Meet the expert craftsman bringing a ‘Timber Hub’ to life.
When Timber Queensland and Responsible Wood relocated to their shared new office, an opportunity arose for both to create a ‘Timber Hub’ – a vision showcasing Responsible Wood-certified Queensland timber species to visitors and stakeholders alike.
That vision has been realised with timber materials and supplies generously donated from a variety of members for the new fit-out. Glulam beams and treated pine framing came from Hyne Timber, solid spotted gum timber flooring from Parkside, engineered blackbutt flooring from Boral Timber, solid Darwin stringybark timber flooring from DTM Timber and recycled hardwoods in feature roles from Kennedy’s Timbers.
Additionally, three different types of ply came from PNG Forest Products, Austral Plywood and Carter Holt Harvey, along with black Shou Sugi Ban cypress wall cladding from Hurford Wholesale, cypress doors from Eco Cottages and flooring adhesives supplied by Mapei.
Behind every great transformation is an expert craftsman. Enter Peter Arcus, of Anything Wood, who draws on 45 years of craftsmanship in carpentry and joinery.
“I was thrilled to be commissioned by Timber Queensland and to be a part of this broad-spectrum project,” Arcus says. “It was not without its fair share of construction issues but sorting these and getting results satisfactory to all involved is a powerful motivation. And we kept within budget.”
A native New Zealander, Peter runs his own timber joinery operation in Brisbane. Anything Wood specialises in delivering bespoke timber carpentry and joinery services. He has also spent time working on Norfolk Island as manager of the local sawmill and a timber cabinetry business.
Mick Stephens, CEO of Timber Queensland, says, “The concept from day one was to reflect the warm and wonderful features of wood as well as showcase the variety of commercial timber products and species produced in Queensland. Based on the concept designs from Mark Hogan at Architectus, Peter was able to bring this vision to life.”
Individual offices, common and break areas, and the foyer have been framed with a variety of timbers and hardwood upright dowels – with a deliberate emphasis on ‘biomorphism’, where certified Responsible timbers are used to reflect the patterns and shapes that are seen in nature.
Stephens says, “The ‘Timber Forest’ screens in the foyer were a highlight of the project and a testimony to Peter’s craftmanship, having put into practice the artistic vision of the concept design.
“As the project nears completion, the next phase will be the inclusion of timber furniture including an exquisite boardroom table using three Far North Queensland species sourced from Branch95 and produced by DTM Timber in Maryborough. Mary Valley Timbers from Dagun are also producing a raised meeting table using local eucalyptus hardwood from South-East Queensland.”
Stephens also plans finishing decorative touches of a locally crafted timber surfboard as a well as a fine acoustic guitar made with local wood species. “These will provide additional life and ambience to the office space and will also represent the ubiquitous nature of wood in our everyday lives,” he says. “Many of the great people working in the Queensland timber industry are avid surfers, and at the end of the day who doesn’t like music? I’m sure a fine craftsman like Peter will appreciate these final touches.”
Image: Peter Arcus and Mick Stephens in the beautiful new Timber Hub offices.
