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Software giant Atlassian and property group Dexus (ASX: DXS) have topped out their 39-storey hybrid timber tower above Central Station, claiming the title of the world's tallest hybrid timber building at 180 metres - 100 metres taller than the previous record holder, Milwaukee's 25-storey Ascent tower.
The $1.4 billion Atlassian Central project, built by the Built–Obayashi joint venture, contains more than 30,000 cubic metres of cross-laminated timber and glulam sourced from European spruce and supplied by Stora Enso and Wiehag.
The mass timber is threaded through 21 of the building's 39 storeys, arranged across seven so-called timber habitats that function as distinct workplace precincts.
Dexus credits the timber substitution with halving the embodied carbon of the structure compared with a conventional steel-and-concrete tower of equivalent size.
The building is targeting a 6 Star Green Star rating and 100 per cent renewable power, with practical completion expected by the end of 2026.
Atlassian will occupy five of the seven timber habitats, with the company expecting to move staff in by late 2028.
“Atlassian Central is what happens when you apply technology thinking to commercial real estate," says says Atlassian co-founder and CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes.
"It’s not just a smart building with a few dashboards bolted on. It's the most technologically advanced building in Australia - operating like a software platform, sensing, learning, and adapting in real time.
"We built it for a future of work that will keep being reinvented by AI, by new ways of collaborating, and by technologies we haven't even imagined yet.”
Cannon-Brookes recently defended the continued need for physical office space despite the rapid advance of artificial intelligence, arguing that in-person collaboration remains essential to creative and technical work.
The remarks come on the heels of Atlassian cutting about 500 Australian jobs as part of a broader global reduction of 1,600 roles announced in March this year.
Dexus Group CEO Ross Du Vernet describes the project as a statement of long-term ambition in sustainable construction.
“We set out to prove that large-scale commercial buildings can be delivered differently," says Du Vernet.
"This project has been pioneering in every sense, demonstrating how we can reduce carbon, support wellbeing, and create a workplace built for the future – while still meeting the rigorous expectations of global tenants and investors.”
The tower sits at the heart of the NSW Government's Tech Central precinct, a planned innovation corridor stretching from Central Station through Surry Hills and Camperdown.
Sydney-based contractor Built, which formed a joint venture with Japan's Obayashi Corporation to deliver the project, has deployed advanced digital engineering methods across the build.
Built founder and CEO Marco Rossi points to the construction methodology as a step change for Australian building.
“Atlassian Central is a testament to the value of digital engineering and modern construction," he says.
"Combining a mass timber structure with a 39-storey commercial tower required new ways of designing and building, with our team setting a new benchmark.
"Years of investment in innovative construction methods, advanced modelling and in-house capability enabled us to virtually build and sequence one of Australia's most complex projects long before work began on site.”
The tower passed Milwaukee's 86.6-metre Ascent building during construction in April, and at 180 metres now stands as the tallest hybrid timber structure globally by a significant margin.
The European spruce CLT and glulam elements were prefabricated offshore and assembled on site, a process Dexus says reduced construction waste and accelerated the build program.
With the structural frame now complete, work will continue on façade installation and central building services, with the development on track for practical completion by the end of this year.
Dexus holds a 65 per cent interest in the project with Atlassian owning the remaining 35 per cent.
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