A major boost in the use of timber construction by architects and developers for mid-rise building projects will arise from proposed changes to the NCC building height limits, given wood’s appeal as a sustainable and economic construction material.

This topic and others on ‘Building with engineered wood construction systems’ will be discussed by the nation’s leading experts in timber and construction at the Frame Australia 2015 conference and exhibition on Monday 1 June at Park Hyatt Melbourne.

Master Builders Association of Victoria’s Sustainable Building Advisor Dr Phillip Alviano will feature as one of the invited speakers at the conference, presenting on the subject of labour skills and training for prefabrication.

Other countries permit timber apartment buildings as deemed-to-satisfy solutions up to 10 storeys, well beyond the current three storeys in Australia, and the amendment aims to permit timber construction in apartment buildings up to 25 metres or eight storeys.

The Property Council of Australia representing major developers and builders agree, and have issued a joint statement of support for change in conjunction with all major building design professional member organisations.

Frame 2015 conference speaker Tony Arnel, Global Director Sustainability for international consultancy Norman Disney & Young, and former Chair of the Green Building Council, will explain why timber and engineered wood products are emerging as a sustainable solution for the building industry.

“Project teams are embracing timber and EWP as an environmentally sustainable and renewable material, and using it to build faster, cheaper and more sustainably than ever before,” Arnel said.

On a global basis Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is rapidly becoming the building material of the future with similar characteristics to pre-cast concrete panels, but lighter, more easily worked and easier to erect.

The world’s major producers of CLT for the first time will attend Frame Australia 2015 conference and exhibition with displays of the latest technologies and construction materials in this increasingly popular engineered wood building system.

For more information visit the website at www.frameaustralia.com