Discover the innovative local projects that are transforming the construction landscape.

From cutting-edge architecture to smart construction practices and even Australia’s first biomedical engineering research centre, there are plenty of projects currently pushing the envelope in construction. Here are three game-changers, plus a new spin on timber framing that could transform the sector forever.

Despite snap lockdowns, tight timelines and the unique scheduling requirements of working in a ‘live’ hospital environment, the much-anticipated Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD) at St Vincent’s Hospital is on its way to becoming a star in Australian construction.

Soon to be home to the first collaborative, hospital-based biomedical engineering research centre in Australia, Alchemy Construct has been working throughout Melbourne’s coronavirus disruption to see Stage 1 of the project to its completion.

“It’s an exciting project that will position Australia as a global leader in biomedical engineering,” says Sarah-Anne Munro, co-founder of Alchemy. “Despite COVID-19 and the obvious busy nature of the existing buildings, our team has managed to keep on schedule and deliver some amazing outcomes with the trades on site.

“We are so lucky to be in a country where the government is proactive and innovative. We are also embracing the change to the ‘new normal’ – working remotely, trusting staff and ensuring we support each other, which is now more important than ever.”

Designed by architects Denton Corker Marshall, the ACMD building will be a research and innovation hub, as well as a clinical care centre, servicing the hospital’s medical, engineering, scientific and commercialisation needs.

From budding entrepreneurs to billionaires in the span of just a few short years, Atlassian’s co-founders are set to build a futuristic, hybrid timber tower soaring 180 metres into the air – right next to Sydney’s bustling Central Station.

Part of the state government’s Tech Central infrastructure initiative, the 40-storey building will house 4,000 Atlassian employees in the upper floors, contain 480 beds of Railway Square YHA accommodation on the lower floors, and cost more than $1 billion from start to finish.

Construction on the crowning jewel of Sydney’s proposed tech precinct is set to begin in earnest this year and wrap up in 2025.

Merging past, present and future into one innovative project, works on a $181.5 million development will result in a game-changing mixed-use tower that will act as a care facility, seniors living centre and primary school all in one.

Located at 29-33 Oxford Street in Sydney’s northwest, the 29-storey facility will replace a number of buildings currently on site, while leaving the Catholic Church untouched to retain the development’s heritage value.

Experienced developer Stockland says the finished product will include a 132-bed residential care facility, 205 units for senior living, four church presbytery units, shops, a church hall, large underground car park, and a multi-storey primary school building.

While it’s not a specific game-changing construction project, a New Zealand firm’s new take on timber framing could change the way architects design projects – and even how offices are set up in a post-COVID environment.

The reconfigurable X-Frame system recently hit Australian shores as the NZ firm set up a base in Adelaide. The carbon-negative engineering timber material allows the frames to be configured in a variety of ways and reused in a simple, efficient manner.

It remains to be seen whether uptake will match current interest for the product, but it’s safe to say this is a positive step forward for sustainable, environmentally conscious construction materials.