Product

Spotted Gum, Quarter Cut, Random Matched

Architect

Hassell & Populous

Project 

International Convention Centre, Sydney

Photography

Tyrone Branigan, Guy Wilkinson

Joinery
Euroline & GDK Group

Building
Lendlease

At 250,000 square metres, the International Convention Centre Sydney is one of the most ambitious and consequential public projects in Australia’s recent history – a once-in-a-generation transformation of the Darling Harbour precinct that has redefined how Sydney’s waterfront is experienced by residents and visitors alike. Designed through a joint venture between Hassell and Populous, ICC Sydney is Australia’s only integrated convention, exhibition, and entertainment centre, and a global benchmark in the delivery of large-scale civic architecture.

Within a project of this magnitude, the selection of interior materials carries an enormous responsibility. Surfaces must perform across relentless use, meet the most stringent fire safety standards, and retain their beauty and integrity over decades of public life. Briggs Veneers supplied the natural timber veneer and fire-rated substrate solutions that meet every one of those demands, without compromise on the warmth and authenticity that only real timber can provide.

Throughout the convention centre’s wall panelling and stair balustrades, Briggs’ eco-cert® Spotted Gum PEFC, quarter cut and random-matched with deliberate colour blending across flitch bundles, brings the rich character of one of Australia’s most iconic native hardwoods to the interior at monumental scale. The random match and colour blend technique was a considered specification for a project of this size: by drawing from multiple bundles and allowing natural tonal variation to sit side-by-side, the veneer achieves a seamless, living surface that reads as organic and unhurried rather than repetitive.

In the auditorium ceiling, Briggs’ eco-cert® Hoop Pine FSC® crown cut and whitewashed, transforms one of the most visually prominent surfaces in the building into something genuinely breathtaking. The crown cut’s broad cathedral grain, softened and unified by the whitewash treatment, creates an expanse of pale, luminous timber overhead that speaks of the natural landscape beyond the building’s glass façade. Here too, the veneer is pressed onto FLAMEBLOCK® FRMDF; a substrate engineered specifically for applications where fire performance is not optional.

ICC Sydney stands as one of the most significant projects in the Briggs Veneers portfolio – a demonstration of what becomes possible when Australian timber, sustainable certification, and certified fire-rated engineering are brought together at the highest level of architectural ambition. A building the entire city uses, lined with materials built to last as long as the building itself.