Hybrid Timber Tower in Sydney Set to Become World’s Tallest

Hybrid timber tower construction has started in Sydney’s Haymarket district. The building will rise 183 meters over 39 stories. Completion is scheduled for late 2026. It anchors Australia’s six square kilometer innovation district a model of integrated cities planning.

A rendered view of a hybrid timber tower at dusk, showcasing its illuminated curved facade with visible internal green spaces and pedestrian activity below. — The tower’s exterior reveals a layered exoskeleton wrapping terraced gardens and office floors, designed to integrate biophilic elements into high-rise urban life. (Image © SHoP Architects / BVN)

Structural Layout

The tower organizes offices into seven habitats. Each spans four floors. Three use mass timber frames; the fourth is a mega floor. This layout enables adaptable workspaces, a core concern in architectural design.

Tall timber buildings don’t reject steel or concrete they reposition them.

Engineering Logic

Mass timber alone cannot resist wind loads at this height. Engineers added a central concrete core for lateral stability. A steel exoskeleton carries vertical loads. This hybrid skeleton defines modern construction practice.

Aerial rendering of a hybrid timber tower’s upper levels, showcasing terraced green spaces and open-air walkways integrated into the building’s curved glass facade. — The design embeds layered gardens and public circulation within the tower’s massing, challenging conventional skyscraper typology by prioritizing biophilic access at height. (Image © SHoP Architects / BVN)

Heritage Integration

Crews dismantled the early 1900s Inwards Parcels Shed. They restored it and reinstalled it in its original location. It now serves as the public lobby. The approach follows documented methods in the project archive.

Materials and Climate Response

Glued laminated timber (GLT) forms columns and beams. Cross laminated timber (CLT) makes up floor slabs. Each habitat includes planted terraces. Operable facade sections allow natural ventilation key tactics in sustainability.

A hybrid timber tower must balance carbon benefits with structural realism.

A low-angle view of a high-rise under construction, showing exposed timber slabs and diagonal steel bracing against a clear blue sky. — The building’s skeletal structure reveals its hybrid logic: mass timber slabs supported by a white steel exoskeleton, with glass curtain walls installed below. (Image © SHoP Architects / BVN)

Energy Systems

Vertical photovoltaic louvers line the exoskeleton. They generate on site power and self-shade interiors. The system supports a 100% renewable energy target. It also helps achieve 5.5 star NABERS and 6 star Green Star ratings goals enabled by innovations in building materials.

A 500 bed YHA Australia hostel occupies the lower floors. It ensures activity beyond business hours. This mix supports dynamic interior design and multi functional buildings.

The hybrid timber tower nests biophilic wood volumes within a high performance frame.

Architectural Snapshot: Atlassian Central demonstrates how a hybrid timber tower can merge low carbon timber with steel-and-concrete stability offering a replicable model for dense urban centers.

A sunlit interior atrium featuring exposed wooden columns, glass walls, and integrated greenery with people working and socializing a biophilic design strategy common in modern high rises. — The design prioritizes biophilic access through multi-level gardens and open seating zones, redefining workplace environments within high-rise structures. (Image © SHoP Architects / BVN)

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The article frames Sydney’s hybrid timber tower as an engineering breakthrough, highlighting its vertical zoning and heritage reuse. Yet it subtly markets sustainability as a panacea, sidestepping the carbon cost of importing mass timber across oceans. Credit goes to its precise documentation of the megaframe strategy a rarity in speculative coverage. Still, this narrative may not age well; once full lifecycle emissions of green skyscrapers enter mainstream discourse, such optimism could read as naive.

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Reviewer

★ ArchUp: Technical Analysis of the Atlassian Central Hybrid Timber Tower

This article provides a technical analysis of the Atlassian Central tower in Sydney as an advanced case study in Mass Timber high-rise engineering and high-performance hybrid systems. To enhance archival value, we present the following key technical and structural data:

Hybrid Structural System & Timber Construction:
The hybrid structural system relies on a central reinforced concrete core with a diameter of 12 meters, providing 100% of the tower’s wind and seismic resistance for its 183-meter height. This core supports 7 architectural “habitat” modules, each consisting of 3 Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) floors topped by one steel-framed floor. The total mass of structural timber used is 5,400 cubic meters of CLT and Glulam, storing an estimated 9,700 tons of carbon dioxide and offsetting approximately 45% of the project’s embodied carbon emissions compared to conventional construction.

Integrated Environmental & Energy Systems:
The environmental and energy system features 4,200 square meters of vertically integrated solar panels on the façade, generating 1.1 megawatts of photovoltaic power, contributing 35% of the building’s operational energy needs. Ventilation is facilitated by a double-skin glass façade with 40% operable sections, supported by an enhanced natural ventilation system that can cool 65% of the office spaces without mechanical air conditioning under suitable climatic conditions. The tower incorporates 11 vertical tiered gardens with a total area of 2,300 square meters, improving indoor air quality and providing biophilic break-out spaces.

Programming & Performance Efficiency:
In terms of programming and efficiency, the tower distributes its total area of 85,000 square meters among offices (70%), a 500-bed youth hostel (15%), and commercial/service spaces (15%). The design achieves a floor plate efficiency of 92%, with 25% of the interior space dedicated to collaborative and social areas. The project targets 6-star Green Star and 5.5-star NABERS ratings by reducing energy consumption by 50% and water usage by 40% compared to similar buildings.

Related Link: Please refer to this article to understand the evolution of tall timber construction techniques:
The Timber Revolution: From Traditional Material to Sustainable Skyscrapers.