Victoria approves Endor's $68m Cremorne timber office

Why it matters

Wood Central puts the approved height at 57.9 metres, against 28 metres preferred by the local controls. The structure relies on glulam columns and cross-laminated timber floors.

Council’s objection was about character: it said the building did not respect the pattern of development on Stephenson Street. Six objections were lodged, covering height, bulk and the precedent for Cremorne.

The department’s officers weighed it differently. In their report, as relayed by Wood Central, the site carries no mandatory height cap, and other Cremorne buildings of 9 to 13 storeys have been approved. The department’s own urban designers praised the architecture but wanted less height against the street. Officers concluded the public benefits were worth the departure from the controls, among them at least 500 square metres of space for a not-for-profit tenant on a 10-year peppercorn rent.

VicTrack, which manages the adjoining rail land, supported the project. Transport for Victoria attached conditions on matters such as sun glare off the building and radio signal for trains. Per the outlet, the project cannot depend on the neighbouring railway land or its overhead space for light, ventilation or fire safety.

According to the report, projects of this size are decided by the minister, not council, through the state’s Development Facilitation Program. For another Cremorne project in our coverage, see Natuzzi Italia’s flagship.

The numbers

• Officers recorded a development value of $68 million, with 13,145 square metres of lettable area.
• Endor has one year after occupation to prove three targets: Passivhaus certification, a 6 Star Green Star rating and a 4 star NABERS embodied carbon result.
• Wood Central says the Office of the Victorian Government Architect described none of those targets as new alone, but said together they would constitute Australian leadership.

What’s next

The permit lapses unless work begins within three years and finishes within five. Before building goes past demolition, excavation and piling, plans showing the reduced height need approval.

Wood Central also notes the exposed timber would sit at more than twice the height the national fire rules permit for wood. Endor’s fire engineer, Carbon Fire Engineering, wrote the design advice letter behind the approach. Before the decision, Chris Coyle of Vettex, Endor’s project manager, said Victoria’s fire authority had been cautious about buildings of this scale, and he expected the Carbon Fire brief to change the outcome.

Source: Wood Central, 4 November 2026.