T3 Collingwood: Continues to set the Benchmark for Low-Carbon Commercial Buildings
October 27, 2025
Delivered by Icon for leading global developer Hines, the PCA A-Grade workplace in the heart of Collingwood continues to be recognised as a breakthrough in sustainable commercial construction. The project has now achieved 6-Star Green Star certification and secured major awards across Australia and internationally.
Some buildings are designed to leave a legacy, T3 Collingwood is one of them.
Spanning 15 levels and 28,601m², T3 Collingwood combines the strength of a concrete core and podium with exposed mass-timber structure on the upper floors, creating a warmer, healthier and lower-carbon workplace experience. At the time of completion, it stood as the eighth tallest hybrid-timber building in the world.
Key Sustainability Outcomes Include:
- 34% reduction in upfront embodied carbon
- Low-carbon concrete and high-performance glazing
- Rooftop solar generation and efficient HVAC performance
- Water harvesting and reuse for irrigation and bathroom fixtures
- Enhanced natural light and improved indoor air quality
- Targeting 5.5 Star NABERS rating (potential above 5.85)
By sourcing CLT and glulam from renewable plantations, and reducing material waste at every step, the project demonstrated what is possible when sustainable design intent is realised through diligent delivery.
Driving Innovation In Delivery
Icon partnered with Hines from ECI and planning approvals through to construction delivery, aligning a multidisciplinary team and the supply chain around ambitious sustainability targets.
The construction approach unlocked:
- Faster floor cycles (three days per floor quicker than concrete)
- Quieter and cleaner installation
- Reduced labour force on elevated levels
- Significantly lower community impact
Close coordination with subcontractors and rigorous materials interrogation were critical to achieving Green Star Credits 20, 21 and 22, including 97.35% construction waste recycling and market-leading documentation compliance.
Award-winning recognition
T3 Collingwood continues to be applauded on the global stage:
🏆 Australian Timber Design Awards 2024
Excellence in Timber Applications – Commercial Building
🏆 CTBUH Awards 2024
Best Tall Building — Height Under 100m
Best Tall Building — Oceania
🏆 AIA Victorian Architecture Awards 2024
Commercial Architecture
🏆 AIA National Architecture Awards 2024
Harry Seidler Award for Commercial Architecture
🏆 Sustainability Awards 2024
Best of the Best
Commercial Architecture (Large)
These achievements reflect the strength of collaboration across all stakeholders who helped make an ambitious vision a built reality.
A project worth celebrating again
T3 Collingwood isn’t just an exceptional building. It’s a signal of where the industry is heading.
A workplace that champions carbon reduction, material innovation, human wellbeing and a more resilient built environment.
Icon is incredibly proud to have played a role in setting this new benchmark for sustainable commercial development in Australia, together with Hines and our project partners.
