futurebuild engineered building products - finally the weight is over

Peter Murray is an architectural designer with Project Management Enterprises Ltd on New Zealand's sunshine coast. Based in the Mt Maunganui area, 200 kms from Auckland, Peter has 25 years of building experience and that background in the building industry has encouraged him to undertake a course in construction management at the Victoria School of Architecture in Wellington. Peter likes to keep up with the latest developments in design and that also means knowing which products are going to give him the results he is after.

Recently, Peter undertook a residential renovation project, developing the design and planning the construction with the project team. The third storey addition to an existing two level unit had several difficult elements to contend with– limited load bearing options for the new structure, very high design winds and the need to install a range of services. Peter was able to use the designIT specification software by futurebuild, to deal with each one.

Relying on futurebuild’s range of LVL products, Hyspan was used in the mid-floor and Hybeam for rafter purlins. As Peter explains: "The difficulty with the third storey was that we were not able to put additional load on the internal walls. The advantage of the Hyspan was that it could span between the external walls, and its increased stiffness over ordinary timber meant that it helped minimise the mid-floor depth. The new mid-floor between the second and third levels was placed over the existing roof trusses. These and the existing ceiling were strapped to the Hyspan beams."

The original house was designed for a medium level wind zone amongst single and double-storey houses. Now 10 years later a number of high-rise buildings have sprung up around it to maximise the value of the prime beachside properties. This has prompted the Council to increase the design wind zone to 'SED' (specific engineered design) level. The wind speed needed to be calculated by an engineer taking into account the height, proximity and funnelling effect of the surrounding buildings. The designed wind speed was then input into the designIT specification software, developed by Timberbuilt for futurebuild, to allow the specification of the LVL members.

The Hybeam purlins in the new curved roof of the unit were perfect for running services, including electrical wiring and ventilation ducting. “We were able to drill holes through the web as per the Hybeam: Information for Design and Installation literature from futurebuild," says Peter. “This would not have been possible using traditional timber framing.”

The builders on the project were Errol Jones Builders of Papamoa. The project progressed very quickly, partly because of the builders' materials but also as the unit was entirely covered in scaffolding and a tarp to allow for working on those wet and windy days. “Errol and his team have done a wonderful job!”

With only the texturing exterior coating to go, the unit is almost finished. The owner is a registered painter so is keen to paint it herself. The new level has achieved the design objective and offers surf views from the new master bedroom along with the comfort of the new ensuite and living area.