Ngunnawal
ACT
A highly sustainable office building that is human in scale and positively impacts on the wellbeing of its occupants.
At the time of design, this was the first mass timber construction office building in Canberra. It has been pivotal in gaining increased confidence amongst developers, industry and tenants in the viability and value of timber structures.
This project uses over 280m³ of hardwood glulam timber, which, after factoring in the energy used to produce it, captures and offsets more than 115,772 kilograms of CO2. The timber comes from fast-growing trees in Tasmania and is made in Victoria, reducing emissions during transportation. This amount of timber regrows every 74 minutes – a highly renewable method. The structure is designed for easy assembly on site with finger joints and bolts, allowing the timber to be taken apart and reused or recycled at the end of the building’s life.
Stewart Architecture’s 23 National Circuit building, located within the Realm precinct, serves as a sophisticated contribution to this diverse urban condition. Utilising a CLT structural system, the building is exemplifies the raised expectations of architecture and construction for a commercial typology.
Internally the expressed CLT structure has been designed to form part of the experience the occupant experience. Utilising a conventional grid layout the thoughtfulness of the architecture is evident through careful detailing and services coordination, allowing the structure to inform a recognition of the user.
The interior is further enhanced by generous materiality in finishes and detailing that have been used in a sensitive manner, allowing for a high quality of internal environment.
Externally encased by a refined glass façade, the building form demonstrates a sensibility that reflects the form, function, and flexibility of this building typology while also mediating its surrounds of hotels, offices, and public amenities.
The building’s refinement and form illustrate the value of the scale and typology to Canberra’s urban landscape.
Marcus Graham, Design Architect
Sasha Lesiuk, Project Architect
Mark Craswell, Project Architect
DOMA Group, Developer
Indesco, Structural Engineer
S4B – Mechanical, Engineer
S4B – Electrical, Electrical Consultant
Tennant Hydraulic Consulting Services, Hydraulic Consultant
Redbox, Landscape Consultant
S4B, ESD Consultant
Northrops, ESD Consultant
Holmes Fire, Fire Engineer
Facade Industries, Facade Engineer