Sophisticated design technologies enable innovation in large complex projects such as 25 King Street Brisbane.
Bates Smart is recognised for creating highly innovative solutions for large complex buildings. The practice set a new precedent for timber building, with 25 King in Brisbane designed using Autodesk’s BIM Collaborate Pro and AEC Collection.
Standing at ten storeys, 25 King is the tallest timber commercial building with the largest floorplate in the world.
Autodesk’s AEC Collection allowed Bates Smart to achieve a combination of structural, construction and sustainable efficiencies. The project team coordinated design, visualisation and delivery between multiple consultants and stakeholders to create an all-timber structural system that significantly reduces the building’s embodied carbon compared with conventional construction methods.
Because of the prefabricated nature of 25 King, the design approach had to be precise from the beginning. Working with a shared BIM model across the consultant team was critical to this process.
BIM Collaborate Pro allowed the team to collaborate with other designers and consultants, thus integrating the detailed contributions of other innovators at a very early stage. The design team was able to present to the client different design iterations at a quick rate and with a high degree of accuracy.
Visualising the design
3D modelling greatly assists in visualising Bates Smart’s design thinking as it is to appear in reality. For the design of 25 King, it was essential to establish a fully visualised and high-resolution model to clearly communicate to the client the kind of workplace environment their tenants would be occupying. Having 3D visualisations of the building’s interior also helped to accelerate the design approvals process.
Bates Smart’s interior rendering of 25 King was a powerful tool in visualising the unique timber quality of the commercial floor plate, in which all the services and structure are exposed. “What’s amazing about 25 King is that it’s a completely viable alternative to traditional concrete and steel construction” says Philip Vivian, Bates Smart Director.
25 King’s interior showcases an honest expression of timber to connect its occupants with nature. Occupant wellbeing is central to 25 King’s design; the timber material gives a warm glow, unlike most office environments, which in turn fosters a happier and healthier workplace.
A commitment to sustainable performance
Buildings account for 25 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. Tall timber buildings can play an essential role in reducing emissions, which is crucial to meeting global climate change goals. 25 King achieves 74 per cent saving in embodied carbon, when compared to an equivalent steel and concrete commercial building.
By establishing accuracy and precision in the design at an early stage, Bates Smart was able to coordinate a speedy construction time. The building minimized its environmental impact during the construction phase via off-site fabrication of the timber elements, which helped to cut down waste.
Pre-construction of these elements also helped achieve significantly shorter construction times. Each level was built in 11 days, with construction time totalling 15 months.
To find out more about Autodesk’s BIM Collaborate Pro and AEC Collection, visit www.autodesk.com.au
