Nick Hewson
Nick Hewson is the founder and director of Arboralis. He discovered a passion for timber buildings early in his career after working on some of the first cross-laminated timber (CLT) projects in his native UK. Since making Australia his home in 2010 he has been instrumental in the development of mass timber in Australia, from his career in structural consultancy as well as his time at both XLam and Viridi Group. He has hands-on involvement in dozens of timber buildings as well as significant historical and adaptive re-use projects.
He brings an unparalleled breadth of experience of engineered timber structures from design, manufacture and construction and offers a multi-disciplinary approach to all projects in which he’s involved. He’s a passionate advocate for more timber buildings and can regularly be found on the speaking circuit.
Nick is a constant advocate for better knowledge-sharing and collaboration and is also a founder of Timber DiaLog - a community organisation for connecting professionals keen to learn more about timber and share information.
Our Values
Timber - We believe that encouraging the use of more timber in our buildings is the simplest and most effective way for the construction industry to de-carbonise and help to reverse the impacts of climate change.
Adaptive re-use of existing buildings - The most sustainable building is one you don't need to build! With extensive experience in vertical extensions and work on historic buildings we can help get the most out of your existing buildings.
Material efficiency - We have a duty of care to future generations to utilise every resource to its best. This might mean more design work up front, but significant savings can be realised through the project.
Hybrid buildings - We have a timber first policy for our building structures, but that doesn't mean that all parts of a building are necessarily suited. We believe in using the right material for the right job.
Sustainability
Technology - Leveraging the latest software and embedding Design For Manufacture, Assembly and Dis-assembly (DFMAD) into all timber design is critical to a successful project delivery.
Product Development - We are equally confident working on product development and support as we are on individual construction projects.
Beyond Deemed To Satisfy - Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) is a rapidly changing section of the industry and is often evolving beyond the confines of codes and standards, and designers need to evolve with it and be comfortable with performance solutions
Innovation
Process and outcome focus - Through design we need understand the end user requirements as well as the process for arriving there, and understand that the decisions made early in a project lifecycle have large repercussions the further down the track
Detailed manufacturing knowledge - A product focused design approach is imperative when designing an MMC project and our close links with major suppliers and manufacturers, both local and overseas, means we can help projects understand market supply and fabrication capabilities
Holistic approach - Our wide-ranging experience across the major technical disciplines related to timber (structure, fire, acoustics, durability) in parallel with our knowledge of manufacturing and install means our solutions seek to address all aspects for an optimised result
Collaboration - We believe that to truly make the transformational change we need in the industry we need to collaborate. Arboralis has established strong links with other complimentary leaders in their field to deliver on our commitments.