Snapshot Case Studies: Mass Timber in Action

Explore real-world applications of mass timber construction through our curated selection of snapshot case studies. These concise overviews highlight key insights, efficiencies, and innovations from a range of timber-built projects across New Zealand.

PROJECT: Otago Polytechnic Student Village
PHOTO: Naylor Love

Rendering of a modern building with a sign that reads "THE COURT THEATRE" on the front, featuring large glass windows, wooden accents, and people walking by or standing outside.

The Court Theatre

The Court Theatre project is a purpose-built performing arts venue in Christchurch, designed to be the cultural heart of the city.

The building integrates mass timber elements to enhance sustainability, provide structural efficiency, and create a warm, inviting atmosphere.

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Modern interior space featuring a wooden staircase with glass railings and geometric wooden supports, illuminated wood ceiling panels, and a large flat screen monitor with a blue display in the background.

Aurecon Stairs (Te Tihi)

The Aurecon Stairs (Te Tihi) showcase how engineered timber can combine sustainability, cultural storytelling, and striking design. Featuring precision-fabricated CLT and Glulam elements, the project delivered a ‘floating’ stair structure that minimised waste, reduced embodied carbon by 6.4 tonnes CO₂-eq, and incorporated intricate Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei designs. This case study highlights the benefits of digital fabrication, prefabrication, and cultural integration in mid-rise timber construction.

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Rendering of a modern multi-story glass office building with palm trees and people walking nearby.

90 Devonport Road, Tauranga

NZ’s largest mass timber office building. Thanks to precise prefabrication and seamless coordination, the CLT components arrived exactly when needed, keeping the site lean, accelerating the build, and unlocking earlier starts on façade and fit-out.

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Modern multi-story building with large glass windows, palm trees in the front yard, and a small outdoor seating area on a balcony.

317 HARDY STREET, NELSON

The Hardy Street development comprises eight three-storey residential apartments. The primary structure consists of concrete foundations, ground floor slabs, low-level precast concrete walls, and extensive CLT walls and floors above, stabilised in one direction by substantial steel frames.

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A modern building with a curved design and a green roof, surrounded by palm trees and lush greenery, with a walking path and road nearby, set in a dense forest.

PUNANGAIRI VISITOR CENTRE, DOLOMITE POINT

Punangairi is a highly sustainable visitor centre, carefully placed within one of the most beautiful and sensitive natural environments in the West Coast region, Auckland.

The architecture responds to the landscape, weaving around the existing nīkau and natural features, touching the land as lightly as possible and recessing back into the landscape.

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An aerial view of a modern multi-story building with an array of solar panels on the roof, large glass windows, and surrounding greenery, situated next to a street with parking spaces.

THE LIVING PĀ

The Living Pā project, situated at Victoria University of Wellington’s Kelburn campus, serves as a remarkable example of how mass engineered timber construction can significantly reduce carbon emissions while providing an inspiring environment for learning.

In this snapshot case study, we will explore the sustainability achievements of the Living Pā and emphasise its role as a pioneer in high-performance building.

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Construction site with scaffolding surrounding a building under construction, with snow-capped mountains and a lake in the background.

ALPINE RESORT, WANAKA

The project is an ‘alpine’ inspired holiday home in Wanaka, backing on to the ‘Sticky Forest’ reserve.

Huge raking glulam beams provide the structure, whilst framing the expansive views to Lake Wanaka, the Southern Alps, Mount Aspiring and Treble Cone ski field. CLT floors and stairs, visible from below and the side, provide a stunning use of mass timber. The glulam’s dark stain captures the natural growth ring patterns of the timber, enhancing the dark and moody feel of the interior design.

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Waikato Regional Theatre external street

WAIKATO REGIONAL THEATRE

The Waikato Regional Theatre is a landmark cultural development in Hamilton, integrating new and heritage structures to create a world-class 1,300-seat lyric theatre.

Changes due to Resource Consent requirements and cost escalations led to the introduction of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) as a cost-effective and efficient structural material.

CLT was used for blade walls, the auditorium roof, and seating bleachers, offering construction speed, cost savings, and sustainability benefits.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

  • Red Stag Industrial

    ROTORUA
    Wed, 5 November
    2pm - 4.15pm

    Showcasing lowest carbon industrial timber buildings, that are now cost-equivalent to steel - come find out how.

    FIND OUT MORE

  • Parliamentary Services Building

    WELLINGTON
    Thurs, 13 November
    3pm

    We have exceeded our registration capacity, and as a result, registrations are now officially closed. 

  • Designing & Building Better with Timber

    AUCKLAND
    Thurs, 27 November
    8am - 4.30pm

    Step through the typical design and build process with experts covering architecture, structure, fire, acoustics, moisture, compliance and cost considerations at each stage.

    Find out more

KEY LEARNINGS FROM NEW ZEALAND CASE STUDIES

Access key learnings and insights from the Mid-Rise case studies.

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