household recycling is ever going to make the kind of impact that the construction sector can make when it comes to the environment.

Which is why builders and developers need to step up.

There are plenty of reasons why they should.

Developer GDI Property is so pleased with the outcome it plans more timber hybrid buildings, while Arup — which figured out some of the complex engineering innovations on the project — saw the benefits in becoming the anchor tenant.

Another developer, Grange Developments, is so convinced of the advantages it is building a 51-floor tower in South Perth comprising 42 per cent timber.

Murdoch University managed to practically re-invent itself with a magnificent timber building that represents one of its core values — finding solutions to environmental challenges.

So why isn’t everyone else doing it?

The answer, as usual, is largely due to money.

Timber hybrid is only cheaper than traditional methods when built over an existing foundation, like the carpark at WS2.

But with a raft of B and C-grade buildings in the city reaching the end of their life spans, Perth is in a perfect position to take greater advantage of the innovative technology.

The State Government should offer financial incentives to encourage more adaptive reuse of timber structures.

The construction sector needs to do a lot of the heavy lifting if we are to achieve net zero 2050.