Atlassian Central has reached its highest structural level. At 39 storeys and more than 180 metres, the team presents it as the world’s tallest hybrid-timber building.
SHoP Architects and BVN organise the tower around a steel exoskeleton and seven stacked habitats. Each group introduces floors and intermediate spaces within a structure combining glulam, CLT, steel and concrete.
The word hybrid is decisive. Timber reduces some concrete and steel, but does not eliminate them. The core, connections and fire strategy require every material to work where it offers a verifiable advantage.
Topping out is not completion. Façade work, central services, finishes, testing and the reinstatement of heritage elements at the base continue. Practical completion is planned for late 2026.
AdvertisementARQUITHEAArchitecture for seeing more clearlyIdeas, buildings and tools for understanding the city through real questions.Follow @arquithea_ ↗The project aims to cut upfront embodied carbon by 50% and improve operational efficiency by 50% compared with a comparable conventional office tower. Documentation and actual consumption will need to test those claims.
The fact. the structure has topped out and construction continues. The real test is whether hybrid complexity produces a maintainable building, not only a structural record.
What does Atlassian Central’s record actually prove?
It proves mass timber can enter tall-building systems when it shares responsibility with steel and concrete. It still has to prove that the whole building reduces impacts across its life, not only in the initial calculation.
