Finding Infinity, Hasslacher Group Drive Adelaide Mass Timber Boom

Major Mass Timber Projects Underway

Adelaide, South Australia, is developing several large-scale mass timber projects, including a proposed 32-story hotel and office tower. Developer Finding Infinity plans the $210 million "Hotel Optimismo," which is designed to use no concrete above ground level.

Ross Harding of Finding Infinity unveiled the plans and is currently seeking $56 million from investors for its delivery. Separately, the city's $135 million aquatic center now features 52 glulam beams and columns, with the longest measuring 37 meters. Hasslacher Group produced these beams at its Hermagor facility in Austria.

Tyson Infanti, Australian director of business development for Hasslacher Timber, confirmed the beams were shipped from Zeebrugge, Belgium, to Melbourne, then transported to Adelaide. The aquatic center's roof structure incorporates 324 cubic meters of glulam and 108 cubic meters of cross-laminated timber.

Expanding Timber Construction and Local Production

Beyond these flagship developments, Adelaide's construction pipeline includes additional mass timber structures. The Adelaide Oval Hotel, completed during the pandemic, utilized prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) from XLam, an Australian supplier using certified plantation pine. This five-floor hotel contains 138 rooms across more than 20,000 square meters.

Furthermore, developer Barrie Harrop revived plans last year for a hotel on Victoria Square, featuring cross-laminated timber and green steel. Harrop's broader $2 billion initiative to construct homes from Chinese factory modules includes two initial projects slated for Adelaide, with China State Construction Engineering Corporation among his partners.

New Residential and Sourcing Challenges

In the city-fringe precinct of Bowden, Otello is marketing "Flowe Bowden," a 10-level tower designed with a mass timber frame. This $80 million project, selected by Renewal SA in January, will offer 115 apartments. Fieldwork serves as the architect, and Jaytex Construction is the builder.

Twenty percent of the apartments are designated for affordable housing, exceeding the 15 percent requirement, and 16 units are for specialist disability accommodation.

The state government has noted that Australia's timber industry currently lacks the manufacturing capacity for beams as large as the 37-meter components required for the aquatic center, necessitating overseas sourcing. Premier Peter Malinauskas launched NeXTimber's first CLT and glulam facility on the Victorian border in 2024, aiming to boost local production.

Implications for Sourcing Specialized Timber in Asia

The need to import exceptionally long glulam beams for the Adelaide Aquatic Centre from Europe shows that for specific project requirements, global supply chains remain essential. Procurement teams in Asia planning large-scale mass timber projects should assess the current manufacturing capabilities of regional suppliers for specialized dimensions and types of engineered timber.

When local options are insufficient for bespoke requirements, procurement teams should budget for the lead times and logistics associated with sourcing from international producers like Hasslacher Group.

Furthermore, Barrie Harrop’s partnership with China State Construction Engineering Corporation for housing modules from Chinese factories indicates a direct pathway for Asian manufacturers to supply components for Australian residential developments.