Fairbrother were chosen to build this visually exciting and challenging project after the submission of a competitive guaranteed maximum price (GMP) tender.

Structurally, the building is a 30-metre truncated cone rising 14 metres that encloses a secondary structure containing the offices of Forestry Tasmania. In essence it is a cube within a cone. The combination of an innovative structural steel arrangement and careful placement of plywood panels and polycarbonate glazing allows the building to use only 20% of the normal energy requirements of similar modern office buildings. The building is not mechanically ventilated. Instead it uses a ‘thermal chimney’ to automatically regulate airflow and temperature. A double-layered, teflon-coated fibreglass membrane roof further enhances the building’s thermal performance.

During the development phase the architects provided Fairbrother with the opportunity for considerable input into the construction methods and details adopted. This team approach ultimately resulted in significant cost savings of both time and money for the client.