Australasian Timber Magazine - August 2019

AUGUST 2019

MANUFACTURE • TECHNOLOGY • DESIGN • CONSTRUCTION Incorporating Australian and New Zealand Timberman – Established 1977.

PI Insurance crisis remains

A red oak renaissance

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David Chandler gave the keynote address “Influencing 2030 Aussie Offsite Construction”

Construction industry warned to focus on industry skilling BRUCE MITCHELL

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HE Australian construction industry needs to focus more on industry skilling and enabling modern construction enterprise capability building than on the hype given to modern construction tech over the last 20-years.

The keynote speaker at Frame Australia’s Conference, David Chandler, said that unless the Australia’s domestic capabilities are adapted to embrace modern construction methods the industry will be left behind.

Attended by around 300 delegates from Australia and overseas, the many presentations re-

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inforced the need for Australia’s vocational and university education systems to pay attention to the rapid developments in offsite construction manufacturing and how this will reshape the need for new methods of work packaging and skills on-site.

“The Australian construction industry needs to focus more on industry skilling and enabling modern construction enterprise capability building than on the hype given to modern construc-

tion tech over the last 20-years,’’ he told delegates.

“This hype has distracted from the necessary education investment largely neglected at this critical time. It’s time to turn this around, otherwise more and more of Australia’s construction jobs will go off-shore.

“It is not possible to deliver better, smarter, faster and more assured construction without the necessary capabilities,” he said.

“Australia needs a massive new technical skill investment to meet the demand for qualified modern industry professionals. The industry is looking for a strong practical workforce who understand new developments

AUGUST 2019, Vol. 27, Issue 5 Incorporating Australian and New Zealand Timberman – Established 1977.

in construction materials and composite construction involving timber, steel and concrete with an increasing focus on less waste, better quality and lower carbon to make modern buildings”.

These capabilities will need to be backed up with design management, manufacturing and logistics skills to inform how a new industry typology will evolve towards traditional on-site construction becoming more assembly orientated. At the moment there is a huge capability gap in all these aspects.

Professor Chandler presented a table of four emerging mixes of construction typologies that he forecasts will define how

News Frame conference Woodchat

4-7 13-20 26

construction on and off-site may unfold in Australia by 2030. He stressed that unless there was clear progress towards the creation of new capabilities that our industry will require by 2023, the only choice for construction clients to access smarter construction done better, will be to increasingly source off-shore.

Professor Chandler pointed to the growing low-rise multi-unit (2 to 5 levels) market as being central to this endeavour. He forecast that dwelling completions in this sector may reach 120,000 pa. by 2025. He said, “the residential sector has always Continued on Page 13

Timber certification Chapel innovation Associations

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FRONT PAGE: The exhibitors’ hall at the 2019 Frame Offsite Timber Construction conference in Melbourne. Around 300 delegates from Australia and overseas attended the two-day conference.

Publisher and Chief Executive: Hartley Higgins General Manager: Robyn Haworth

Editorial: Bruce Mitchell b.mitchell@ryanmediapl.com.au (08) 8369 9521

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Design and Artwork: Peter Frezzini and the NEM Creative team Accounts: Adelaide: (08) 8369 9514

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Conditions: The opinions expressed in Australasian Timber Magazine are not necessarily the opinions of or endorsed by the editor or publisher unless otherwise stated.

All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. All material in Australasian Timber Magazine copyright 2019 © Ryan Media. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, the publisher will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.

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AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

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Cladding and the risk of fires continues to be a vexed question.

PHOTO: dominika zarzycka / Shutterstock.com

Building reforms welcomed by industry But Private Indemnity Insurance problems remain unresolved BRUCE MITCHELL

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HE agreement between Federal and State Building Ministers to commit to reform of building regulations has been welcomed across the industry groups, but the vexed question of the Professional Indemnity Insurance crisis remains.

While there was acceptance that Australia’s building regulations need reform and, while this will lead to long term improvements in the building industry, Australian Institute of Building Surveyors CEO Brett Mace said nothing arising from the meeting would give comfort to building surveyors and other industry professionals faced with unworkable PI insurance policies right now.

The main outcomes of the Building Ministers Forum where that: Ministers agree to significant reforms of industry regulations; No agreement nationally on cladding rectification costs; No immediate relief in sight on the PI insurance crisis; Positive outlook for a Professional Standards Scheme.

“The most encouraging step was agreement to implement the 24 recommendations from the Building Confidence Report

by Professor Peter Shergold and Ms Bronwyn Weir,’’ Mr Mace said.

“This will be done by a designated team through the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB), with support from industry.’’

“The big plus is this will replace the current piecemeal approach to reform by each jurisdiction and, if successful, will go some way to returning confidence to the sector in the longer term,’’ Mr Mace said.

The commitment to reform through the Shergold and Weir 6

recommendations was something AIBS had been advocating for and taking the lead on for a long time through its public statements and more recently with industry colleagues from the Master Builders Association and the Property Council.

“While the commitment to reform will provide long term stability, we are extremely disappointed that despite consistent calls from the insurance industry for a nationally consistent response to cladding rectification, there continues to be a fragmented and less than ideal approach,’’ Mr Mace said.

He said the AIBS applauded the initiative by the Victorian Government in allocating significant funding to the rectification costs of combustible cladding remediation in Victoria.

Other jurisdictions must now follow Victoria’s lead and take a pro-active approach to the rectification of combustible cladding before more building surveying firms are forced to close their doors.

“We know members are faced with huge increases in insurance premiums, massive increases in excesses, reduced cover and exclusions. At the same time, there is a steep increase in claims against building surveyors regardless of whether they are directly responsible or simply being joined in disputes and targeted because they hold insurance,’’ he said.

“This is not sustainable. If the insurance industry cannot guarantee some relief in the immediate future, then the outlook for the profession is grim and there is significant risk of severe impact to the industry.’’

Unfortunately, our profession will continue to face considerable challenges in the immediate and foreseeable future while the insurance industry

Minister wants insurance companies to be part of solution

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NSURANCE companies must be part of the solution for the crisis facing professional indemnity insurance for building certifiers, according to the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews Ms Andrews said what the insurers have indicated is that they have been concerned about the risk profile of particular buildings.

“And that’s based on some of the reports that have come through, including work that has been done by Shergold and Weir,’’ she said.

“What the insurance sector has been looking for is a level of certainty that the issues are being addressed and that there will be a unified approach. considers whether the direction taken by the Ministers is going to be sufficient to entice them back into the market.

The Ministers have taken a very big risk by only looking at the longer term and failing to ad dress the current issues. The Ministers are now on notice and will have to stand accountable if the industry fails in the next 12 months. AIBS will continue to advocate to all jurisdictions to take the Victorian Government’s lead to assist in the rectification costs in the hope that, combined with the long-term commitment to reform, the current crisis can be stabilised.

One final point was the positive response by most governments to a Professional Standards Scheme. As members will be aware, AIBS has been working with the Professional Standards Authority for some time to develop a scheme for building surveyors. The presentation by the Professional Standards Council to the industry roundtable, held prior to the Ministers’ meeting yesterday, reinforced AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

“What we are putting to the insurers, is that the states and territories have moved to address the concerns that insurers have raised.

We want them now to look at continuing to remain in the market, particularly for professional indemnity for building certifiers, and potentially for new players to come into the market.

“So we’re calling on the insurers to now come to the party, be part of the solution, to look at professional indemnity insurance for building certifiers, but also to look at more broadly building insurance issues.’’

the crucial role a professional standards scheme will play in achieving reform and securing the future of the profession.

Insurance Council of Australia CEO Rob Whelan said the agreement between the states and territories on implementing nationally consistent building standards was a step in the right direction, but action was now urgently required to restore confidence in the building and construction sector.

“Nonetheless the blame game has to end, and governments must now prioritise the enactment of this national approach,’’ Mr Whelan said.

“Insurers are pleased the Australian Building Codes Board will play the key role in overseeing implementation of the 24 recommendations of the Shergold-Weir report.

“However, the ICA believes the insurance industry must have a formal role, including permanent representation on the ABCB, to ensure insurance perspectives are heard.

“The ICA is willing to engage

with governments and regulatory authorities to ensure the restoration of confidence and stability in the construction industry is achieved as soon as possible.’’

HIA Chief Executive Industry Policy, Kristin Brookfield, said a national approach to the implementation of the Shergold-Weir Report will assist the building industry, governments and the community to move forward with greater certainty and provides a significant recognition that a nationally consistent approach to improve community confidence in the building system is needed.

“Whilst each state needs to take on board the recommendations of the Shergold-Weir report in a way that suits their existing regulatory frameworks, it is important that the end result after implementation will essentially be to deliver a consistent approach to the way buildings are approved, to the way building professionals are held responsible and to providing greater certainty for building owners.’’ www.timberbiz.com.au

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Forest Certifications have strengthened timber security But illegal logging still depressing world prices STEVE NICHOLSON

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ach year, an estimated $800 million of Australian timber imports come from illegally traded timber.

The figure climbs to between $71 to $213 billion annually worldwide. Harvesting and trading illegal timber carries severe environmental and economic impacts globally.

Environmentally, harvesting illegal timber removes natural habitats for many species of wildlife and also contributes to climate change as more carbon is released into the atmosphere from land clearing. From an economic perspective, Illegal logging depresses world timber prices by between 7 and 16 percent, affecting timber suppliers.

Companies legally supplying timber and timber-related resources, like pulp, used for creating paper products are affected due to illegally traded timber being sold at lower prices.

In the 1990s, to tackle illegally or unsustainably harvested timber and meet growing consumer demand for sustainably sourced products, independent forestry certification schemes, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), were developed. While FSC set the standard for sustainable forestry in tropical countries, PEFC created a standard for forestry in other climates, and created a pathway for country-based certification systems to apply international principles to their own circumstances. PEFC and FSC have gained global recognition for their efforts to end illegal and unsustainable forestry, however they are both voluntary accreditations – they carry weight for consumers but are not legally binding.

Turning voluntary association into law Realising the positive impact PEFC and FSC have had on forestry, many governments around the world, including in Australia, have developed sustainable timber sourcing laws which turn voluntary guidelines into rigorous, legally binding frameworks.

These laws ensure the wood, fibre and pulp used in timberbased products has been legally harvested, regardless of the country of origin.

In Australia, the Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012 set out requirements for Australian businesses importing wood, pulp or paper products into Australia, or processing Australian grown resources. Under the act, illegally logged timber is any timber harvested in contravention of the laws in place in the country of www.timberbiz.com.au

origin. Therefore, the strength of logging laws in every country is beneficial to every other country.

Legal frameworks in action: Indonesia Indonesia’s logging industry is one of the largest in the world.

In 2014, following international pressure and a partnership with the European Union, Indonesia implemented a Timber Legality Assurance System, commonly referred to as SVLK. This has become an important legal framework for timber certification in the country, providing rigorous certification requirements for suppliers in Indonesia.

As a result of Australia’s logging laws, any timber-based product imported into Australia from Indonesia must be meeting Australia’s legal requirements, and also Indonesia’s. This double protection provides Australian businesses and consumers with the assurance that timber-based products, including paper-based products like tissues and toilet paper, have been sourced not just legally, but sustainably.

Where national frameworks don’t work as well is when products are being imported from countries which don’t have the same rigorous illegal logging laws in place. This can include countries such as Brazil. This is where PEFC and FSC step in.

Both accreditations provide companies in these developing countries with a trusted means to demonstrate their sustainable practices despite limited government frameworks.

er for products to be displayed in stores. National standards and voluntary standards now carry the same, or similar requirements for businesses. Placing favour on a particular voluntary certification, such as FSC over PEFC, suggests national legislation is not strong enough which certainly isn’t the case.

Next Steps Tackling the illegal timber trade in Australia and worldwide requires a combination of legal systems and consumer-led

initiatives that force businesses to think about environmental consequences first and foremost. Consumer pressures led to the creation of PEFC and FSC, which in turn led to the creation of rigorous legal requirements in most developed nations. This combination of efforts and requirements has helped solidify sustainable timber sourcing globally.

The next step is for developed nations to work with developing nations to ensure timber coming from all nations is sourced

legally and sustainably. The EU’s partnership with Indonesia to implement SVLK has had positive impacts on land clearing in the country, with rates on the decline. The world needs to look at Brazil next, as it continues to have the highest levels of deforestation globally. Only through a combined effort of all nations and businesses will the illegal and unsustainable trade of timber be eradicated.

Steve Nicholson is Director of Sustainability at Solaris Paper.

Due Diligence While it’s undeniable that both PEFC and FSC have influenced and provided strong guidance for government legislation, national laws have also strengthened the requirements of PEFC and FSC certification.

Due diligence is an important aspect of most national frameworks. It requires businesses to confirm, to the best of their ability, that timber used to make products has been harvested legally. A Business must keep paperwork which demonstrates the origins of its timber resources throughout the whole production process. This often requires suppliers to keep similar paperwork, demonstrating timber source legality.

In response, both PEFC and FSC have incorporated due diligence requirements into their certifications to ensure they are in-line with the best national standards.

Given the strength of Australian forestry frameworks and similar international standards, it’s worth questioning why some retailers plan to favour one voluntary certification over the othAUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

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NEWS

Program to encourage use of wood in housing market Push to link wood products and traditional markets

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TECHNICAL extension program to encourage the use of wood products in residential Class 1 properties has been launched by Forest and Wood Products Australia.

The National Residential Construction and Fit-out Program, headed by Dr Alastair Woodard, a structural engineer and construction consultant previously involved in FWPA’s WoodSolutions programs, will uncover the issues and opportunities for timber that exist amongst Australia’s top builders.

The first phase of the program will involve market research and consultation over several months with leading residential builders in every state.

This phase will gather insights into the building community’s per-

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■■ FWPA technical extension program Alastair Woodard

ceptions of using wood products, what they see as the benefits and their concerns.

FWPA managing director Ric Sinclair said the program would build greater connectivity between the

forest and wood products sector and its biggest current and traditional market.

“The residential sector is very significant for a wide range of structural and appearance products, both sawn and engineered,’’ he said.

“There has been strong interest from FWPA members to have a dedicated program for this sector where most of their products end up,” he said.

“The business dynamics of the residential construction sector are constantly changing and we need up-to-date information on how wood products can deliver better outcomes for both builders and home owners.

“It is not a promotion program, rather it is about in-

depth market understanding, listening and co-creation with the residential construction sector.”

Following the research phase, a strategic plan will be developed outlining the real issues in the residential sector and how the forestry and wood products industry can address them.

The plan aims to identify the key activities and industry players, the potential associated costs, as well as any potential R&D or marketing investment to support the required activities.

Dr Woodard said he was looking forward to taking the lead on this new initiative.

“I am really keen to be involved in the new program and

to determine what needs to be done to see new market growth and importantly existing market protection in the residential area,’’ he said.

“The beauty of this program is going in with a blank canvas and identifying the common concerns and priorities from the builders themselves.”

Dr Woodard managed the WoodSolutions Victorian program and Tertiary Education program and is a Director of TPC Solutions, a consultancy advising on the impact of building materials.

He has also spent ten years with the Timber Promotion Council as General Manager and Executive Director prior to its closure in 2005.

A SmartStruct Kerto panel being lifted into place.

New mass wood panel system for Australia

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MARTSTRUCT, a division of Tilling Timber and the Principal Partner of the 2019 Timber Offsite Construction conference and exhibition, has announced it is bringing a new type of mass wood panel system down under for the first time.

Owned by Metsä Wood, Kerto-RIPA is a large-scale panel system for floors and walls, with superior stability, strength, acoustic and rigidity attributes.

The laminated veneer lumber (LVL) system will be offered exclusively by SmartStruct in Australia and New Zealand, marketed as the Kerto Panel System. It will provide a host of benefits for building designers, engineers and construction companies.

Leon Quinn, National Sales and Marketing Manager at Tilling Timber, said the company was delighted to sign

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this exclusive agreement with Metsä Wood.

“Our multi-million-dollar investment in the latest European automation, combined with our team of three engineers, 45 designers and two experienced commercial Business Development Managers, demonstrate our commitment to this construction method in Australia,’’ he said.

“SmartStruct’s Kerto panels now enable designers, builders and clients to bring timber solutions into higher density residential and commercial buildings.’’

The Kerto Panel System is made up of LVL panels with 20 per cent of veneers bonded cross-wise. Structural gluing is a key feature of the system, allowing for efficiency gains by offering six times more stiffness than screws alone, decreasing timber volume by 30 per cent and re-

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

ducing timber height by up to 50 per cent.

Meanwhile, the system’s cavity supports heat and ventilation, as well as providing a space for running services.

The panels also provide great workability, as they are easy to fasten, nail and drill. Panels can be used for all roof, floor and wall elements, and will be made available to standard widths of 900mm, 1,200mm, 1,800mm and 2,500mm, with lengths of up to 12m.

Well-established in Europe and particularly in Scandinavia, the panel system has undergone progressive and extensive technical development since its introduction in the 1990s.

The technology has been placed under rigorous testing over the decades and earned a European Technical Assessment ETA 07/0029 certification.

www.timberbiz.com.au

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Unsung Heroes - who’s behind FSC? N

ICK Capobianco is convinced of the importance of third-party certification schemes to drive the market towards more sustainable practices.

Mr Capobianco manages an auditing and consulting business called Green Marketing Concepts and is the Oceania representative for certification body, SCS Global Services.

He has been involved with FSC for more almost 15 years. From developing Australia’s first FSC certified timber veneer panel products, to auditing FSC Chain of Custody Certificate holders, and traveling around Australia and New Zealand with FSC educating businesses about FSC Certification – Nick knows FSC inside and out.

Mr Capobianco has been an eager supporter of FSC Australia from its early days. His sustainability journey started back in the early 2000s when he was a senior executive at The Laminex Group.

“Whilst working as the Manager – Building Products at Laminex, a growing number of environmental performance questionnaires and sales enquiries about wood and product certification made their way to me and that is when I started learning more about Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) and the market drivers for more sustainable practices in the building industry,’’ he said.

“I quickly realised the value of

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independent verification. Credible third party eco-labels provide businesses with the tools and confidence to make environmental claims, and helps buyers identify who they can trust.”

It was while volunteering as a member of Green Building Council Australia (GBCA) marketing committee and working at Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) that Mr Capobianco learned about ecolabelling programs and forest certification schemes such as FSC. “From here on, I became increasingly convinced of the importance of third-party certification schemes such as FSC to drive the market towards more sustainable practices, that are good for our planet and our future,” he said.

“I believe in the ability of FSC to stimulate positive change at the forest level. I’ve seen supply chains and buying behaviour shift towards FSC certified wood products, which sends important signals to the broader industry about responsible forest practices.’’

Companies either wanted to differentiate themselves based on their environmental credentials, mitigate risks to their brand or maintain their relevance by keeping up with market demands.

“Across several industries, I’ve seen major retailers and producers shift to FSC and influence the rest of the industry to take up certification.”

Timber processing stands at AUSTimber 2016.

AUSTimber to include timber processing, products

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lanning is well advanced for next year’s AUSTimber event, billed as the largest timber industry show in Australasia and scheduled to be held 30 March to 4 April 2020.

It will feature the latest in equipment and technology from timber harvesting to manufacturing and services at one site located 10 minutes from Traralgon in Gippsland.

AUSTimber organisers plan to include exhibition space and marketing exposure for Australasia’s timber processing and engineered products as growth in this industry segment picks up, including offsite timber construction.

Event manager Dionne Olsen said AUSTimber continues to strengthen its focus across the timber supply chain and provide timber manufacturing suppliers with the opportunity to exhibit and promote their products as part of the www.timberbiz.com.au

successful AUSTimber brand.

“Timber is the foundation of our lifestyle, it is the Ultimate Renewable. We’re striving to have all aspects of the industry from silviculture and harvesting to manufacturing and processing at AUSTimber2020”, Ms Olsen said.

“We think it’s very important to highlight the role timber has in our everyday lives.’’

In addition to site exhibition and demonstrations, delegates will be given the opportunity of visiting operating sawmills in the region.

Event partners supporting next year’s AUSTimber include HVP Plantations, Australian Paper, Vic Forests and the Latrobe City and Wellington Shire councils For a prospectus and more information, contact Dionne Olsen, phone +61 429 202 929, email austimber2020@afca. asn.au or www.austimber. org.au.

■■ Adam Addison, Sales Manager with AustWest Timbers with Green Marketing Concepts manager Nick Capobianco.

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AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

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The ramp and the timber vortex (below) in the Bloomberg EU HQ in London.

A renaissance has arrived in red oak MIKE JEFFREE

T

HERE has never been a better time to buy American red oak in Europe.

That’s partly because it’s in plentiful supply, partly because it’s eminently affordable, with the price differential versus European oak as wide as it’s ever been.

American Hardwood Export Council technical consultant Neil Summers acknowledges that both these positives for the European buyer are to some extent the consequences of a negative; the fact that China, as part of ongoing trade arm-wrestling with the US, last year imposed a 10 per cent tariff on American hardwood imports.

The Chinese are by far the biggest buyers of US red oak, and indeed US hardwoods generally, recently accounting for up to 60 per cent of all American exports. So the tariff, which may be cranked as high as 25 per cent when reviewed in early March, has left a lot of red oak seeking customers.

However, going into 2019 AHEC clearly aims for price and availability to be far from the only attractions of the species on the European market. Backed by the efforts of its sawmill members themselves, it is focusing promotional and communications resources squarely on it.

It is working with designers, 10

makers and furniture students to highlight red oak’s versatility, aesthetics and technical performance. The timber is being taken in new directions in terms of processing, finishing and end use and it will take centre stage at exhibitions. The marketing campaign will also feature showcase projects across Europe, including last year’s massive use of red oak for flooring, acoustic cladding and glulam at the new European HQ of financial data and media colossus Bloomberg in London.

There will be a major stress on the species’ sustainability credentials too; the fact that it is America’s most prolific hardwood, with two cubic metres growing in the forest every second, and total growth exceeding harvest by 21 million m3 each year.

Mr Summers doesn’t deny that Chinese tariffs pose a challenge for US hardwood mills, leading to price cuts to red oak in particular, which have left 4 quarter now 40 per cent cheaper than the equivalent European. As red oak has been particularly impacted, the price gap with American white has also widened.

“Initially wet weather restricted harvesting, so the effect of the

tariff was muted to some extent, but with colder temperatures, supply has picked up and those mills with all their eggs in the Chinese basket have found it a struggle,” he said. “If the tariff is raised, and particularly as the Chinese currency has also devalued against the dollar, it will be that much more difficult, leading to possible cuts in production, even layoffs.”

But, he added, mills and end users are exploring new opportunities for red oak.

“It is being thermo treated which, of course, makes it more durable, but also very attractive and a natural substitute for US ash if supply continues to decline due to the Emerald ash borer,” he said. “There is also a trend to painting oak kitchen furniture, which also logically opens the AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

way to more use of red oak.”

Resistance of European markets to the species, Mr Summers feels, has been to an extent down to inertia and conservatism.

“It’s more porous than white oak, so not suitable for barrels!

But it machines just as well and finishes perhaps better, it bends more easily and takes treatment well for external use. It can also perfectly well substitute a species like meranti, with its similar density, permeability and grain.”

Among the red oak showcase projects this year, leading designer maker Sebastian Cox will be making a circular bar area for the Wallpaper magazine Handmade feature at the Milan furniture show.

“One of his innovations will be to force dye into the vessels of the wood under pressure,” said Mr Summers.

Additionally, AHEC will be working with Polish furniture designer Tomek Rygalik on a red oak showpiece, which it hopes to bring to the London Design Festival, and it will also be challenging students at the Building Crafts College to fashion a table out of 2ft3 of the timber each.

The latter project follows the success of AHEC’s design ini-

tiative with students at Ryecotewood Furniture Centre in Oxford last year. Their challenge was to make a storage unit, also out of 2ft3 of red oak. Consequently, they steamed, bent, planed, turned, oiled and stained the timber, transforming it into everything from a coffee table with a miniature oriental garden under glass, to a shoe cabinet comprising painted woven red oak veneer strips.

Interestingly the students said they’d be happy to use the timber again, as did Michael Jones, project architect on the Bloomberg building at Foster+Partners – and it used 37, 160m2 of red oak for the flooring, 1,858m2 for the panelling and 1,350 m3 for the glulam.

The next major European airing for US hardwoods generally and red oak in particular will be the Interzum show in Cologne in May. Here AHEC will feature red oak exclusively on its stand.

“And reflecting their interest in the European market, it has organised a US hardwood pavilion for members,” said Mr Summers.

“It was booked up immediately and had to be extended to a total capacity of 32 exhibitors.”

The aim at the show will be for more Europeans to discover the untapped potential of red oak, with the emphasis that there’s never been a better time to do it.

Courtesy of TTJ www.timberbiz.com.au

American red oak is the most abundant species in the US hardwood forest.

It shares many of the characteristics of American white oak - it’s strong, beautiful and an environmentally sound choice. It’s also not red.

Its name comes from the colour of its leaves in Autumn.

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NEWS

Oak REDefined an award winning installation T

HE American Hardwood Export Council hit June’s Denfair in Melbourne with an award-winning installation exploring a timber species from multiple perspectives American red oak was selected in this collaboration with designer and architect, Adam Markowitz and top graphic artist, Marcus Piper, to create a space in which to relax, recharge and reconnect with a thoughtfully designed environment.

Oak REDefined was conceived having carefully considered research pointing to the beneficial effects on wellbeing of natural materials in our work environments. The space provided a respite from the visual vigor of Denfair in which visitors could relax, recharge their phones, laptops and brains.

The installation was manufactured to a very high standard by Sydney-based, Evostyle in both natural and thermally-modified red oak.

It incorporated a number of different ‘moments’, from a hotdesk to a dedicated relaxation zone to a playable puzzle designed by Marcus Piper in the form of a tangram table.

It demonstrated how functionality can be fun and how beauty

and practicality can balance for an energizing and productive result.

Every element of the installation was created from American red oak. Lesser understood in Australia than American white oak, the species shares many of the same qualities, though red oak is more abundant in the US forest.

“I think that it’s important as a designer to understand as much as possible about the materials you are using” says Adam Markowitz.

“For me red oak is a very interesting species because of its porous, stain absorbing attributes that are very different from American white oak”.

This attribute has been highlighted in the tangram table which combines stained, natural and thermally-modified red oak.

“We want designers able to make an informed choice about the materials that they use and so wanted to take this opportunity to share the capabilities and strong positive environmental profile of the most abundant American hardwood species with the Australian design and architectural communities,’’ Rod Wiles, Director of The American Hardwood Export Council Oceania said.

“Given the increasing number

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The American Hardwood Export Council’s award-winning installation at Denfair.

of research studies that point to the positive effects of wood in our built environment on wellbeing

and productivity, it made sense to provide a space at Denfair which allows visitors to experience this

for themselves. We were delighted to be awarded ‘Best Stand’ at the- class team of designers”.

AKD Softwoods embraces Australian Made brigade

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KD’s plantation pine timber products and other company material will now proudly be badged with the iconic green and gold kangaroo logo in the coming months, along with the company’s promotional messaging in future including the highly recognised and trusted Australian Made, Australian Grown branding.

Given AKD’s Australian ownership and 100 per cent local manufacturing in regional Australia, the company says that it sees this as a natural partnership and is pleased to be the pioneers of this in its sector.

“At a time when there is more product stewardship and governance required for all products, but especially a focus on building products, we see AKD’s co-branding with the Australian Made, Australian Grown brand symbolising quality assurance for Australian building conditions, but also promoting an important product category that is grown and manufactured sustainably in Australia,’’ Christine Briggs, AKD’s Marketing Manager, said.

For AKD, the green and gold logo also represents more than 1200 jobs that are made more secure with custom12

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ers preferring to purchase Australian Made, Australian Grown plantation pine timber.

“Buying Australian Made products helps to create Aus-

AKD Softwoods staff at a family day at the Colac plant in Victoria.

sie jobs and strengthens our local manufacturing, agricultural industries, communities and economy. The Australian Made logo helps buyers identify genuine Aussie products, which are known for their high standard of manufacture, reliability and quality,” Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ben Lazzaro said.

According to Roy Morgan, the Australian Made logo is

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

by far Australia’s best recognised (99 per cent) and trusted (88 per cent) certification trade mark for country of origin. The Australian Made, Australian Grown logo is administered by AMCL, a notfor-profit public com`pany established in 1999 by the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI) and the network of state and territory chambers of commerce, with the cooperation of the

Federal Government. AMCL now have over 2,700 companies registered to use the logo on over 20,000 products.

AKD believes that the product licensing and branding will assist more customers to choose Aussie-made and grown Plantation Pine products and open up new business opportunities where certain construction projects and government tenders may specify Australian-made preferences.

www.timberbiz.com.au

Frame conference

Changing face of timber construction BRUCE MITCHELL

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HE face of timber construction in Australia is changing, and it was obvious at this year’s Offsite Timber Construction conference in Melbourne.

“It’s a changing scene, and changing very quickly,” conference director Kevin Ezard from FRAME Australia said.

“I can recall some of the topics we had three or four years ago, and virtually none of them were on the program this time.”

“Everything is changing; the products, the technology.”

Mr Ezard said 10 years ago the conference was addressing residential buildings and housing.

“We weren’t talking about commercial buildings,’’ he said.

“Most of the wood was going into housing, and now signifi-

cant volumes are going to commercial buildings.’’

This year the second day’s panel discussions focused on two offices, one school and only one house.

“That has been a huge switch,’’ Mr Ezard said.

“I think half on the audience were previous delegates, which shows they liked what they saw last time, and of the new delegates they were much more diversified into the consumption end rather than the supply; the architects, designers, engineers, the construction companies.

“Those people are better represented now than the supply angle.

“And that’s how it should be. I want the suppliers to be there, of course, but I want to get the market people.’’

Mr Ezard said sustainability

was now becoming mainstream in the corporate conscious.

It had been pointed out at the conference that wood used in construction “regrows” at an extremely rapid rate.

During panel discussions covering a timber-built house at Ceres near Geelong it was revealed the total volume of timber in the project - 40m3 of GLT and 180m3 of CLT – would be regrown in Australian pine plantations in just 17 minutes.

“It really does accurately describe the renewable capacity of wood which people don’t understand,’’ Mr Ezard said.

Mr Ezard referenced the Forte Living building, a 10-storey apartment built by LendLease in the Docklands in Melbourne made from cross laminated timber in 2012.

Standing at 32.2m it was, at the time, the world tallest modern

■■ Offsite Timber Construction conference director Kevin Ezard addresses the delegates in Melbourne.

timber apartment building and highest and first in Australia made from CLT. The timber used was European spruce grown and harvested in Austria and provided by Stora Enso.

“The amount of timber used to build that 10-storey building was ‘replaced’ in the European forests in seven minutes,” Mr Ezard said.

Overall, Mr Ezard said that conference exhibitor numbers were up on previous years.

While there had been a modest increase in delegate numbers – around 300 - the increase

in exhibitor participants was please.

“That was a high point for me,” Mr Ezard said.

He said the first day of presentations, and the project panels on the second morning worked extremely well because “you get all the real players stating their perspective of a project’’.

The Tuesday afternoon workshops were an “experiment”.

“I was happy with the way they worked out,’’ Mr Ezard said.

“The feedback was great.

“But I think they need to be done differently. I’d like to refine the topics a bit.’’

Construction industry warned to focus on industry skilling Continued from Page 4 played an important role in helping to develop the grounding that so many successful constructors have seen as the foundation of their careers that followed”. In response to questions about the skill profiles and the numbers of modern construction ready builders that would be needed, Professor Chandler suggested that a target 40-percent penetration rate for timber-OSCM in the Australian housing market by 2025 should become the benchmark.

This being the case, Chandler broke the numbers down by looking at the types of skills, the enterprises and work teams that could be needed. He estimated that for every 10,000 multi-unit dwelling completions each year, up to 225 modern construction able enterprises could be needed. Those enterprises would need to have the skills described in the table below and have made the transition to organise work packaging on and off-site to feed into a sequence of orderly, mostly assembly orientated, self-managing and certifying on-site work teams.

Embracing these changes and preparing a modern construction workforce to be future ready will see the need for over 25,000 modern industry practitioners to be trained by 2030 for the timber-OSCM sector alone. This need is not a capability building challenge that can be put off says Professor Chandler , who believes that unless measurable progress can be observed by 2023, Australia will see more and more these www.timberbiz.com.au

jobs go off-shore to address any skills shortfall.

He supports these numbers by estimating that there will need to be some 1,125 teams of assembly able workers for every 10,000 dwellings to be performed using timber-OSCM. He estimates teams of 4 or 5 workers would be typical of the multi-skilled teams needed.

Based on these numbers over 5000 newly skilled constructors will be needed by 2025.

If the timber industry wants to set a 40-percent market penetration rate by 2030, then this will require over 25,000 OSCM ready constructors. However, Professor Chandler pointed to this market segment as being the tip of a whole industry that will need to be brought along on a similar transformation journey.

The capability building task here is much larger. Australia’s construction workforce is over 1,000,000, the second largest in the economy. He estimates that at least a third of this workforce will need to be OSCM skilled over the same timeframe.

The challenge for industry, government, regulators and educators is that preparing a modern construction workforce involving over 300,000 a newly trained or up-skilled workforce is a +10-year project. The foundation will need to be a massive re-investment in the nation’s vocational education platform.

■■ Box Hill Institute’s Tony Watson and Craig Brittle talk with Professor David Chandler at the Offsite Timber Construction conference.

Box Hill course a step in the right direction

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HE Box Hill Institute’s delivery of new courses aimed at prefabricated timber construction will be essential to prepare future construction professionals for what lies ahead, according to the Adjunct Professor at Western Sydney University David Chandler.

Professor Chandler is enthusiastic about the new courses being offered at Box Hill and said they would be an important step in helping to close the current gap in capabilities.

He also stressed the importance of needing to understand the differences in what he calls Aussie-OSCM and Euro/US-OSCM. He said our market scales, structures and geographies are very different.

The first course focuses on on-site installation of prefabricated timber construction and starts in July (Code: 22501VIC).

It’s a 6-month course for Certificate Level III qualifications or equivalent experience. At the same time the college will commence of-

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

fering a Diploma of Project Management for Prefabricated Building Systems-Timber (Code: 22502VIC).

This Diploma will be delivered over 1-year to students who have the language, literacy and numeracy skills that are equivalent to level 3 of the ACSF standards as well as having prior qualifications in Certificate III Carpentry and or the Carpentry and Joinery qualifications.

Professor Chandler said the Box Hill Institute was a step in the right direction, but it was only a step.

“The momentum needs to build. This will require commonwealth leadership to rationalise how an efficient shared strategy is put in place to prioritize the delivery of high-quality technical education as the foundation the industry will need,’’ Professor Chandler said.

“This requires re-imagination of traditional trades and professional courses to align with modern practice.’’

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Frame conference

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Exterior and interior views of the remodelled building at 276 Flinders Street in Melbourne.

Hybrid redevelopment goes against the grain PHILIP HOPKINS

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OMMERCIAL property developer and owner Fivex showed it was a risk taker when redeveloping its property located at one of central Melbourne’s busiest intersections.

Steel and timber together?

“The use of lightweight, fullyductile steel grid framing and cross-laminated timber is a relative new approach to commercial building and one most property owners would not venture to use in its infancy,” said Leslie Berger, managing director of Fivex Commercial Property. It went against mainstream practice.

Riverview House at 276 Flinders St in the city, originally built for the Commonwealth Bank in 1966, is a 16-storey tower with a fourlevel podium. Baldasso Cortese, Fivex’s architectural client at Riverview since 2001, had to find a way to ‘future-proof’ the site.

The project was highlighted at the Frame Australia Timber Offsite Construction conference in Melbourne in June.

Baldasso Cortese’s solution was a five-storey tower over the existing podium level. Project architect Songyun Sui noted that the architectural team had to come up with a design taking into account three factors: the boundaries on the north, east and west; a 40-metre height limit from Melbourne City Council; and the loading capacity of the structure of the existing building – a concrete-encased steel frame.

There had to be limited impact on existing retail and commercial tenants, access to and from the 14

existing tower, and the yield had to be maximised.

Timber was chosen as a key construction material because it was light weight and could be fabricated off-site. “We had to have minimal impact on existing tenants. It’s a very busy part of the city, so we could not afford concrete pounding making a lot of noise and creating dust,” Ms Sui said.

struction time and resulted in less impact on the tenants,” said Ms Sui, who had not dealt with XLam before, approaching them at the suggestion of Bonacci.

XLam manufactured half the panels at its Wodonga plant – the factory was just then coming on line, said the company’s Head of Design, Nick Hewson – with the rest produced at XLam’s New Zealand plant. About 700 cubic metres of timber was used in the panels.

“It was an interesting project for us. It was a very efficient process.

CLT as a material is probably well suited for floors as they are very

light-weight nature and the ease of construction, which offered significant benefits over a more conventional concrete floor,” Mr Hewson said.

The timber is only exposed in the ceiling of the bridge that connects the second tower to existing building, which allows the tenants to walk between the two buildings and eliminated the need to provide more elevators.

“The inclusion of the bridge link saved an additional lift, reduced the weight and maximised the leasable area,” Ms Sui said.

To achieve the required fire rating, one layer of 16mm, fire-rated

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CLT as a material is probably well suited for floors as they are very efficient to manufacture. There is not a lot of complicated detailing with them

The structural engineer Bonacci Group found the existing footings could cope with minimal additional strengthening, so the extra tower was built with a new steel frame, with new steel columns perched on top of the existing columns. “The lateral load was equally transferred to the columns below,” Ms Sui said.

To minimise the load, the lightweight CLT then came into its own. The floors were all built from CLT panels, which were installed on top of the steel frames.

The CLT panels were all designed and manufactured offsite by XLam Australia. “The prefabricating helped to reduce the con-

efficient to manufacture. There is not a lot of complicated detailing with them; they tend to be large rectangular panels,” Mr Hewson said.

“It (Riverview) needed relatively small panels – they were 2.5 metres by 8.5 metres - because they did not have a lot of space to lift in large ones. We can do larger panels. We delivered the material to a holding yard offsite to Multiplex (the principal contractor) on the edge of city.” From there it was transferred when needed to the city site.

The CLT is generally not exposed in the building. “It’s not a feature. It was chosen for its AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

plasterboard was attached underneath the CLT panels. Ms Sui said CLT, as an engineered wood, enabled the project to achieve fire targets. “Normal timber when combined with the single layer, fire-rated plasterboard would probably not have achieved the 90-minute fire rating,” she said.

Ms Sui said early, co-ordinated planning and great collaboration by all participants helped the redevelopment achieve success.

The project started construction in March last year and achieved practical completion in March this year.

The regional managing director at Multiplex, Graham Cottam,

said the traditional construction time was almost cut in half. “Before we had the steel framing completed for a floor, service traded were following in behind.

In a traditional build, we would need to wait for the reinforced concrete to fully set and strip the formwork supports before the service trades would be able to start work on that floor,” he said.

“What would have taken us at least 18 months took us less than 12.”

Ms Sui said the project had encouraged her to use more wood.

“We are currently looking to do something similar on top of a 10-storey building. It’s still at the feasibility stage, but the client is keen to explore a light-weight timber solution,” she said.

Mr Hewson said industry needed to understand the principle of building offsite. “We need to approach things as a mass timber provider – the design, CLT, glulam, LVL, steelwork or concrete – if that is what the solution calls for, we need to deliver that,” he said.

“We are not material purists.

Some get precious about it, but we should not force it when it’s not warranted. I see a lot more opportunity in steel/timber hybrids as we look to extend our CBDs upwards to maximise the use of existing building assets.”

The icing on the cake for the project was gaining a 5-Star Green Star rating. This was achieved through the use of low E glass on the façade to harness and control sunlight combined with rainwater harvesting and natural ventilation. www.timberbiz.com.au

Why more Australian home builders and owners choose timber framing Proven and Popular

✔ ✔

Ease of renovation

Lightweight timber framing is the popular choice for Australian homes. Decades of experience have ensured that the system is safe, reliable, Proven and Popularand well understood by designers, cost-effective Lightweight timber framingand is theeven popular choice professional builders experienced DIY’ers. for Owners Australianand homes.

Decadescan of experience occupants be assured that they are gaining a proven have ensuredthe thatadvantages the system isofsafe, reliable,building method.

When a family outgrows their home, more space is needed, or you buy a home requiring renovation, timber framing is simple and easy to work with.

Ease ofWhether renovation it’s removing existing framing, adding more Whentimber a familyframing outgrowsortheir home, is both, the more readyspace availability of needed, or you buymaterials a home requiring renovation, familiar with the designers, and tradespeople it an timbermaterial framing make is simple andeasier easy toprocess. work with.

cost-effective and well understood by designers, professional builders and even experienced DIY’ers.

Fire predictable Owners and occupants can be assured that they are A home’s timber framing is usually gaining the advantages of a proven buildingprotected method. by

Whether it’s removing existing framing, adding more timber framing or both, the ready availability of Simple installation of services designers, materials and tradespeople familiar with the Timber canprocess. be easily drilled to install plumbing material make frames it an easier

Fireplasterboard predictable on the interior. Timber maintains its structural integrity a longprotected time as itbychars at a A home’s timber framingfor is usually predictable rate. cladding, often brick on the exterior and plasterboard on the interior. Timber maintains its structural integrity for a long time as it chars at a Termites predictable rate.and Durability

Simplecushioning installation grommets of services to protect cable insulation during limitdrilled longertoterm Timberinstallation frames can and be easily installdamage plumbingto plumbing due to expansion and contraction corrosion. and electric cables, unlike some materials thatorrequire cushioning grommets to protect cable insulation during installation and limit longer term damage to plumbing Insulating due to expansion and contraction or corrosion.

Termites andbarrier Durability termite system to build termites out. This is In designated areas,ofit the is important installfor a the because, termite regardless materialtoused frame, termites still eat through other termite barrier systemcan to build termites out. This is items such as flooring, joinery plasterboard if they have because, regardless of theand material used for the access.

They can also cause damage to electrical frame, termites can still eat through other items such cabling. Today, in areas subject to termite attack, as flooring, joinery and plasterboard if they have timber framing is made from wood safely treated to access.

They can alsoso cause to electrical resist termites, thatdamage is no longer a worry. In fact, cabling. in areastimber subjectframed to termite attack,are well over manyToday, Australian houses 100framing years old which shows longevity of wood. timber is made from woodthe safely treated to resist termites, so that is no longer a worry. In fact, many Australian timber framed houses are well over and quiet 100Strong, years oldstable which shows the longevity of wood.

Insulating higher R-value than many other materials. This means it doesn’t act as ayour ‘thermal Timberthat framing helps insulate homebridge’, as it has aconducting energy (heat) from one side of a wallmeans to the other. higher R-value than many other materials. This that it doesn’t act as a ‘thermal bridge’, conducting energy (heat) from one side of a wall to the other.

cladding, often brick on the exterior and

In designated termite areas, it is important to install a

Since the properties of timber are so well

Strong, stable andaquiet understood, timber-framed house won’t be Since the of timber are so well noisy,properties as it doesn’t expand and contract during temperature changes and risk premature cracking understood, a timber-framed house won’t be in plaster linings. noisy, as it doesn’t expand and contract during temperature changes and risk premature cracking in plaster linings.

Low-cost flexibility

Today, most framing systems are prefabricated or Low-cost flexibility built offsite. However, any last-minute changes or Today, most framing systems are prefabricated or variations are easily made onsite by carpenters built offsite. However, equipped with allany thelast-minute tools theychanges need. or Of course, if variations are easily made onsite by carpenters they need extra timber, it’s as close as the nearest hardware equipped withstore. all the tools they need. Of course, if they need extra timber, it’s as close as the nearest hardware store.

Fast to assemble

FastPrefabrication, to assemble flexibility and builders’ knowledge Prefabrication, flexibility andare builders’ knowledge of how timber frames assembled, (joints, connections, tie-downs and bracing) of how timber frames are assembled, (joints, combine to deliver fast, efficient to lock up connections, tie-downs andbuildings bracing) combine to stage. deliver fast, efficient buildings to lock up stage.

To find out more visit woodsolutions.com.au The website for wood

and electric cables, unlike some materials that require

Timber framing helps insulate your home as it has a

Renewably and responsibly sourced

Renewably and responsibly sourced Most Australian-sourced timber is covered by either Most Australian-sourced timber is systems, covered byAustralia’s either one or both certification one orResponsible both certification systems, Australia’s Wood, which is endorsed by the world’s Responsible which is system endorsedthe by the world’s for the largestWood, certification Programme of Forest Certification (PEFC), or the largestEndorsement certification system the Programme for the Forest Stewardship Council.

This means Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), or the that the wood you use has been produced in an environmentally Forest Stewardship Council. This means that the wood responsible and sustainable manner. you use has been produced in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.

Environmental advantage: Low embodied energy Environmental advantage: Low embodied energy Wood has the lowest embodied energy of all common Wood has the lowest embodied energy of all common building materials.

This is aThis measure of the energy building materials. is a measure of the energy (usually produced by greenhouse gas-emitting (usually produced by greenhouse gas-emitting generators) that to is used tothe convert wood generators) that is used convert woodthe in trees to in trees to framing timber. framing timber.

Environmental advantage: Stores carbon from the atmosphere Choosing wood removesadvantage: greenhouse gasses from the Environmental Stores carbon air. Approximately half the dry weight of wood is from the atmosphere carbon, absorbed from the atmosphere by a growing Choosing wood removes greenhouse gasses from the tree. Using timber in buildings theweight carbon for as air. Approximately halfstores the dry of wood is carbon, long as the building exists the timber is by reused or absorbed from theoratmosphere a growing tree.

Using timber in buildings stores the carbon for as long recycled.

as the building exists or the timber is reused or recycled.

Australian, Reliable Sustainable Naturally www.akd.com.au

CO 2

CO2

Frame conference

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1

3

5

4 ■■ (1) National Product Manager Ray Ferretti and Vic/Tas State Manager Matt Hardy at the Big River stand.

■■ (2) Bradford Industries wide range of products were presented by Terry Parsons.

■■ (3) Box Hill Institute’s Tony Watson and Craig Brittle were promoting the Institute’s prefabricated timber construction framing and events.

■■ (4) Housing Industry Association Business Development Representative James Cutajor and Rebecca Hall, Business Development – Membership FRAME. ■■ (5) Karel Vinckier CEO HSB CAD Belgium pictured with Frank Donvern Technical Sales Manager HSB CAD Australasia.

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AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

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Frame conference

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Staircase at the the Library at the Docks in Melbourne.

Fire, cost hurdles that must be overcome Philip Hopkins

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ngineered timber construction is on the cusp of going mainstream, but the cost and perceived dangers from fire are key hurdles that still must be overcome, according to an industry expert.

George Konstandakos, head of Design Make at Lendlease, said the industry was at the crossroads.

“We are at the chasm – the most difficult point to go from being an early mover to going mainstream.

To make that transition, we need to … meet market expectations, in terms of price and availability,” he told the Frame Australia Timber Offsite Construction conference in Melbourne last week. “If it’s too difficult to do, the market will stay away. Industry and government need more collaboration to get these buildings through.”

Mr Konstandakos said fire authorities in all state and territories had different risk profiles despite timber projects conforming to building codes. “You get a new request to do something different … they don’t know how to handle timber – it is combustible… the buildings are very safe and will react predictably in a fire, but the fire authorities don’t have that knowledge,” he said.

Combustible facades, for example, “spook” a lot of the government bodies. The ignorance about fire led to more testing “just to convince authorities that it is a safe”.

“It is an alternative product – it is new - but there is a lot of education to go through to get these buildings up,” he said.

Mr Konstandakos said when Lendlease set up the engineered wood business, the target market was residential and mid-rise construction. “But out of the 60,000 square meters we’ve produced, more than 70 per cent of that has been commercial space. After completing Library at the Dock (in Melbourne’s Docklands) … there was a lot of interest from businesses and from governments,” he said.

A number of commercial buildings followed, including International House (at Barangaroo in Sydney). “That building really set the benchmark in terms of what’s possible in the aesthetic space in tim18

■■ George Konstandakos, head of Design Make at Lendlease

ber. It was really more of a piece of art than just a building and it went on to win the World Architecture Award so you know it really does show what’s possible,” he said.

“In terms of what the levers are

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has had time to optimise, finesse, refine,” he said. “We’re trying to do that in a very very short period of time, so there have been gains made, there’s been errors, there’s been successes.”

Mr Konstandakos said there was still regulatory uncertainty around mass timber. “It does need specialised skills in terms of cost planning, logistics, design and engineering. It is difficult to put all the pieces together,” he said.

Lendlease was lucky because it had a ‘one stop shop’ -a procurement team, in-house designers, engineers, a logistics team and inhouse manufacturing.

“We can put those pieces together very efficiently but whoever is going down this path for the first time, it does take a bit of time to understand how all those pieces come together,” he said.

engineered timber and more research was needed. “It’s still not as mature as what the regulatory bodies in the industry are looking for. That’s an evolution that’s taking place,” he said.

“Every early starter is doing their own research. We’re not in a collaborative space. Lendlease is in that same situation where we’ll spend millions of dollars on research and development and because we’ve spent that money, we hold that information in house,” he said. Other early starters like Strongbuild would have done a similar thing. “It does make it difficult for early starters to get into that space.”

Mr Konstandakos said there were positives and negatives around different grid sizes.

“The smaller grids tend to lend themselves to standard contain-

Combustible facades 'spook' a lot of government bodies.

and why we get an interest, it is really around the aesthetics, the wellbeing, the sustainability factor of this type of construction - but there are hurdles in terms of building these buildings.”

Mr Konstandakos said industry understood the wellbeing and productivity nature of timber. “There is a point of difference. You do get tenants who are prepared to pay more to cover the additional cost of putting these buildings up, but becoming mainstream should be that we offer the right product at the right price,” he said. “There shouldn’t be a need to pay more, so I think that’s something we have to work to as an industry.”

Other positives about timber included low embodied energy carbon; productivity savings; the lightweight nature of the building which lends itself to build over existing space; and aesthetics – the connection that workers feel to the building.

Early movers went through a process of trial and error. “But mass timber has been in Australia for only around five years and we’re comparing ourselves to the concrete industry, which has really been around for 100 years and

Mr Konstandakos said it took a much larger design effort. Every aspect of the design had to be resolved before ordering material because many materials had long lead times. “They come from overseas. It’s great to see local CLT here, but it still has a very different thinking in terms of how you put these buildings together,” he said.

Logistics was another minefield in mass timber. “You really need to understand how the material comes in, how it gets fixed on site.

You need to understand the specifics of the site,” he said.

Every site needed a different solution. That had to be thought through, from a design for manufacturing assembly, to thinking about how it would be assembled on site, and how the lifting and sequencing would be organised “You need to work out every single element so it comes in the right sequence. Pick a place on site. I’ve seen a lot of these projects fall over because no one’s really thought about the final step in the logistics,” he said. “It just becomes an absolute nightmare, so it is important to understand and plan every aspect.”

Mr Konstandakos said column grids were an issue with AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

erisations of the components.

The components can be pre-cut either overseas or at the point of manufacture, be brought directly to site and assembled in sequence,” he said.

“As the grids get larger, you do need to have a new solution, so that typically requires an assembly somewhere outside, either at a factory or off shore handling centre where larger elements are pre-assembled and brought to site.”

Mr Konstandakos said commercial buildings were looking for larger and larger grid spaces.

They compared timber to concrete, where they can get larger spans and match car park grids to column grids. “There’s no need for transfer decks and it improves the layout of office space,” he said.

Lendlease, however, was working to increase column grids in engineered timber buildings. In its latest timber project at Daruma House in Sydney, the company had moved to a 9 by 9 grid.

“The whole feel of the building is completely different when you open up the grid,” he said.

“In terms of the future, we are

working on some future concept where we’re matching the concrete grid. We’ve got spans of 8.4 by 13.2 metres working at the moment, which means we can follow the carpark grid right throughout the building,” he said. “We can offer living spaces and very large open areas.”

Mr Konstandakos said in terms of the number of lifts, there were advantages and disadvantages in the different grid sizes. “It does tend to get more expensive with the larger grid … but we’re starting to really get close to a reinforced concrete building in terms of cost and performance,” he said. You can showcase the timber lift cores, but more lifts did not structurally perform as well as concrete, so cross-bracing was needed to take the lateral loads.

In commercial buildings, Lendlease typically used CLT in floors and walls, and block glulam in beams and columns. These were pre-assembled with fixings and surface penetrations. “They come in as close to sequencing as we can get the … in terms of site efficiency,” he said. “You can’t design structure unless know where services are running.”

If large services were run through beams, they were reinforced with hardwood LVL. With smaller penetrations, softwood glulam was used. “All service penetrations need to be finalised before design. There is an increased cost to run larger services through these beams,” he said.

“Each decision you make has an impact on the building, hence the importance of design.” Floors were standard CLT, with wiring and cabling running underneath.

Mr Konstandakos said Lendlease was getting better with timing projects. “You have to work with a new team on site. The learning does hinder us. It takes a little while to get going, but it’s efficient when it does,” he said.

With early adopters testing things what works and what does not work, there was a continuously focus on improvement. “Early adopters are critical to change this industry…We are moving forward and are on the journey,” he said. www.timberbiz.com.au

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Frame conference

■■

Keynote speaker Prof David Chandler pictured with Duncan Mays, Robert Pradoline and Ralph Belperio.

Timber’s role in transition to a circular economy PHILIP HOPKINS

W

OOD is definitely the material of the 21st century, being reusable, with benefits beyond lightness and ease of use such as health and wellbeing.

That was a key message from Duncan Mayes, head of innovation and emerging business at Timberlink, to the Frame Australia Timber Offsite Construction conference in Melbourne. He was speaking on wood as the sustainable solution to tackle global challenges.

Mr Mayes said wood had a clear role to play in the transition to the circular economy. The topic was relatively new in Australia, but in construction, it would become a requirement. “The end-of-life factors of material and the construction method will be taken into account,” he said. These factors would be dealt with in the design stage. “We need to ensure what we leave for our grandchildren will not cause significant challenges,” he said.

Mr Mayes said design would include the whole life cycle of components and buildings through to disassembly and re-using the material at end of a building’s life.

“I will be interesting to see how reinforced concrete will deal with this challenge, as concrete as a building system is extremely chal-

lenged in terms of reprocessing and re-using, as it’s very energy intensive, especially in brownfield developments,” he said.

“On the flip side, wood-based elements and components are easy to disassemble - unscrew, reposition, relocate and reuse.” This put wood in a very strong position in the circular economy, but more education was needed on this in Australia.

Mr Mayes said another influencing factor was the energy efficiency of buildings. He showed a thermo-image of old terrace housing in Britain, where red hot spots pointed to where the energy was leaking out.

“Traditionally up to 45 per cent of the heat loss in buildings has gone through those poorly insulated walls and rooves,” he said.

In the past 10-15 years however, initiatives in the UK had led to the use of far more thermally-efficient window systems, resulting in improvements to overall building performance.

Mr Mayes, who has been in Australia for six months, said there was less focus on thermal insulation here. Given the large climate extremes in Australia, with tem-

peratures ranging from 45-degrees Celsius down to cold Melbourne winter days of 5-10 degrees, “we need to be able to rethink the way the buildings are built, and the functionality of walls and rooves”.

After a small experiment, he was almost shocked at the inefficiency of the aluminium window and doors in his new apartment in Bayside Melbourne.

Mr Mayes started measuring the surface temperature performance of his window and door frames.

The lowest temperature was 13deg C and the highest temperature was-56 deg C on the surface of his aluminium frames.

“It’s logical – aluminium has a thermal rating of more than 200 times of wood, so it’s obvious the temperature of both cold and hot will transfer through this material unless there is an efficient thermal break,” he said Even with double glazing, the weak point became the frames and the sashes. “I can’t comprehend these frames are allowed to be used when you need thermally efficient buildings. There is a definite need to improve on that front,” he said. “Wood is an excellent insulator.”

Solar shading was also limited in Australia, but our forefathers did understand how to build based on climate conditions. “The Queenslander is an excellent example of a building design and structure,”

he said. It took the climate into account, focussing on solar shading, natural ventilation – no need for expensive energy-using airconditioning – and used natural renewable wood materials helped to buffer energy and moisture.

“It’s exciting to have architecture that looks different, but you need to look at the macro-climate environment and how best to design,” he said.

Mr Mayes said research that had been evolving in the past few years showed wood’s benefits for health and wellbeing in buildings. The research focussed on temperature and thermal comfort, humidity, acoustics and aesthetics – the primary factors influencing wellbeing. “We spend 80-90 per cent of time inside a building so we need to feel comfortable inside buildings,” he said.

A study in Slovenia, Finland and Norway found that natural softwood materials and stone were rated continuously by consumers as having the highest “naturalness” rating. Plastic and steel were at a low level, while MDF and some engineered wood products such as particleboard were in the middle, although there were some variations in cultures and nationalities.

Mr Mayes said the love of ‘naturalness’ was due to urban society feeling more and more separated from nature. These trends were

also found in Planet Ark research into consumer feelings towards materials.

“Wood comes out well, in terms of a cosy environment, visually appealing, etc, so we have a lot of potential benefits of wood in terms of appearance,” he said.

Mr Mayes said very interesting work was being done on some of the components in wood, such as natural antioxidants. Research was showing that on a wood surface, ecoli and bacteria died relative quickly compared with ceramic, glass and plastic. “Wood has some active functionality,” he said.

Wood also had certain acoustic properties. “Due to the cellulite nature of wood, it works as a sound absorber. It operates well at medium to high frequency level, such as a voice,” he said. However low frequency noise such as external traffic required a higher mass.

“We need to combine these – high density material for low sound and using wood with cellular properties in the high frequency sounds,” he said.

Mr Mayes said there was research into moisture buffeting and keeping surfaces clean. Work in Finland was developing the next generation of coatings for wood, which will create resistance both to liquid water from going into the wood and humidity being absorbed in and out of the wood, he said.

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NEWS

The one question that is never asked W

HEN a Frame and Truss plant decide to buy a linear saw they ask common questions. What is the price? Speed? Accuracy?

Most potential customers enquire about support and on-going maintenance.

Occasionally, the topic of spare parts and availability is broached and sporadically someone may throw in a question about training.

These are all important questions and the answers should be given consideration.

However, there is one question never asked. It is the question that will have the biggest impact on your business in the longterm. The answer will dictate if your linear saw is actually creating hidden costs or providing a cost benefit.

How efficient and flexible are your optimisation algorithms?

Optimising. It seems straight forward enough.

The computer program takes a few components, mixes and matches them and works out what length of timber would be best to cut them from.

Chippies and pull-saw operators have been doing this in their head since the beginning of time.

However, the power of computers and intelligence of the software means the potential and associated complexity is staggering.

Cut files can have hundreds of components, but without meaningful and efficient ways of sorting the components after cutting, the order of the cutting becomes critical and a significant optimising constraint.

Certain components may or may not be flipped, or flipped in only certain ways. The saw’s themselves will require certain components to be cut in a certain orientation. Shorter lengths of timber cost less than longer lengths of timber but also tend to yield more waste as a percentage. Saws will produce more per hour when processing longer lengths of timber when compared to shorter lengths. And the complexity continues.

As an example, consider the optimising software of the Vekta Razer Saw. This software has been developed and improved over the past 20 years with the focus being on enhancing opti-

ED SERRANO

mising for both flexibility and efficiency.

In addition, over the past two years, Vekta has engaged and collaborated with Curtin University Mathematics Department to develop ground breaking mathematically guaranteed optimising algorithms – spending several hundreds of thousands of dollars in R&D on this endeavour alone.

Optimisation is not a trivial element in today’s linear saws and it isn’t something that can be developed properly in just a few years. Good, proper and efficient optimisation is an extremely complicated process that can’t be rushed.

Yes ok, but can’t you just assume my saw’s optimising is good enough?

If only the answer was an easy “yes’’. Not all optimising is created equal and the difference it can make is huge.

Consider the amount of money spent on timber every year. Now add in the cost of disposing of timber waste each year and, why not, include a figure to cover the costs involved in managing the timber (ordering, handling, transporting).

Now, consider roughly what percentage of that timber is or will be ran through your linear saw.

Divide the associated cost

by 100. So what do you end up with? A clear and simple figure that represents just how much money you stand to gain, or lose, every year for every one per cent difference in your timber optimising.

Think about that for a moment.

Slight changes in your optimising can save or cost you a whole extra person’s wages each year.

Let’s talk numbers.

If $1,000,000 worth of timber runs through the saw a year, divided by 100 equals $10,000. Two per cent improvement in optimisation equals $20,000

A five per cent improvement in optimisation equals $50,000.

This is easily achievable with only small changes to settings.

Ok, you get it. Optimisation is important. So, what questions should you ask? What should you be aware of?

Is there flexibility in the cutting order? You may want to cut in a certain way now, but a good algorithm will give you efficient options to cut in a variety of manners. A good optimising algorithm must be extremely flexible in how it can be configured if you want to get optimal results.

How mature is the algorithm?

Optimising algorithms are a far less obvious element of a linear saw but they have one of the single biggest impacts on the financial benefits. Look for long standing, constantly improved and improving algorithms.

If you have a linear saw, take the time to evaluate optimising systems and settings. If you are looking at purchasing a linear saw, ask the questions and take the time to ensure the optimising system stacks up to today’s standards and your expectations.

In today’s highly competitive market, can you really afford not to?

Big River Group picks up Plytech and Decortech in NZ

B

IG River has started on its global expansion strategy to better serve its customers across the Tasman and grow its business in the plywood and specialty segments in New Zealand with the acquisition of Plytech, Highbrook, and Decortech in Penrose.

“Plytech and Decortech will become an important part of the Big River network providing a strategic positioning in the New Zealand market,” Big River Group CEO Jim Bindon said.

“The businesses are well positioned to

22

continue to grow in their respective current markets with the ability to add Big River manufactured products to their range.”

The acquisition continues the expansion of the Big River network providing them with an Australasian presence having added the two Auckland businesses to their current 15 sites nationally across Australia.

These additional locations will enable

them to roll Big River products into the existing New Zealand structure and introduce the Plytech products into the Big River network in Australia.

Plytech was established more than 30 years ago and has built a reputation as a professional and technically proficient supplier of architecturally specified panel products to the trade. Decortech is a niche manufacturer of veneered panels and supplier of a well-regarded, architecturally specified cladding product, Trespa.

The acquisition will provide both Ply-

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

tech and Decortech with a platform to diversify, by leveraging Big River’s position in the Plywood and Specialty segments in Australia, while building a platform for Big River to supply their manufactured products into the New Zealand market.

The current owners of Plytech and Decortech will exit the business over a period of three months, however all staff will be retained and the management team of Henk Kamsteeg, David Kirby and Justine Atonio will remain with the business to ensure a seamless transition to Big River Group ownership.

www.timberbiz.com.au

NEWS

Urbach Tower breaks all the “rules” in timber construction I

T has been described as a “paradigm shift in timber construction”.

The Urbach Tower, a roughly 14-meter high construction built by the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart, is one of 16 showpieces at the Remstal Garden Show 2019.

The tower is the first building in the world with a supporting wooden structure made from self-forming timber components.

Curved or bent wood gives a construction a sense of uniqueness.

www.timberbiz.com.au

This accentuates the Urbach Tower in particular, which is made from self-forming timber.

The tower’s striking shape, 14 meters high and four meters in diameter, was created using a brand-new self-forming process for the intricately curved components.

In contrast to the very elaborate and energy-intensive forming processes currently used which require heavy pressing tools, the material forms by itself.

The precalculated curved shape of the timber components is formed in the drying process.

The components are also laminated during the same process.

When the moisture content

drops during the industrial drying process, the wood deforms and gets its precalculated curved shape.

“By carefully understanding and digitally modelling the deformations that occur in the drying process we can arrange the wood before drying to produce specific deformations,” team member and doctoral candidate Dylan Wood explains to New Atlas.

“More specifically, we build flat wood bilayers plates (two layers with opposing grain directions) while the wood still has a relatively high moisture content. The plates are dried using industrial drying processes and they emerge curved. The

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

species of wood, grain orientations, thickness ratios, and the change in moisture during the drying process are all parameters that affect the curvature.”

This process opens up whole new architectural possibilities using wood, a material which is sustainable, renewable and available locally.

The tower is the first example in the world of this innovation being used in a building, which was created in cooperation between the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Laboratory for Applied Wood Research at Empa Switzerland. The tower was designed and planned by both the Institute

for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE). The industrial partner for manufacturing the self-forming timber components and building the tower is Blumer Lehmann AG. The project demonstrates how the use of digital planning, simulation and production processes opens up new opportunities, even for traditional construction materials such as wood. This approach will be researched in more depth at the University of Stuttgart in the next few years in the newly-built Cluster of Excellence “Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture”.

23

NEWS

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The interior and exterior of the Brisbane House of the Year.

Excellence wins Master Builders awards Brisbane build wins House of the Year

B

RISBANE showcased excellence and innovation at this year’s Master Builders Brisbane Housing & Construction Awards, with an abundance of exciting homes, projects and people receiving awards.

East Brisbane-based MCD Construction were proud winners of House of the Year, with Highgate Hill Residence at Highgate Hill.

Project manager for MCD

Constructions Tom Nicholls said Blackbutt from Colonial Restoration Supplies was used for the external components.

Blackbutt from Queensland Timber Flooring was also used internally.

Using clever design, they took advantage of the riverfront location.

The judges agreed that this house provided ample open living space and great liveability.

MCD Construction also took

home the prized Individual Home $1.26 million-$2 million for the build, and won Refurbishment/Renovation $750,000$5 million for their Walter’s Steakhouse project in the Brisbane CBD. Project of the Year winner Multiplex Constructions used innovative solutions in a highly technical build for the W Hotel and Brisbane Quarter, also receiving an Excellence in Workplace Health & Safety award and

SAY HI TO THE BEST JOESCAN YET.

the Tourism and Leisure Facilities over $10 million award.

Master Builders’ CEO, Grant Galvin, congratulated all the winners across the 55 categories.

“This year’s awards program highlights the quality and range of building happening around Brisbane. It’s exciting to celebrate such great craftsmanship and the quality building practices of our members,” Mr Galvin said.

“The diversity was inspiring, making picking the winners a real challenge for the judges.

It also highlighted the broad spectrum of the building industry where our members work.

“The Housing & Construction Awards provides an opportunity to recognise this talent. It’s humbling to know that for over 30 years, the awards continue to be sought-after by the state’s top builders and tradespeople.”

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Timber certification

The Ultimate Renewable – A campaign we can all get behind TROY DONIS

A

N exciting mass media campaign has been launched by Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) to promote the benefits of wood and timber products.

Timberlink is encouraging everyone in the industry to support and promote it in any way that they can.

“The Ultimate Renewable” is such a simple message, but it is powerful, concise and memorable. The campaign is aimed at increasing public awareness of the sustainable, renewable and carbon positive nature of

timber. Plantation timber is a renewable resource like wind and solar energy, it stores carbon for life and when it’s harvested today, it’s replanted for tomorrow.

The ads were on free to air TV in July and will be supported by an extensive outdoor media and online media campaign in in the coming months.

The Ultimate Renewable brand was the result of extensive collaboration between the FWPA, the forest and wood products industry and consumers. Through focus groups and extensive data analysis, the consultation found that the

most impactful messages were the idea of forestry being renewable, providing a wealth of benefits for the environment and tackling climate change, at a time when environmental issues are becoming increasingly important to Australian businesses and consumers.

The Ultimate Renewable will positively change public perceptions around forestry and by association, products made with wood. Research showed that, while the mainstream media was concerned with the perceived negative environmental impact of forestry, what was missing from the narrative

was the positive focus on replanting. Amazingly, many in the general public did not know that trees were replanted after harvesting.

From the forests to the mills, softwood and hardwood, exporter and importer, the timber industry is diverse and fragmented with many players in each sector. This collaboration is a credit to the FWPA and all of the industry participants that supported the research and development of the campaign.

Timberlink is proud to have been involved with The Ultimate Renewable campaign, from its inception through to

the content of the final advert.

There is a saying in marketing - “repeat repeat and you’ll be sweet”. That applies here with “The Ultimate Renewable”. The wording is very deliberate, and we would like to see everyone the industry using the logo where possible.

We hope that the whole industry can stay united and get behind this message. Tell your customers, tell your friends and family – Wood is The Ultimate Renewable.

Troy Donis is Marketing Communications Coordinator with Timberlink Australia and New Zealand

Certification vital in verifying timber’s legal status

W

ITH the push towards mass-timber and offsite timber systems, the importance of forest certification, as a tool to verify the legal and sustainable origin is now critical, according to Responsible Wood’s Jason Ross.

“Mass-timber is revolutionising residential and commercial projects the world over, and Australia is no different with architects, designers, engineers and builders looking to offsite timber systems to take ad-

■■

vantage of increasing returns,’’ he said.

“More and more building professionals are inquiring about forest certification, the push for forest certification in the solid wood industry must come from building professionals speaking up and demanding that suppliers verify the sustainable origin of the timber through the supply chain,’’ Mr Ross said.

In Australia, the Responsible Wood forest certification scheme uses the Australian Forestry Standard to

The interior of the critically acclaimed International House in Barangaroo in Sydney.

www.timberbiz.com.au

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

demonstrate sustainable forest management practices with the scheme mutually recognised and international endorsed by PEFC internationally.

“The PEFC endorsement is invaluable, the timber market is a truly global market with imports and exports circulating the global economy,’’ Mr Ross said.

‘PEFC is the world’s largest forest certification scheme, with more than 310 million hectares of forest under certification across more than 55 countries, building professionals can source timber from forests that meet responsible forest practices,’ Mr Ross said.

And when it comes to resource availability, PEFC and Responsible Wood certified timber is currently being used on many of Australia’s largest and most prominent mass timber projects.

‘Fortunately we have an abundance of forests that are certified, the key to ask you supplier, merchant, retailer or procurement specialist for timber that carries a PEFC or Responsible Wood claim,’ Mr Ross said.

Recent examples of building projects using PEFC certified engineered timbers include the critically acclaimed International House project in Barangaroo, Sydney, a project that was featured extensively throughout the conference.

“International House, which recently claimed the prize of best certified timber at the World Architecture Festival, is one example but there are several others including 25 King Street in Brisbane and Bunjil Place in Narre Warren, Victoria.

“For the environmentally and socially conscious buyer, PEFC and Responsible Wood is a very real and tangible trust mark that can be used to support and protect the forests and those that inhibit them.

“Responsible Wood and PEFC is the ultimate trust mark, ensuring the timber used is ultimately sustainable and supports renewable forestry,’ Mr Ross said.

25

Woodchat

Prefab advantages given a boost by technology

T

HE advantages of prefabricated timber systems in construction are being given a boost by researchers trialling Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tracking technology to improve on-site processes.

The latest podcast episode of WoodChat focuses on research funded by Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA), which has been testing the value proposition associated with attaching small, computerised tags to timber construction elements manufactured off-site.

By utilising tags on cross laminated timber (CLT) panels, wall frames and flooring systems, real-time data about each component can be easily stored and accessed. Such information might include details of properties, records of repair and maintenance, inspection history and treatments, as well as where the component currently sits in the construction process, and what needs to happen to it next.

Electronic readers can then be used

by construction teams to unlock all the information stored, allowing for easy identification and tracking.

Perry Forsythe, Professor of Construction Management at the University of Technology Sydney, who is leading the research, told WoodChat that the project came about due to the industry’s desire to seek methods of improving the ways prefabrication and timber are used in construction.

“There is a desire in Australia and worldwide to position timber as a viable solution, not just for one or two storey buildings, but for much larger structures,’’ Professor Forsythe said.

“One of the major points of difference is timber components can be prefabricated off-site, which brings a whole host of advantages.

“RFID technology can be used to add to the existing advantages of prefabricated timber, by enabling improved productivity. Having immediate information available about each component speeds up on-site processes and im-

■■ Professor of Construction Management at the University of Technology Sydney Perry Forsythe.

proves workflow, ultimately saving time and money.

“There are also advantages around quality assurance, both now and into the future, far beyond construction. As component information can be stored for the lifespan of the building, the eventual owner has complete transparency and visibility. This knowledge will help them manage the ongoing maintenance of their building,” he said.

The research team has conducted thorough consultation with representatives from across the supply chain, explored the different types of technologies available in the space, and has undergone

rigorous field-testing scenarios with industry partners, leading to encouraging results.

This episode is part of the second series of the WoodChat podcast, following topics on how emerging Australian leaders have been supported to discover the latest in global timber advancements and how 3D printing can turn timber waste into construction materials.

WoodChat represents FWPA’s commitment to exploring engaging new ways of communicating industry news and innovations. Each episode includes in-depth conversations with experts on recent discoveries, innovations and initiatives.

You can listen to WoodChat on SoundCloud and iTunes.

26

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

www.timberbiz.com.au

Chapel innovation

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The interior of the renovated Charlotte Chapel on the NSW Central Coast

Wedding chapel loaded with Australian timber C

ONSTRUCTED in the 1960s, Kantara House was renowned as the most sophisticated wedding venue on the NSW Central Coast.

But the venue had become run down and dilapidated, until Cherie Reid and her family purchased the property in 2014.

Over the course of two years, the property was restored to its former glory and the beautiful Charlotte Chapel was built.

The chapel is a celebration of the owner’s love for Australian hardwoods, showcasing sustainable, handcrafted timber throughout the structure and interiors.

Cherie was determined to utilise the rainforest setting, believing that the surroundings would serve as the perfect backdrop for happy newlyweds.

The chapel takes its design cues from a similar building located on Hamilton Island, however very much incorporates Reid’s own unique vision.

“I wanted it to look like a small chapel, but for it to actually be quite big. It holds 140 people seated with plenty of standing room,” Cherie said.

Her brief was very specific and drew upon her passion for sustainably sourced Australian timber. As a result, the primary species used was Blackbutt from Boral Timber. The chapel was built by Chris Graves from Chris Graves Building, who found the project to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The elliptical windows were handcrafted from Blackbutt timber. The doors were also custombuilt using Blackbutt to mirror

the elliptical shape of the windows. The flooring was 180mm tongue and groove Blackbutt, filled with more than 4000 wood plugs that Cherie customised herself.

The grand 45-degree pitched ceiling showcases bespoke, recycled 100-year old Blackbutt curved beams.

An outstanding feature of the chapel is its 16th century bell, personally sourced by Cherie from England and restored for its original use. The bell was cast in 1550 and is the oldest ringing bell in Australia. The bell tower is also made of Blackbutt species, custom-built on site.

The construction wasn’t without its challenges. As the chapel was built at the bottom of a valley, the water table was only 700mm below ground.

“There was so much moisture in the area, you had to treat the chapel like a boat,” Chris Graves said.

In order to accommodate for this moisture and potential flooding, additional expansion was allowed for during installation.

The chapel was of an enormous scale, each rafter was almost 9m long and had to be craned onto site. The height from the floor to the apex of the roof is 8.5m.

“It was like building a doll’s house except a hundred times bigger. We had to build a scaffold internally in order to safely construct the ceiling,” Chris said.

Both Cherie and Chris noted the instrumental work of retired joiner Ian Graham who custom designed and handcrafted the pews, stage platforms, lectern

and altar using Blackbutt timber.

“He was quite magical, the chapel wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for him,” Cherie said.

The chapel is a testament to the dedication and efforts of each person involved.

“You don’t get to apply your trade to this level of finesse very often. This was the ultimate project, we were afforded plenty of time to make it perfect,” Chris said.

“It was amazing to be able to do my job to the best of my ability.”

Charlotte Chapel won at the Australian Timber Design Awards, in the Australian Certified Timber category. The venue has now hosted hundreds of weddings, and guests continue to admire this celebration of Australian timber.

Timber Trusses – the Sky’s the limit

T

imber roof trusses are a far more time effective, timber saving and cost-efficient form of structural roof engineering.

Prefabrication ensures roofs are designed and engineered to meet the individual requirements of each particular job.

MiTek’s advanced software systems are an integral part of the prefabrication procedure – enabling fabricators the flexibility and power to answer the ever-increasing demands of new, and sometimes challenging, architectural designs.

Although primarily used in house construction, timber roof trusses continue to make an impact in commercial and light industrial buildings.

One of the main advantages is the, sometimes substantial, difference in costs when compared to alternative forms of construction. www.timberbiz.com.au

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

One of the keys to improved timber truss design has been the on-going development of faster, smarter, more accountable software programs.

MiTek SAPPHIRE™ software is revolutionising timber prefabrication, enabling more complex structures to be engineered in timber.

The software not only engineers solutions that cater to each individual job, it also provides accurate detailed quotations and material take-off.

This informs exactly what will be supplied, and what it will all cost.

MiTek software, with its 3D visualisation enables the viewer to ‘travel through’ the roof and move around the whole structure, viewing every aspect of the job, even zooming in or highlighting individual areas of interest, so it’s known how the roof will be constructed before committing to the job.

27

Associations

The importance of an Industry Census G

OVERNMENTS collect information on industries through programs such as Economic Activity Surveys to determine how industries are going. Are they increasing their productivity, how much employment do they have and what they expect for the future of a particular industry?

A Census provides is a critical resource that offers invaluable insights into how communities and industries are changing, ‘It is more than just a set of numbers and tables, census data tells us a powerful story about people and places.’

The information helps Government decide how they are going to allocate funding to industries to further growth and development.

So, what information does the Australian Frame & Truss industry have? Nada, zip, zero or very little is the answer!

Years ago, I developed a National Database of fabricators which isn’t that too difficult (I’m told). However, keeping this up to date is a big task but we need more information about where every plant in Australia is located and how many plants there are in the country, state or region.

When I started the database in 2010, I had 365 plants listed in Australia. The updated figures from the July 2018 update showed there were 286 Plants nationally: 3 (ACT), 90 (NSW), 3 (NT), 57 (QLD), 21 (SA), 7 (TAS) , 87 (VIC), 18 (WA) with 286 (TOTAL).

However even since doing this update, the figures have changed due to a few closures, few new plants and consolidation. This information is so I know where you are to hunt you down for membership, it is so I can provide an overview of what our industry looks like.

However, we need much more than this to help us create a true Industry Census that will in turn help each and every fabricator access funding for training, optimisation or safety initiatives just to name a few benefits.

Again, I repeat this is not about FTMA gathering unnecessary information but about creating an overview of our industry that you can use to grow your business.

There is some information that is simply needed, and other information that is helpful such as: Employment numbers • Gender Employment • Indigenous Employment • Formal training being undertaken • Informal training being undertaken In relation to training, the Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC) has communicated to

By Kersten Gentle Executive Officer, FTMA Australia

FRAME & TRUSS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA

Skills Impact and ForestWorks that based on their analysis and investigation into low-use enrolments in the FWP, they intend to conduct a review of the Forest and Wood Products Industry Training Package. We need to use it or lose it and as outlined in the training article in this edition of FTMA News we are working on reviewing the qualifications for our sector as well as the implementation, but we need to know if businesses are doing other types of training.

Individual company information will not be shared with ANYONE. The information will be used as aggregated data, but we need to paint and overview of the regions, states and national industry to help us attract much needed funds to our sector.

FTMA Australia will be working on the development of the Industry Census over the next month as we also update the National Database to ensure the right person is receiving the Census for completion.

We strongly urge all fabricators, whether members or not to participate as this aggregated data will help every fabricator pursue funding or the many beneficial government programs on offer.

Victoria Skills Commissioner Training Development for Timber Systems Designer For the past 18 months FTMA Australia has invested heavily into the development of a training package for Timber Systems Designers, commonly known in our industry as Estimators and Detailers.

However, have you ever tried to advertise for an Estimator or Detailer? You get people who detail 10 or 20 cars a day so we needed a name that would not only attract the right people in to our industry, but give those people who work in these positions a more suitable title and hopefully assist

in creating a career pathway for school leavers in to our industry.

The training packages that have been available for our industry over the past ten years have been more about assessing current knowledge or tick and flick approach to skills already obtained. The training has not been about teaching new skills and this is one of the reasons, in our opinion, for the lack of interest in the current training packages.

Phil Ladson was engaged as FTMA’s Training officer to develop the skills we believe need to be taught to become a capable Timber Systems Designer, both for workers in the industry and those with no knowledge of our industry.

We wanted to go back to basics ensuring mathematics, standards, manual take off of plans and timber knowledge were included in the training packages and we wanted to explore the opportunity of a short course to get this much needed training off the ground.

We were therefore extremely excited when the Victorian Skills Commissioner agreed to fund the development of a working group to create the bones for a short course for Timber Systems Designers which is currently being signed off. The next stage will be to create all the training manuals for the course, and we are hoping we will be ready by the end of this year or at the very latest the first quarter of next year to begin training.

Even though this will all be creating thanks to the Victorian Government funding via the Victorian Skills Commissioner, the training packages will be available to other states with a few minimal requirements by your relevant state via the Skills Commissioners office.

We are very excited about this process and we encourage fabricators to adapt the position titles of Timber Systems Designers for your workforce.

This isn’t about our current workforce but about attracting the right people into the future.

The next step will be the rewriting of the National Curriculum for Cert III & Cert IV which will be finished mid next year and then hopefully we can get Timber Systems Designers as part of each States VET program for students.

FTMA Australia has created job advertisements and job roles for Timber Systems Designers and Trainee TSD’s which are readily available for all Australian Timber Fabricators. For more information please contact me at kersten@ftma.com.au.

FRAME & TRUSS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA

FTMA Australia is an independent, national organisation representing fabricators of and suppliers to the timber prefabricated truss and wall frame industry in all Australian states & territories providing a unified voice, to protect and advance our mult-billion dollar industry.

FTMA Australia thanks our dedicated supporters and encourages you to support those who support your industry

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AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

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Associations

Ruling on workers compensation at a work event T

HE Fair Work Commission released the tenth annual minimum wage review decision under the Fair Work Act, 2009 on 30 May 2019.

This decision increased the modern award wage rates by 3.0 per cent and the national minimum wage from $719.20 per week to $740.80 per week, or $19.49 per hour based on a 38 hour working week.

Last year’s increase was 3.5 per cent. The increased rates took effect from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2019.

All employers should ensure they are meeting the new minimum obligations from 1 July 2019. Please note that the increase was fully absorbable into over award payments.

Members with any queries in regard to pay rates, please contact TTIA on (02) 9264 0011.

When I hear employers and Members talk of their experiences with the worker’s compensation system, I normally see the

Brian Beecroft Chief Executive Officer, TTIA

abject pain and helplessness displayed on their normally pleasant facial expressions.

Invariably, the issue of unfair

liability arises from business owners who rightly claim many injuries seem to have originated from a previous employer, or outside an employee’s working time, yet somehow the medical profession and/or the court/tribunal system pulls them into a costly liability situation.

In a recent South Australian Employment Tribunal hearing (Power v Return to Work South Australia May 2019), a significant matter was dealt with where an employee sustained an injury at a work place function; namely, he fell over and hit his head after attending an awards night hosted by his employer.

Whilst the employee had not consumed alcohol during the ceremony, it was noticed by several witnesses that he was walking unsteadily, and his eyes were rolled back. It was observed the employee collided with a bathroom door handle before falling backwards and hitting his head on the hard bathroom floor.

A witness left the scene immediately to seek assistance as blood flowed freely from the back of the employee’s head and ears.

In the aftermath, the employee sustained serious head injuries and had amnesia from the injury and absolutely no recollection of the incident. He took the firm legal position that he had been attending the function at his employer’s request and therefore the injury was sustained in the course of his work.

The South Australian Employment Tribunal considered the incident as it applied to the State’s Return to Work Act 2014. This Act provides that for an injury to be considered work related and compensable, there are two basic requirements. Firstly, the injury must arise in the course of the person’s employment. Secondly, the worker’s employment must be a significant cause of the injury.

In this case, the judge found

that only one of these conditions was satisfied. The judge found that while the injury had occurred in the course of the man’s employment, the injury arose from a pre-existing medical condition that just happened to manifest itself at work but without his employment being a contributing factor.

The key finding in this judgement was that his employment was not in any real or meaningful sense a significant contributing cause of the injury.

Now, none of this means that as employers we don’t need to take steps to limit liability when hosting workplace functions. TTIA has provided guidelines on this issue in the past which Members are welcome to access.

However, the significance of this case is that it is not enough for an employee’s injury to occur in the course of his/her employment. The employment must also be a significant contributing cause of the injury.

Specify veneers correctly with tvaa publications

U

SING timber veneers correctly need not be a mystery, according to Terry Franklin, President of the Timber Veneer Association of Australia (TVAA).

“We have publications on all aspects of veneer usage”, says Terry. “On our newly revamped website there are data sheets on topics ranging from minimising colour change to specifying finishes”.

Publications can be selected by hitting the ‘How to Specify’ tab and/or the ‘Technical’ tab on the TVAA website at www.timberveneer.asn.au.

As well as data sheets on specific topics, more comprehensive publications are available.

These include the second edition of the Association’s handbook titled Veneer, which explains the technical terms used in specifying various types of veneer.

The handbook shows how different visual effects can be achieved, such as book matching and slip matching. Topical issues such as carbon storage, fire hazard and chain of custody certification are also explained.

By Peter Llewellyn Technical Representative, Timber Veneer Association of Australia

The Veneer handbook is one of the most popular downloads from the TVAA website but hard copies are available on request if preferred. Hard copies can be ordered through the TVAA Info Line on 1300 303 982, or by email to info@ timberveneer.asn.au, and are mailed out free of charge.

For the serious veneer user, the 146-page Manual for Decorative Wood Veneering Technology has all the answers. Written by Dr. Barbara Ozarska, Leader of the Forest

Products Research Group at the University of Melbourne, the manual is an authoritative guide to all the factors involved in the use of wood veneers.

A Manual for Decorative

Wood Veneering Technology is not available in hard copy but can be downloaded from the website. The latest 2nd edition incorporates recent research results with expanded and updated graphics and diagrams.

TVAA acknowledges the funding assistance of Forest & Wood Products Australia in producing the manual, ensuring that this resource could be made available to all users of veneered products.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY Visit www.timberbiz.com.au www.timberbiz.com.au

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

29

NEWS

Height controls penalising timber construction Victorian planning system favouring concrete and steel alternatives

A

NEW report has found that mandatory height controls in the Victorian planning system have unintentionally penalised cost-efficient, environmentally friendly timber building systems, favouring the use of expensive, energy-intensive concrete and steel alternatives.

For the property development industry, the benefits of using timber building systems can lower costs and produce faster build times. For sustainability-driven local governments, it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon storage. So why isn’t it being encouraged?

People familiar with the property sector will have noticed the growing popularity and visibility of timber in both the international and Australian markets.

From innovative new mass timber systems such as cross laminated timber (CLT) to traditional stick framing, timber as a material is undergoing something of a renaissance, particularly in mid-rise developments (although it should be noted it’s often the much taller timber projects that seize the headlines).

A new report, Timber Construction and Building Height Planning Controls – The unintended consequences of the Planning System

by Melbourne town planners, urban designers and landscape architects Tract, investigates the role of the Victorian planning system in determining the choice of materials used for construction projects. In the report, Tract conclude that predominant use of ‘metres’ rather than storeys in planning requirements is likely to constrain the uptake of timber in building construction. This is due to the additional height often required for the floor/ceiling system and the reluctance of developers to challenge the planning process.

“An inflexible height limit, in some cases, means that a project will be designed in concrete because it becomes one storey less in timber and therefore less viable for the developer,” said Robert Pradolin, former General Manger for Frasers Property Australia and now a strategic advisor in the affordable housing space.

“The typical driver for a developer is yield. A timber structural solution generally requires a greater floor thickness. This increases the overall height of the building and, in some cases, may exceed the existing height controls.

“The loss of a floor due to using timber can make it unviable for the developer and therefore the other benefits of using timber, including affordability and sustainability, are lost to the broader community.”

The advantages of timber, from the Tract report, include; it’s a natural material with low em30

bodied energy that also stores carbon; it can be easily recycled; it has excellent insulation, thermal and fire performance; it is durable and easy to maintain; it offers design flexibility and workability while also potentially tapping into the benefits of biophilic (or ‘nature-centric’) design for the building’s occupants.

Timber building systems also deliver benefits during the construction phase of a project.

Pradolin says “Typically, when compared to concrete, much of the structure is premanufactured offsite.

“Because timber has different strength and weight properties to concrete, the depth of the timber floor system will generally need to be deeper than those required for a concrete floor. Therefore, the actual overall height of timber buildings will need to be slightly higher to accommodate the additional depth requirements for buildings with the same number of stories.

A comparison of the floor systems for concrete and timber construction techniques indicate a variation of the floor system depth of approximately 250mm

■■ Brock Commons Tallwood House under construction at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. In 2017 it held the title of the world’s tallest timber building.

This results in improved OH&S, better quality control as manufacturing is done under cover and in controlled conditions and increased neighbourhood amenity as fewer truck movements are required, significantly reducing the impact to local residents during construction.

Timber structures are generally one third lighter than concrete and have lower foundation costs.

From the financing aspect, using timber results in a faster build time which reduces the financing costs. When considering all these advantages, I believe the case for developers to use timber is very compelling”.

Timber however, suffers from a problem not anticipated by those who first stipulated mandatory height controls; a deeper floor system. As the Tract report explains:

for each floor… for a 5 storey building, a timber building will be typically 8 per cent higher than a concrete building.”

According to Tract, under the Victorian Planning Provisions (VPP), the local authority does not have the discretion to approve an increase in height to promote the use of a more sustainable material like timber, despite wanting to encourage its use and consequent benefits. This puts timber at a competitive disadvantage.

A situation further compromised when a planning permit has already been granted for a concrete building and the developer would like to consider converting the building to timber.

Any height increase (even with the same number of floors), triggers a permit amendment process. These are typically subject to notice (public advertising) and AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2019

review provisions, which can be both costly and time consuming.

This acts as a further disincentive to change the material to timber.

“Most developers will not go through another long, difficult and problematic amendment process just to change from concrete to timber. They will always take the easiest route and stay with concrete” Pradolin says.

The comprehensive report also includes; examples of multi-storey timber projects, case studies of planning permission processes and an analysis of the variations in planning requirements of Australian States and a comparison of several Melbourne councils.

Tract conclude that “It is clear that changes to planning schemes are needed to: Allow for timber constructed buildings to marginally exceed height limits, and provide a fast tracked permit amendment process to specifically allow an approval process by the responsible authority if it is purely a material substitution. This would allow much more timely conversion of concrete construction to timber where there is an existing permit.”

They also recommend changes at the State level through the VPP, as the alternative, individual changes to planning schemes at the local Council level are likely to be time consuming and ineffective.

But as with all planning changes, it is important that the community and local government is educated about these “unintended consequences” so they can discuss, debate and resolve what they should do, if anything, as a community.

Ric Sinclair, Managing Director of Forest and Wood Products Australia Ltd (FWPA) the industry organisation that resources WoodSolutions said “We believe local governments need to be aware of these unintended consequences and discuss this with their constituency. We know that climate change is real, we know we need to become more sustainable, and we know that timber should at least be considered as an option, especially given its sustainability benefits. We just want to let the public know and start the discussion”.

With his many years in the development industry, Pradolin knows that the government and the community need to be consulted.

“Ultimately, any changes will come down to what the local government, and its community, want to encourage. The requirements to be more sustainable in our built form will only increase with time. We have a building material that captures carbon, is cheaper to build and is sustainably grown. It creates real value for all stakeholders. It’s probably the ultimate renewable. It seems everybody wins using timber.”

Trees Outside Forests’, a great enabler for responsible forestry

L

ONG outside the scope of the PEFC ‘forest’ certification, low density trees on agricultural and settlement lands can be now assessed as part of the PEFC ‘Trees Outside Forests’ approach.

For small scale forestry, the Trees Outside Forests initiative provides practical and affordable forest certification options for farmers and other land managers looking to grow trees as just one of a multitude of different crops.

Speaking about the initiative, Dr Tony Bartlett championed the benefits for smallholders growing trees in agricultural landscapes for the international market ‘I really want to congratulate PEFC for taking the initiative to develop a standard for Trees outside Forests,’ said Tony Bartlett, Advisor to the ACIAR Forestry Program, speaking at the World Agroforestry Congress.

‘I have always been concerned that smallholders growing trees in agricultural landscapes are disadvantaged or even discriminated against in international markets.’

‘This is because it is difficult for them to meet international standards that apply to larger forest areas. So this is much needed.’

For Trees Outside Forests, group certification plays a key role, ensuring that the certification can be extended across multiple landowners, increasing the cost-effectiveness and the potential for delivering positive impact in the landscape.

With interest in Responsible Wood and PEFC forest certification growing amongst silvopastrol landowners, Trees Outside Forests is proving to be a great enabler for responsible forestry; taking the pressure off native forests and providing smallholders with a framework to manage land for multigenerational use.

The interpretation and requirements for ‘Trees Outside Forests’ can be found within the revised Sustainable Forest Management benchmark standard. This standard was approved by the PEFC General Assembly on 14 November 2018.

The benchmark standard is used by Responsible Wood, the Australian national governing body for PEFC, in developing the Australian Standard for Sustainable Forest Management (4708: 2013 – Sustainable Forest Management).

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TURN TO THE TURBO-DRIVE

CUT. STACK. PRINT. MILL

HUNDEGGER TURBO-DRIVE “CUT” 07.05.18 13:32 The Hundegger TURBO-Drive has enjoyed tremendous success in the region since its local launch a little over 18 months

ago. Its super-fast operation, flexibility, small footprint and user-friendly interface has made it the machine of choice for serious frame and truss operations. Many of the Hundegger TURBO-Drive machines are running multiple shifts and cutting stacked components, situated in operations where it is the second, third or fourth machine in operation.

However, we now have a revised specification that allows smaller or newer operations to enjoy all the benefits of a Hundegger CNC saw – without compromise. The Hundegger TURBO-Drive CUT!

The Hundegger TURBO-Drive CUT – for under $300,000

The TURBO Drive Cut is supplied with an automated infeed and outfeed, 5-axis servo-controlled saw unit, waste conveyors, printing, security fence, powerful motors, centralised lubrication, production monitor, short piece handling, full software and Truss UI touch-screen, and includes delivery, installation, training and even a spare saw-blade!

Other packages available stand-alone or combined include: Hundegger TURBO-Drive “STACK”

All the above features, plus increased stacking capability and material handling for even greater productivity gains Hundegger TURBO-Drive “PRINT” All the above features, plus extended printing capability Text, part numbers, job ID, etc Hundegger TURBO-Drive “MILL” All the above features, plus tool carrier, soft starter for infeed system, and powerful 7.5kW vertical milling head and dedicated double mitre tool Hundegger TURBO-Drive “PLUS” All the above features, plus driven outfeed chains for faster and more automated operation Whatever your requirements, the Hundegger TURBO-Drive has a package to suit, all with localised Technical Support.

All machines can be upgraded at a later date to ensure your investment returns full value.

For detailed specifications, contact Sam Rowe on +61 418 561 023 sam.rowe@hundeger.com.au

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