Engineering the solution: how prefabricated portal frames are changing the approach to large-scale timber construction.
When BuildPak approached Meyer Timber in April last year with a large commercial project in Orange, New South Wales, the structural challenge was immediate. An 80-room luxury boutique hotel designed to attract high-end guests to the region, with each room large, open plan, and fronted almost entirely by a door and window combination. There was, in practical terms, no wall left for conventional bracing. For a project of this scale, that is the kind of problem that typically sends builders toward steel. It did not end that way.
THE PROBLEM WITH OPEN WALLS
Bracing in timber-framed construction depends on wall length and configuration. When a wall is largely glass and entry points, as is common in hotel and motel room design, the options narrow quickly. The default response in commercial construction is to introduce structural steel portals, bringing with them a separate supply chain, an additional trade on site, and coordination complexity that compounds across a build program of 80 rooms.
For BuildPak, a prefab-focused construction business working to tight commercial timelines, that was not an acceptable answer. What they needed was a timber solution that could perform at the structural level required, without compromising the open room configuration the design demanded.
A SYSTEM BUILT FOR THE PROJECT
Meyer Timber’s engineering department reviewed the plans and developed a bracing solution built around the meyBRACE portal frame system. Rather than treating each room as an isolated structural problem, the approach took a whole-of-building view, using a ceiling diaphragm solution to end units and running distribution calculations across connected rooms to reduce individual portal capacity requirements while maintaining overall building stability.
That systems-level thinking is what made the meyBRACE approach viable at this scale. Each portal frame was designed specifically around the project’s constraints, with three columns per unit: a central column of 300mm positioned between the window and door openings, and side columns at either 165mm or 185mm, ripped from 170mm and 200mm stock respectively. The only additional framing required on the front wall was a header panel over the door and a sill panel beneath the window.
“Due to the volume and consistency of design, the portals were specifically engineered to minimise the framing required on each front wall. The solution wasn’t just about replacing steel; it was about finding the most efficient structural answer for the building as a whole.” George Dolezal, Principal Engineer, Meyer Timber.
The first order arrived in November. Since then, 49 meyBRACE portals have been supplied to the project, with the build ongoing.
Removing Steel From the Equation
The primary alternative for this project was structural steel bracing throughout. Applied across 80 rooms, that represents a significant cost line, a separate procurement dependency, and an additional trade on site. Removing it from scope has flow-on effects across the entire program.
BuildPak made the call to go with meyBRACE early, and the reasoning was straightforward. The system met all structural bracing requirements, integrated naturally within the timber frame environment, and offered a commercially competitive path that steel could not match at this volume.
“When we looked at what steel bracing would mean for this project across 80 rooms, the case for meyBRACE was clear. It gave us a structural solution that worked within our prefab system, removed a trade dependency, and kept costs where they needed to be for a project of this size.” Glen Reddel, Owner, BuildPak.
Critically, the prefabricated nature of the system meant the bracing arrived on site pre-cut and packaged with the frames. Each pack was cut to length for individual units, with all members, connectors, and anchors included. Carpenters could install directly from delivery, with no additional fabrication required on site, no steel contractor to coordinate, and no sequencing delays waiting on a separate trade.
“meyBRACE was delivered to the site in cut-to-length packs for each unit, with all members, connectors, and anchors included. This simplified installation for both our team and the carpenters, as everything required was ready to go upon delivery.” Glen Reddel, Owner, BuildPak advised.
Collaboration From Design to Supply
The outcome on site did not happen in isolation. From the initial engineering review through several months of back and forth on pricing, capacities, and roof construction details, the working relationship between Meyer Timber and BuildPak was established well before a frame was ordered. That lead time, from first conversation in April to first delivery in November, reflects the depth of engineering engagement the project required.
On site, BuildPak maintained regular meetings and calls between their detailers, project managers, and the building team throughout the build. Being locally based meant they could attend site when needed, resolving issues quickly and keeping the program moving. It is the kind of coordination between engineer, fabricator, and builder that determines whether a prefab solution delivers on its promise or creates new problems on site. In this case, it delivered.
Supply at Scale
Alongside the meyBRACE portal frames, Meyer Timber supplied the structural framing for the wall frames across the project. As one of Australia’s largest timber wholesalers, Meyer Timber’s capacity to supply both the engineered bracing solution and the broader framing package from a single source kept procurement consolidated and the supply chain straightforward throughout the build.
Why This Matters for the Industry
The Australian construction industry is under sustained pressure to build faster, more cost- effectively, and with fewer dependencies on trades that are increasingly stretched. Prefabrication has been central to the response to that pressure, but its application in structural bracing at a commercial scale remains underutilised.
What this project demonstrates is that a well-engineered prefab portal system can do more than substitute for steel in individual applications. With the right engineering support behind it, it can deliver a whole-of-building bracing solution that is commercially competitive, faster to install, and simpler to coordinate across a large and complex build. The conversation around prefabrication in Australian construction tends to focus on wall frames, trusses, and floor systems. Structural bracing is rarely part of that conversation. It should be.
For frame and truss manufacturers, builders, and certifiers working on medium to large-scale commercial timber projects, the Orange boutique hotel project is a practical example of what is possible when engineering capability, fabrication, and supply are brought together from the start.
Meyer Timber’s engineering department works directly with fabricators and builders from design through to supply. For projects where bracing presents a structural challenge, that early engagement is where the most meaningful gains are found.
PROJECT DETAILS
Orange Boutique Hotel, 273-281 Peisley Street, Orange NSW.
Meyer Timber role: engineering design, meyBRACE portal frame supply, and structural wall framing supply.
BuildPak role: prefabricated timber frame, truss, and bracing fabrication and supply.
