Being asked to quote on a roof for a Buddhist Temple isn’t on everyone’s day-to-day agenda, so when ABC Trusses & Frames were asked to look at this ‘unusual’ job, they knew they would be in for a challenge.
Matt Kozakiewicz, Office Manager of ABC T & F said the challenges weren’t obvious at first.
“The actual roof -and trusses required- wasn’t that complicated, but that wasn’t to say there weren’t a few engineering issues along the way.”
Matt has been with ABC T & F for more than ten years, originally starting out as the company’s Estimator and Detailer, so it’s safe to say that in his time he’s seen a variety of commercial and residential jobs, but the Buddhist Temple project was a first for both ABC T & F and himself.
“We had done a small job with the project builder beforehand and, although we are 20 km north of Melbourne’s CBD, we tend to get jobs from all areas,” he explained.
The task at hand actually involved the building of a large reception, conference and classroom extension to the original Hoa Nghiem Temple; a point of convergence for Buddhists living in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Although the project’s scope was originally considered as an extension, the total size reflected a project more in scale with a small commercial structure.
The project’s architect created a design synonymous with traditional Eastern Temples whilst still incorporating modern facilities.
“This meant we had to accommodate voids and load-bearings for air conditioning units housed inside the roof, while working closely with another supplier to create a curved eave for aesthetics,” Matt mentioned.
“The curved eaves were created by fixing a pre-shaped LVL to the top chord on each truss.
“The fixing of each and every end had to be exact to ensure a consistent roofline and they were drilled, then bolted.”
A total of 135 trusses were used during the project, and as Matt explained, the temple was unique to the specifications of a residential project.
“The pitch of the roof (32°) was also quite different to a normal residential roof (22.5°), plus, we had to work with the architect to try and resolve some engineering challenges for the facade.”
While ABC T & F completed the majority of the detailing on the job, a collaboration with MiTek engineers was required to help apply the appropriate loads to the ends and design a bracing system for the bottom chords, where there was no ceiling in place.
ABC T & F has a small but experienced team and has been a licensed MiTek fabricator for five years.
“We do a good mix of residential and commercial work,” said ABC T & F’s General Manager Andrew Nguyen.
“However, we’ve recently noticed a big shift to multi-residential developments and as a result we’re doing a lot of units and apartments.
“People are pulling down the traditional ‘Aussie’ home on a quarter-acre block and putting up four homes where there used to be one,” Andrew added.
This shift in building preferences suits ABC T & F down to the ground, as Andrew points out, “We do all aspects of prefabricated roof trusses, wall frames and PosiStruts,’ he said. “They’re the perfect flooring solution for two-storey or multi-storey developments and we’ve noticed the increase in popularity across our production line, more and more builders are requesting them,” Andrew stated.
With a growing market for PosiStruts and a noticeable upturn trend across the market, the occasional ‘one-off’ challenge like the Buddhist Temple reflects that the team from ABC T&F are ready to take on any challenge.
“It’s the projects from left-field that keep you on your toes…and that’s a good thing! Our production set up is very flexible and we know we can handle just about anything,’ concluded Matt proudly.
