Dean sits down with Sean Bull from Xlam to unpack cross laminated timber (CLT) — how it’s made, how it performs, and whether it can play a meaningful role in reducing embodied carbon across Australian construction.
Sean shares his journey from structural engineering and post-tension concrete into the mass timber space, and explains how CLT panels are manufactured, pressed and machined in Australia using radiata pine sourced from PEFC-certified forests.
The conversation explores:
- What CLT actually is and how it’s manufactured
- Fire resistance levels (FRLs) and performance pathways
- Acoustic considerations in multi-residential builds
- Embodied carbon vs biogenic carbon storage
- Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
- Forestry certification and sustainable sourcing
- The impact of the Black Summer bushfires on timber supply
- Installation timeframes and on-site efficiencies
- Cost comparisons with concrete structures
- Reuse and circular economy potential
- Whether mass timber can realistically scale to meet housing demand
Sean also discusses a recent Luigi Rosselli project in Sydney and what’s required to bring CLT into mainstream housing, from design decisions to stakeholder.
Links & Resources:
- Xlam Australia: xlam.com.au
- Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) – Xlam: xlam.co/resources
- PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification): pefc.org
- Responsible Wood (Australian PEFC member): responsiblewood.org.au
- Living Building Challenge: living-future.org/lbc
- Luigi Rosselli Architects: luigirosselli.com
- Mass Timber podcast: masstimberpodcast.com
Hosted by Dean Ipaviz, builder & director at Verdecon, creating high-performance, low-impact homes across Australia. Follow Dean Ipaviz and @_thebuiltenvironment on Instagram and visit thebuiltenvironment.com.au
