South East-sourced timber will form the backbone of two of the state’s new technical colleges – simultaneously reducing the carbon impact of the construction work and supporting the state’s $3b forestry industry.
The State Government’s new technical colleges in Mount Gambier and Tonsley will both be constructed with timber sourced from Timberlink Australia’s new $70m NeXTimber manufacturing facility at Tarpeena.
The plant is Australia’s only combined Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glue Laminated Timber (GLT) manufacturing facility and is located adjacent to Timberlink’s state-of-the-art sawmill.
Minister for Forest Industries Clare Scriven MLC and Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer visited NeXTimber to see some of the timber panels to be used for the new technical colleges roll off the production line.
The NeXTimber facility can produce CLT panels up to 16 metres long and 3.5 metres wide, and GLT beams up to 12 metres long.
These offer an alternative to traditional construction materials and can help to reduce the embodied carbon of a project.
Structures using this timber can be built up to 12 storeys and even taller when combined with other materials in a hybrid timber construction.
The Mount Gambier technical college is due to begin construction in early 2025 and will be co-located in the research and education precinct alongside the existing TAFE and the new Forestry Centre of Excellence.
The State Government has committed $208m to five technical colleges, which will see three opened in metropolitan Adelaide, one in Port Augusta and one in Mount Gambier, by 2026.
Minister Scriven said the region’s forest industries have a proud history of sustainably growing and utilising our local resources to address growing timber demands.
“As Minister for Forest Industries, I am delighted to see this state-of-the-art local timber product being used in large government projects such as these,” she said.
“It’s great to know the timber from NeXTimber is sourced from local sustainably certified pine plantations.
“Timber is the ultimate renewable, and by using this product in South Australian government projects it will not only further reduce the carbon footprint of the construction work, but also support a sector that employs almost 18,000 people directly and indirectly.”
Minister Boyer said each of the five technical colleges had a specific design and study focus so that it complements the local region and the future job opportunities for students graduating.
“Supporting industry, trade, educators and learners will help provide the employees needed to drive growth in this state – and the use of Timberlink wood in these projects, shows this government is serious about working closely with industry in a range of ways to support our economy,” he said.
Timberlink’s Chief Sales and& Marketing Officer Simon Angove said the company was pleased to welcome the Minister for Forest Industries and the Minister for Education, Training and Skills to the NeXTimber facility.
“The visit was a fantastic opportunity to discuss the benefits of using responsibly sourced plantation pine timber in construction projects of the future and to showcase the level of innovation and technology involved in the manufacturing process,” he said.
“Using mass timber products such as CLT and GLT in the construction of these new technical colleges may assist in storing more carbon in South Australia’s built environment.
“Supporting local jobs is important to Timberlink and we are proud to have created over 30 new full-time jobs for the Limestone Coast region with the opening of our NeXTimber facility in February 2024.”
South Australian Forest Products Association (SAFPA) chief executive Nathan Paine welcomed news that locally grown and manufactured timber would provide the building blocks for the new technical colleges.
“This announcement is great news for the timber manufacturing industry in South Australia, with the State Government leading by example and using mass engineered timber to build the technical colleges that will educate the next generation of our workforce,” he said.
“This not only supports the State’s $3b forest industries, the over 21,300 people who directly and indirectly work in the State’s forest industries but will be reducing the carbon footprint of these buildings which will help South Australia achieve its net zero targets.
“NeXTimber’s state of the art manufacturing facility at Tarpeena will be supplying the Cross Laminated Timber for these projects with every cubic meter for finished softwood storing 718kg of CO2-e, the only building product that is carbon positive.
“We have an amazing opportunity here in South Australia to grow, process and build out of mass timber which will store carbon and deliver not just positive environmental benefits but buildings that provide healthier and happier spaces for people to live, work and play.
“Timber has been the ultimate renewable building material, as it locks and stores carbon reducing the environmental impact on the construction industry, whilst delivering a sustainable, cost-effective building that has a positive impact on the well-being of those around it.
“Mass timber building materials such as Cross Laminated Timber is the building material of the 21st Century and is a product being embraced by leading international architects, builders and designers to replace carbon-manufactured materials like concrete and steel.
“Forestry is the industry that builds our nation, and with the State Government using locally grown and locally manufactured timber to build local facilities these projects are a true tick of approval for South Australia’s forest and timber industries.”
