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hySPAN helps get heritage renovation off the ground

Owner, Carolyn Hawken enjoys just sitting in her modern, multi-purpose space - her 'shed out the back' - and looking across her garden at the 1890's Queensland cottage it was built to accompany. This award winning design combines old world and new seamlessly and utilises futurebuild LVL products in a floating floor that reduced impact on the existing site.

The Hawken Pavilion in Windsor, around four kilometres from the Brisbane CBD, was built out back of a heritage cottage on a small lot. The small building won the 'renovations under $100k' category in the Building Design Awards Queensland 2003 and was a finalist nationally this year.

For Peter Latemore and Diana Davis of Latemore Design, the project presented a design problem of space and the integration of styles. The client wanted a modern shed. Not like the other sheds in the neighbourhood, she imagined a studio, shed and retreat all in one. This open-spaced and light filled shed/studio then needed to sit well with the turn of the century architectural style of the cottage nearby. The client also asked that the shed complement recent landscaping and leave it intact.

This landscaping included a winding procession to one side of the block. This was retained and now leads to steps onto the decking across the front of the pavilion so that entry is not direct but more adventurous. This deck deliberately blurs the indoor and outdoor aspect. Inside is a larger central space, with mini-bathroom at one end and built-in cupboard at the other. The east and west ends reduce too much morning and afternoon sun but the openess of the pavilion responds well to the sub-tropical Brisbane climate, as well it offers a good view of the classic cottage. Other features of the award-winning building are the bi-fold doors, floating timber floor and exposed trusses inside. The whole design complements the gabled form of the cottage.

Peter Latemore says of the job "It's an example of a modern original and a fun interpretation of someone's needs without ruining the charm of the original."

Peter Latemore knew how to approach the heritage aspect of the job as he's had twenty years experience dealing with heritage buildings. A designer since 1979, Peter has been running his company for around fifteen years, and as far as building design companies in Queensland that specialise in heritage buildings, "We're it," says Peter.

Using hySPAN and Hybeam manufactured by futurebuild was a natural choice for the Latemore design team as they have used these products a lot previously and in this case it helped to solve many issues.

"We're fond of using futurebuild products and have been since the late 80s because they allow longer spans, are dead straight and lighter. Builders love them. They also provide flexibility in creating floor framing options you cannot achieve with the older traditional hardwood members."

hySPAN was utilised in the floor framing of the pavilion. Due to the size of the lot, access to the pavilion site was restricted. The lightness of the hySPAN helped the builder John Rich carry the beams in via a narrow pathway. The spans of hySPAN and Hybeam used as floor joists and bearers reduced the need for steel posts. The builder could rely on the engineered members to be dead straight.

In order to fit in with the existing landscaping, it was not possible to use a slab floor. Instead, Latemore Design used a floating floor method. The timber frame of hySPAN and Hybeam sits just above ground, with the woodlogic Plyfloor (plywood flooring) over the top. Though the floor is close to the ground, with a low depth of floor, there is space underneath for movement of air. Room enough also to check for and deal with any termites. The floor floats over the original paving and protects the established landscaping. The lightness of the frame and the need for only a few steel posts meant that the floor only lightly touches the site. The paving and planting was hardly damaged.

As an added bonus, having the floor raised above where an ordinary slab floor might be, means that the neighbour's unsightly chicken coop is concealed from view from the cottage. As the shed has reduced windows on the back wall, the noise from the chooks is filtered out too. To gather some northern light, there are north facing louvres placed high on the rear wall also bringing effective ventilation. Latemore Design used hySPAN lintels too, and these are concealed in the walls.

"The other really good thing is futurebuild, have their own software and Tasbeam, a Queensland supplier of futurebuild products, also have a program called Tas design. With these software packages you can sort out all sorts of framing requirements and it works brilliantly with the timber products themselves...We love using the stuff."

Not only is Carolyn Hawken thrilled with her retreat, but after the awards and press in local newspapers, Latemore Design have been flooded with calls. It seems everyone wants their own updated, more stylish version of the classic Aussie 'shed out the back'.