Installation is underway of around 30 metric tons of timber at Sunshine Coast Airport for the raking roof that forms part of the airport’s A$170m (US$119m) Terminal Redevelopment Project. The Queensland airport said the terminal will be Australia’s first mass timber engineered terminal when completed.
The engineered timber, known as glulam, or GLT, is being installed to form the terminal’s raking roof frames, which were designed by the Australian team at Populous: Fentress Studios in partnership with builder McNab.
According to the airport, using timber instead of traditional steel and concrete reduces the terminal’s embodied carbon, with an estimated global warming potential (GWP) saving of roughly 40 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. The airport said the timber was chosen for its sustainability and environmental benefits and to reflect the region’s subtropical landscape.
Robin Mace, general manager of projects and planning at Sunshine Coast Airport, said seeing the timber structure take shape was a significant moment for the project: “This is where the vision our community helped shape really starts to come to life. The timber frames will become one of the most recognizable features of our new terminal, and watching them go in is an exciting sign of the progress being made on this A$170m investment in our region’s future.”
Matt Findlay, principal and head of aviation, APAC, Populous: Fentress Studios, said, “It’s genuinely rare for an airport to use timber at this scale. Most terminals of this size rely on steel and concrete, so committing around 30 metric tons of glulam to the roof structure is a significant statement about the kind of building we wanted to create – one that feels like nowhere else in Australian aviation.”
The airport said the terminal uses biophilic design, a principle that draws on people’s connection to the natural world, and that the exposed timber is designed to have a calming effect on passengers from the moment they arrive.
Sean Powyer, associate principal and architect at Populous: Fentress Studios, said, “For many people, airports reflect the fast pace of modern life. The raking timber frames form a distinctive gateway into the terminal, marking the transition from the pressures of everyday life to the relaxed character of the Sunshine Coast. Warm and natural, the exposed structure is designed to create an immediate sense of calm from the moment passengers step off the aircraft.
“The Sunshine Coast is the only place in the world that’s home to three continuous UNESCO Biospheres, and our airport serves as a gateway to three of Australia’s five Biosphere Reserves.”
Installation of the glulam frames will continue over the coming weeks, with specialist timber engineering consultation provided by Theca Timber. The terminal is due to be completed in 2027.
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