Australian architecture firm Fraser & Partners has unveiled the design of the nearly 190-meter-tall C6 residential tower in Perth, claiming it as a new standard in the use of glulam. In fact, the architects say the building – composed of 42 percent glulam, including cross-laminated timber floors and glued laminated timber beams – will become the world's tallest hybrid timber tower when completed, towering above SHoP Architects’ 180-meter-high hybrid timber tower in Sydney and Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s design for a 100-meter-high residential block in Switzerland.

Using a combination of wood, concrete and steel, the structure was designed to maximize the efficiency of each material, enabling it to reach record heights. C6 will contain 237 apartments of various sizes, from one to four bedrooms, and the glulam structure will be exposed inside.

According to Fraser & Partners, C6 will be carbon neutral upon completion and will run completely on renewable energy. “With the help of the carbon accounting team at the Australian consulting firm Slattery, the C6's wooden structure is calculated to sequester 10,500 tons of carbon compared to a typical concrete building of the same scale,” explains Fraser & Partners director Reade Dixon. “At this early stage, we expect the structure to be carbon neutral upon completion.”

The residential tower will be placed on a podium with a public space planted with native flora, aiming to provide a place for community involvement and facilitate the recovery of the black cockatoo bird and other local endangered species.