A new ‘prescriptive pathway’ for the use of structural timber aims to incentivise the material’s use. While the initial intention was to recognise engineered timber, such as Cross-Laminated Timber and glulam, after seeking industry feedback the scope of the credit was expanded to include all sustainably-sourced structural timber.
According to the GBCA’s Head of Market Transformation, Jorge Chapa, “Timber is a renewable resource, which combined with local sourcing, can contribute to job creation and skills development. This change to Green Star is about incentivising a new industry for engineered timber in Australia.”
This initiative recognises the innovative approach taken on projects such as Lendlease’s Forté and acknowledges the industry’s growing appetite for products such as Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL).
Mt Chapa explains, “We have always recognised the use of sustainably-sourced structural timber, but until now project teams needed to undertake a full lifecycle analysis to achieve Green Star points. This change makes it easier for project teams to gain points using responsibly-sourced timber, just the way we encourage the use of sustainable concrete and steel.”
Read more about the changes from the GBCA here.