One Brisbane high-rise is showing why timber is making a comeback as a building material. Timber has long been used in Australia for residential construction. But its use in high-rise buildings is relatively new, and many myths about it abound: that timber buildings require more maintenance, aren’t fire resistant and are at risk from termites. One high-rise building in Brisbane — 25 King Street — is busting those myths, while also earning the label of being Australia’s tallest and largest engineered-timber office building. …One of the main challenges of the project was getting the balance right between the different materials, since timber couldn’t be used in all areas. …“Consideration of column and beam layouts allow a minimum number of large penetrations, and therefore reduce the cost of the structure,” Lillywhite said.