Cowper Street Mass Timber Social Housing Redevelopment

completed

The Cowper Street redevelopment is a $65 million project delivering NSW's first mass timber social housing and Australia's first fully electrified, 6-Star Green Star social homes. It replaces 19 aging dwellings with 75 new social homes, including studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom apartments, and three-bedroom terraces. The project uses cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glulam pressed by XLam, with exposed timber elements inside the apartments and a traditional brick facade. The project faced challenges due to the lack of a national CLT standard and regulatory complexities.