Timber gains increasing acknowledgement as a primary construction material for sport and leisure facilities

July 25, 2023

Used as a building material for thousands of years, the value of timber as a sustainable construction material for sport and leisure facilities is gaining renewed recognition with a number of high profile and award projects gaining attention in Australia and internationally.

A feature by Paolo Aschieri, Director of Theca Timber, the Australian representative for Italian-based timber construction experts Rubner, explains how there has been a renewed interest in timber construction in the current millennium, particularly in the form of engineered timber products such as glulam (glued laminated timber - GLT), LVL (laminated veneer lumber) and CLT (cross-laminated timber).

These products, along with new processes and techniques, allow for the construction of larger and taller timber buildings than previously possible and have gained popularity for their environmental sustainability, renewable nature, full prefabrication (making installation on site easier, safer and cheaper) and aesthetic appeal.

Aschieri highlights that the Queensland Government’s March announcement that the redevelopment of Rockhampton’s Browne Park, the home of rugby league in Central Queensland for more than 100 years, would feature a three-level 3,500-seat grandstand with a timber structured roof as the key part a $54 million redevelopment of the venue, as being confirmation of the growing recognition of using timber as a building material in construction projects.

He explains that “a key reason for this is that timber is a renewable resource, and using it as a building material can help to reduce the environmental impact of construction projects.

“Additionally, advances in engineered wood products have made timber a more viable option for larger and more complex construction projects, including aquatic, entertainment, recreation and sporting venues.

“In terms of returns on investment, using timber in sport venue construction can offer a number of benefits. For example, timber construction can be faster and more efficient than traditional building methods, which can help to reduce construction costs.

“Timber can also offer excellent thermal performance, which can help to reduce energy costs associated with heating and cooling the venue.

“Moreover, the use of timber in sport venue construction can create a unique and visually appealing aesthetic, which can help to attract users, fans and members and, by enhancing their experience, can potentially lead to increased income.”

Australia already has some significant examples of timber construction in sport and leisure facilities in use or approaching completion.

Stromlo Leisure Centre, ACT
Nestled below the Mt Stromlo Observatory on a landmark site within Stromlo Forest Park, the Stromlo Leisure Centre (SLC) was commissioned by the ACT Government to serve the rapidly growing community of Molonglo.

Completed in 2019, the $36 million SLC’s facilities include an eight-lane 50-metre lap and competition pool, 20 metre learn to swim pool, waterslides, a toddler’s pool and splash park, gym and fitness studio, a café, creche and swim store.

Key to the Centre’s design was its connection to its local environment, both through physically grounding the project in the foothills of Mt Stromlo, and through selecting materials that relate to the surrounding bushland.

Eric Tweedale Stadium, Granville, NSW
Completed in 2021 and going on to win that year’s Australian Timber Design Award, the Eric Tweedale Stadium offers a new home for community sport and is home to the Two Blues Rugby Union Club. The Stadium has been a benchmark for sustainable construction in terms of cost effectiveness, efficiency, design quality and sustainability.

Designed by dwp | design worldwide partnership, the $11.3 million project also won in the category of ‘Commercial and Public Buildings’ as well as Excellence in Engineering.

Bay Pavilions arts and aquatic centre, Batemans Bay, NSW
Combining an aquatic and recreation precinct with a theatre and arts venue, structural glue laminated timber has been utilised throughout the aquatic pavilion and foyer spaces at Bay Pavilions to provide a sustainable and durable structure that connects people to place.

The timber for this project was engineered in Australia and sourced from sustainably managed spruce forests in Europe.

Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre, Victoria
At the soon-to-open Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre, the City of Darebin has made sure materials used in construction minimised the carbon footprint of the construction while also increasing durability.

As a result, a light-weight timber structure - which once completed will be the largest under roof mass-timber pool in Australia, and the first in Victoria - was chosen for the building - reducing embodied carbon while offering a natural aesthetic.

Other projects
Other significant projects include the completed Marrickville Library in NSW, Chadstone Link in Melbourne and the Macquarie University Law School Building, NSW.

Soon to be completed and upcoming projects include the St Aidan’s Sport Hall in Brisbane, the Tumbalong Green Stage upgrade at Sydney’s Darling Harbour, the new Sydney Fish Market and the Oran Park Leisure Centre in NSW.

Theca Timber and Rubner
As the representative partner for Rubner in Australia and New Zealand, Theca Timber is a go-to expert in engineered timber structural solutions, and a major supplier of all kinds of engineered timber structures in both countries.

Rubner started manufacturing glued laminated timber (GLT) in 1976, and today it’s an innovative product-oriented manufacturer with headquarters in Italy, branches across Europe, and has completed jobs in over 60 countries.

Being a specialised company in timber engineering, Rubner is conscious of the strong impact of the early involvement of an engineered timber manufacturer in the design process, and can lead projects using timber where it is called for. It’s one of the world’s largest bespoke GLT supplier, well known for its versatility and fully prefabricated solutions.

Representing the natural evolution of expertise in timber construction, since 2016 Theca Timber and Rubner have joined forces to offer services that range from managing the design process completely, to offering specialist consultancy for complex structural solutions, to supply fully prefabricated structures straight to site.

While promoting and marketing innovative solutions to the entire local industry - including developers, architects, engineers, specialist consultants and builders - Theca Timber and Rubner make sure that right from the start of the design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA), the process progresses to create cost efficiencies in value engineering.

Click here to view the Theca Timber website. Theca Timber/Rubner are also exhibiting on stand 312 at this week's National Sports and Physical Activity Convention in Melbourne.

Click here to read Paolo Aschieri's full article Better with Wood in issue 156 of Australasian Leisure Management.

Images (from top): Theca Timber construction at the Eric Tweedale Stadium, Bay Pavilions, Stromlo Leisure Centre, Marrickville Library and Eric Tweedale Stadium.

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