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Volume 6 No 3PROJECT REVIEWS

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY FOR

BUILDERS, ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS

AND SPECIFIERS

Solutions in Steel2

D y n a m i c u s e o f e c o n o m i c a l m a t e r i a l s

The 2000 Metal Building Award was won by a regional university building that demonstrates very effective use of a limitedpalette of materials, including galvanizedsteel, Stramit ® roofing and decking products,tilt-up slabs, coloured render and glass.

The Faculty of Arts building at the Universityof the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, is the fourthstage of development of this dynamic newinstitution. The designers, Bligh Voller Nieldwith Thompsett Architecture, made use of lifecycle costing and passive principles for lightingand cooling to create an energy-efficient, lowmaintenance building that sets a new standardfor economical institutional construction.

Most building materials required little or nofinishing and little ongoing maintenance. Thebuilding uses the entire site area, creating aninternal metal-roofed courtyard as the focus ofmovement and to act as a breezeway drawingair through the lower public spaces to theupper level.

The building also responds to environmentalaspects of the brief with a system of thermalchimneys in the walls and roof, varying operable window systems and solar-activatedperforated aluminium sunscreen systems.

The roofing system consists of a large invertedbutterfly roof running the length of the internalcourtyard, with low-pitched deck roofs on theclassrooms and offices around the perimeter.The all-weather courtyard forms a cool oasisin the centre of the structure, which is well litby incidental light reflected from the flat deckroofs and the underside of the butterfly roof.

Stramit supplied some 700 square metres ofStramit Longspan® cladding for the butterflyroof and more than 2000 square metres ofStramit Speed Deck Ultra® concealed fixeddecking for the flat roofs. All roofing materialis low-maintenance Zincalume.

The Metal Building Award of Excellence ispresented by the Metal Building ProductsManufacturers Association with the aim ofinspiring imaginative use of metal by architectsand builders.

Solutions in Steel 3

ProjectSunshine CoastUniversity Faculty ofArts

ArchitectsBligh Voller Nield withThompsett Architecture

Structural EngineersMcWilliams ConsultingEngineers

BuilderWatpac

RooferTrevor Hough Plumbing

RoofingStramit BuildingProducts

The Museum of Tropical Queensland atTownsville represents one of the most successfulapplications of steel building in Far NorthernQueensland. Steel cladding and exposed steelframing are used to evoke interpretations ofmaritime history (hull or sails), indigenousculture (a fragile lean-to) and natural history(a scale-backed dinosaur).

The museum holds the primary collections ofnatural and maritime history and reef geographyfor tropical Queensland. Its feature exhibit isHMS Pandora, the vessel sent in pursuit ofthe Bounty and wrecked off Cape York in1790. The Pandora is exhibited in a soaring,dramatic steel and glass canopy that allowsviewing from several levels.

A major innovation by architects Cox Raynerwas the addition of the entire gallery toexhibit the Pandora. The gallery was notincluded in the original brief but was addedwithout increasing the budget.

The main wall/roof curves in plan and sectionand is cut away at angles to reveal views ofthe working waterfront. Metal cladding wasthe only material of sufficient flexibility tomeet these requirements and to generate theshadows desired to create texture and scale.Curved Stramit Longspan® cladding in GullGrey Colorbond was used on the “sail” wall,with Stramit Speed Deck Ultra® concealedfixed decking on the flat main roof andStramit ® Corrugated sheeting in Zincalume on the soffits.

The project used some 250 tonnes of structural steel and cladding, including structural walls and external framing, roofand wall cladding, internal ramp system, aswell as battening and sunscreen structures.

S t e e l c l a d d i n g c a p t u r e sm a r i t i m e m o o d

Solutions in Steel4

Solutions in Steel 5

ProjectMuseum of TropicalQueensland, Townsville

DeveloperArts Queensland/Queensland Museum

ArchitectsCox Rayner Architectswith Barret Associates

Structural EngineersConnell Wagner

BuilderLeighton Contractors

RooferHedley Plumbing

Roofing & CladdingStramit BuildingProducts

The first roof in Australia to be manufacturedfrom new Colorbond® Ultra pre-painted steelwas installed recently on the BHP Steel ResearchLaboratories at Port Kembla, NSW.

The re-roofing project features 800 square metresof Stramit Speed Deck Ultra® concealed fixeddecking. The chosen colour was Surfmist (one ofsix new colours in the Colorbond® Ultra range).

BHP’s research labs provided a perfect settingfor Colorbond® Ultra steel, which wasdesigned to withstand the rigours of extremeconditions. The labs are located close to PortKembla’s Outer Harbour. They are alsowithin the grounds of BHP Steel’s CRMWorks and are close to other Port Kemblaindustries. The result is a marine environmentwith some industrial influence.

This environment determined the choice of thenew Colorbond® Ultra steel, while the one-degreeroof slope required the use of a profile withhigh water carrying capacity, such as StramitSpeed Deck Ultra® concealed fixed decking.

The previous roof, manufactured fromColorbond® XRW steel, was still performing verywell overall. However, two localized problemsled to a recommendation to replace it. One wassignificant deterioration under the ridge capping,which had been poorly detailed on the originalbuilding. The other was local deteriorationclose to the drip edge, caused by ponding (theresult of 20 years of maintenance foot traffic).

Two changes were made to the roof design toeliminate the problems with the old roof.First, a decision was taken to install an extrarow of purlins 600mm back from the gutteron either side of the 40 metre by 20 metrebuilding. This halved the purlin spacingadjacent to the gutter and overcame theproblem of ponding on this very flat roof.

The other interesting design change was toeliminate the ridge capping by spring curvingthe ridge. While this is common practice withsome pierce-fixed profiles, it is not normallyrecommended on concealed fixed profilesbecause of the profile depth and the need toensure good clipping action on adjacent panels.

Careful calculations by the research staff onpurlin detail near the ridge and some simpletrials on the ground by the roofing contractors,Shellharbour Roofing, convinced all partiesthat spring curving of the ridge would besuccessful. This meant that the new roofwould eliminate both of the shortcomingsof the old.

The spring curving of the ridge worked perfectly and now adds interest to what isotherwise a simple roofing plan. The resulting“Ultra Ultra” roof combines the advantagesof Stramit Speed Deck Ultra® concealed fixeddecking with those of Colorbond® Ultra pre-painted steel to provide an ideal commercialroofing solution for harsh environments.

S t r a m i t s u p p l i e s f i r s t‘ U l t r a U l t r a ’ r o o f t o B H P

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Solutions in Steel 7

The roof of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra recently underwent a majorrefurbishment to prevent persistent leakageproblems that were threatening the building’spriceless exhibits.

Individual problem areas on the roof were sonumerous that a decision was taken to replacefive sections of the original roof of batten-rolljointed copper sheets with 2000 squaremetres of Stramit Speed Deck® 500 concealedfixed decking, cold roll-formed from 0.8mm22-gauge copper coil.

In 1997 architects Bligh Voller Nield undertook a study of the roof and its associatedrainwater goods and reported on the condition,effectiveness, design and quality of the originalconstruction.

The report recommended that the WarMemorial proceed with the replacement of thecopper roof, which had been installed in the1950s, as well as modification of the guttersand downpipes and general repair work tothe copper decking on the 1968 east and westwing extensions. The famous dome over theHall of Memory, which had been constructedto a much higher standard, was left intact.

The re-roofing work was carried out byMelbourne non-ferrous roofing specialistsBoschen Roofing, who have carried out expertrestoration work on many of Melbourne’sheritage buildings as well as designing andinstalling roofs on new developments.

Stramit carried out load tests at its R&Dfacility in Sydney to ensure the Stramit SpeedDeck® 500 copper decking would perform tospecifications. The decking was rolled atStramit’s Melbourne plant in 7 to 8 metrelengths. The decking sheets were laid over asupporting plywood base, using brass fixingclips and stainless steel screws. The long sections of pitched roof on the east and westwings feature floating ridges turned over“starter” trims secured to the decking. Nofixing is visible, even on hipped sections andgutter joints.

Recent heavy rain and hailstorms in Canberrahave confirmed the integrity of the roof andrelieved concerns by staff over the future ofthe War Memorial’ s irreplaceable artefacts.

N e w c o p p e r r o o f h e l p s p r e s e r v e n a t i o n ’ s h e r i t a g e

ProjectAustralian WarMemorial re-roof

ArchitectsBligh Voller Nield

Structural EngineersOve Arup & Partners

Building ContractorKane Constructions

RooferBoschen Roofing

Copper RoofingStramit BuildingProducts

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Solutions in Steel 9

S o l a r g a i n d o e s n ’ tm e a n a e s t h e t i c l o s s

This spectacular Sydney home by passivesolar experts GCA Architects offers ampleproof that domestic building design canembrace energy efficiency principles withoutcompromising aesthetics.

The owners, after attending a seminar onenergy efficiency by GCA Architects principalGareth Cole, submitted a brief for a two-storeyhome with maximum street appeal, optimumsolar gain and views from all major living areas.

In response to the request for street appeal,curves were introduced as a dominant designelement, departing from the box-like structurecharacterising many passive solar designs. Themajor feature is a series of curved roofs ofStramit ® Corrugated cladding in WheatColorbond set at different levels, inspired bythe moving waters of the bay below the house.Curved balconies complement the roof form andprovide both shelter and space for entertaining.

Full insulation gives the roof a heat transmissionfactor of R2.0, while the walls of aerated concrete blocks have a factor of R1.75. Eavesoverhangs have been calculated to allow wintersun to warm the tiled concrete slabs inside thehouse, while blocking out the high summer sun.

Orientation of the house on the block of landwas also carefully considered. The house facestrue solar north, with pergolas to provideshade for both indoor and outdoor areas. Atiled pool is set in a private courtyard on thenorth side for casual outdoor entertainment.

As the front door faces west, the entrance wasdesigned with maximum eaves overhang andsolid timber floors, and fully sealed to linkwith an airlock entrance. The back entrancealso features a double-door airlock to preventwarm air escaping during winter and enteringduring summer.

As a further enhancement of the house’s environmental credentials, water tanks wereadded to recycle rainwaterfrom the steel roof for outdoor use.

The owners now have aunique home that takesfull advantage of the riverfront views but iscomfortable and energyefficient year round, withminimal need for heatingand cooling.

ProjectPrivate home, Sydney

ArchitectsGCA Architects

EngineersGerard Barry &Associates

BuilderComeroy Constructions

Roofing & GutteringStramit BuildingProducts

Solutions in Steel10

R o o f d e c k i n g : T h i c k e r i s n o t b e t t e rImprovements in the technology and performance of high tensile steel roof decking productshave effectively made the old 0.60mm base metal thickness decking obsolete. Heavy gaugedecking today is a throwback to the 22ga soft steel products used in the 1960s and 1970s.

If you are specifying metal deck roofing, you should be aware of the following comparisons.

M A T E R I A L S H A N D L I N G

Thicker decking is more expensive in terms of product (more steel to purchase), weight (moresteel to carry), freight (higher cost to move) and handling (more fatigue or more labour to install).

D U R A B I L I T Y

The life of roof decking is determined by the coating, not the steel thickness. Corrosion protectionis provided by the self-sacrificing effect of zinc-aluminium layer, which is the same thicknessregardless of the base material. The thinner the base steel, the greater the relative thickness ofthe coating. Therefore, 0.42 bmt material is more corrosion resistant than 0.60 bmt.

F O O T T R A F F I C

In terms of foot traffic loads, the advanced Stramit Speed Deck Ultra® concealed fixed deckingin 0.48 bmt outperforms the older Stramit Speed Deck® 500 concealed fixed decking in 0.60bmt material.

For example, on large shopping centres where purlins are commonly at 1200mm centres toaccommodate ceiling grids, Stramit Speed Deck Ultra® concealed fixed decking in 0.42 bmteasily carries all but the heaviest foot traffic loads.

W I N D L O A D C O M P A R I S O N

Roof Decking Thickness Strength (kPa) at internal spans shown1200 2400

Stramit 0.42 2.94 0.89Speed Deck® 500 0.48 6.21 1.69

0.60 4.53 1.45

Stramit 0.42 6.16 3.36Speed Deck Ultra® 0.48 6.65 3.63

The higher wind load performance of Stramit Speed Deck Ultra® concealed fixed deckingallows reductions in thickness at all spans. Additionally, Stramit Speed Deck Ultra® concealedfixed decking has full cyclonic performance, tested under repeated load cycles.

C O S T

For a typical commercial roofing system, Stramit Speed Deck Ultra® concealed fixed decking in0.48 bmt can produce a lower roof cost than Stramit Speed Deck® 500 concealed fixed deckingin 0.60 bmt material (15% lower at 1200mm spans and 14% lower at 2400mm).

Therefore, using 0.60 bmt decking means paying 15% more for a lower performing product.

I N S T A L L A T I O N

Older style decks rely on the fixing clip being trapped in the side lap and the side lap beingforced into place – in some cases requiring a rubber mallet. The unique fixing clip and side lapof Stramit Speed Deck Ultra® concealed fixed decking allows higher performance levels to beachieved, without having to use thicker sheets with interference-fit side laps.

C O N C L U S I O N

Older technology products do not use the full potential of newer high tensile materials. Today,0.60 bmt decks are no longer required because the new generation decking products providebetter performance from thinner materials.

For further information, contact your local Stramit Architectural Representative.

Now Stramit ® cladding profiles are readily available in BHP Premium finishes at short lead times, in any quantities, anywhere in Australia.

Choose the material to suit the demands of the project and its environment:

COLORBOND® ULTRA for coastal and severe environmentsCOLORBOND® STAINLESS for extreme and corrosive environments

Whether you need 100 square metres or 10,000 – Stramit can now deliver your roofing and walling products in Premium finishes without the long wait. We also have matching flashing material.

PREMIUM PRODUCTS at normal delivery times

Fax or email your request today to receive a copy of our new StramitPremium Materials and Finishes Design Guide and colour samples.

FAX (02) 9557 3344EMAIL premiumproducts@stramit.com.au

PLEASE SEND ME:

� A copy of the Stramit Premium Materials and Finishes Design Guide

� Colour samples of the Stramit Premium Products range

The following Stramit ® roofing/walling profile (one per request):PLEASE TICK SAMPLE REQUIRED

� CORRUGATED � MONOCLAD � LONGSPAN � MEGACLAD

� K-PANEL � MINI CORRY � MINIRIB � SPEED DECK ULTRA

NAME

COMPANY NAME

POSITION

ADDRESS

POST CODE

PHONE NO FAX NO

EMAIL ADDRESS

Stramit ® Corrugated

Stramit Monoclad ®

Stramit Longspan ®

Stramit Megaclad ®

Stramit K-Panel ®

Stramit Mini Corry ®

Stramit Minirib ®

Stramit Speed Deck Ultra ®

ROOFING & CLADDING PROFILES

Your Stramit Premium Products Kit includes product sample, colour sample range and the Stramit Premium Products Design Guide.

✓

✓

Solutions in Steel 11

AA BA PA

All Stramit building products are manufactured exclusively from high quality BHP materials.

Colorbond®, Zincalume® and Galvaspan® are registered trade marks of BHP Steel (JLA) Pty Ltd.Stramit Corporation Ltd. ABN 57 005 010 195. A member of the Amatek Group.

® registered trade marks of Stramit Corporation Limited. © Stramit Corporation Limited, October 2000.

Produced by Inform Promotions inform@talent.com.au

Solutions in Steel highlights innovative projects that use Stramit ® steel building products.Suggestions for articles are welcome.

Please send details of your nominated project to The Marketing Manager,Stramit Building Products, 6 Thomas Street, Chatswood, NSW 2067.

SYDNEY26-28 Frank Street, Wetherill Park NSW 2164. Telephone (02) 9757 0900. Facsimile (02) 9757 0988.

CANBERRA4 Bass Street, Queanbeyan NSW 2620. Telephone (02) 6297 3533. Facsimile (02) 6297 8089.

COFFS HARBOUR4 Mansbridge Drive, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450. Telephone (02) 6652 6333. Facsimile (02) 6651 3395.

NEWCASTLE17 Nelson Road, Cardiff NSW 2285. Telephone (02) 4954 5033. Facsimile (02) 4954 5856.

ALBURY109 Boronia Street, Albury NSW 2640. Telephone (02) 6025 2133. Facsimile (02) 6025 6349.

ORANGE51 Leewood Drive, Orange NSW 2800. Telephone (02) 6361 0444. Facsimile (02) 6361 9814.

MELBOURNE _ KILSYTH180-186 Colchester Road, Kilsyth VIC 3137. Telephone (03) 9721 8333. Facsimile (03) 9761 4133.

MELBOURNE _ MULGRAVE2 Faigh Street, Mulgrave VIC 3170. Telephone (03) 9560 1588. Facsimile (03) 9560 7840.

BENDIGORamsay Court, Kangaroo Flat VIC 3555. Telephone (03) 5447 8455. Facsimile (03) 5447 9677.

BRISBANE121 Ingram Road, Acacia Ridge QLD 4110. Telephone (07) 3214 8888. Facsimile (07) 3849 0655.

TOWNSVILLE402-408 Bayswater Road, Garbutt QLD 4814. Telephone (07) 4779 0844. Facsimile (07) 4775 7155.

CAIRNS83 Kenny Street, Portsmith QLD 4870. Telephone (07) 4031 4064. Facsimile (07) 4031 4069.

MACKAYBrickworks Court, Glenella, Mackay QLD 4741. Telephone (07) 4942 3488. Facsimile (07) 4942 2343.

MARYBOROUGH10 Activity Street, Maryborough QLD 4650. Telephone (07) 4121 2433. Facsimile (07) 4123 3139.

ROCKHAMPTON174-176 Alexandra Street, North Rockhampton QLD 4701.Telephone (07) 4927 3855. Facsimile (07) 4922 2857.

DARWIN55 Albatross Street, Winnellie NT 0820. Telephone (08) 8947 0780. Facsimile (08) 8947 1577.

HOBARTFarley Street, Derwent Park TAS 7009. Telephone (03) 6272 4500. Facsimile (03) 6272 0967.

PERTH 10 Malcolm Road, Maddington WA 6109. Telephone (08) 9493 8800. Facsimile (08) 9493 8899.

BUNBURYLot 1, Proffit Street, Bunbury WA 6230. Telephone (08) 9721 8046. Facsimile (08) 9721 8017.

SINGAPORE11 Benoi Place, Jurong Town, Singapore 629931. Telephone (65) 865 1550. Facsimile (65) 861 4218.

WEBSITE www.stramit.com.au