TIMBER RESIDENTIAL PROJECT BREAKS GROUND
A GROUND-BREAKING RESIDENTIAL PROJECT IN REGIONAL VICTORIA HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO BE BUILT COMPLETELY FROM TIMBER, NAMELY GLULAM AND CLT.
Located in Ceres near Geelong (regional Victoria) the build, under construction at the time of writing, provided a challenge for Nathan Benbow of Vistek engineers and Rob Mansell from Hyne Timber in terms of the design its structure, which is comprised of Glulam portal frames arranged in one of the primary axes of each pavilion.
The floor and roof diaphragms are Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) supplied by XLam Australia, and the inclined wall of each pavilion is constructed with CLT to create a shear wall perpendicular to the portal frames.
Glulam beams and CLT panels were fabricated with CNC machinery to ensure all elements could be assembled with a high degree of precision on site, which is crucial for a structure with unique and complex geometry.
The total volume of timber in the project is 40 cubic metres of Glulam and 180 cubic metres of CLT, which in Australian Pine Plantations will be re-grown in just 17 minutes.
The house was designed by Nadine Samaha from Level Architekture to emulate boulders emerging from the ground, and uses scattered stones from the remains of the previous house as support for internal stairs.
Ceres House
The Ceres project will be a highlight of the Project Panel session program at the ‘Timber Offsite Construction’ conference in Melbourne from 17 to 18 June, as part of a new feature at the event offering an opportunity to engage directly with all the key participants in construction projects.■
