Bangkok Cool
The Australian Embassy in Bangkok has won a second major award thanks to its embrace of natural materials and traditional architectural motifs. With its monumental red brick curves standing tall in central Bangkok, the new Australian Embassy, by BVN, has a touch of...
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Brace Yourselves
The first in an ongoing series of lessons on bracing is in session. By Paul Davis. It’s the summer storm season and so in TimberTrader News it’s bracing season! I’ve addressed wall bracing many times in TTN over the last twenty years, but over the next few months I’m...
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Subcontractor Payments
As yet another major West Australian construction firm goes under, subcontractors are asking that governments step in to stop them being left hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket. Louise Stewart is a woman with a mission. As spokesperson for the Australian...
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Regional Heroes
The Petries Group of eight Mitre 10 stores are trade stalwarts across a wide swathe of NSW. Technically, you could drive to all the Petries Mitre 10 stores in a day. Not by yourself, of course – all the Driver Reviver coffee you could drink wouldn’t keep you going for...
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Workplace Change
Employers have specific obligations when things change at work. Change is a constant – and business is no exception. Without ongoing change, businesses could stagnate, fail to meet market expectations, and lose relevance. But what are an employer’s obligations to...
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Emphasis on Safety
For Sekisui House, a focus on workplace safety is the foundation for its high-quality results across the business. Japan-based developer Sekisui House has formally secured AS/NZS 4801 safety management certification across its Australian business operations. The...
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Long Service
A focus on retaining long-term staff makes a real difference to the bottom line for Multinail fabricators. By Jane Clark. In a competitive market where margins are constantly being squeezed, maintaining full production capacity is critical to the success of a truss...
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Chapel of the Woods
A simple structure shows the elegance and power of timber building in one of the loveliest but least expected German settings. Ruhewald Schloß Tambach is not your everyday cemetery. Set in the grounds of Tambach Castle, near Coburg, Germany, it is made up of hectares...
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Timber Design Awards
The Australian Timber Design Awards for 2018 were recently announced at The Star in Sydney. The 14 Excellence in Timber Applications and 8 Excellence in Timber Products winners were all showstopping designs. Here are five of our favourites. Pity the judges at the...
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Timber Issues in Focus
Speakers at the MGA TMA Industry Lunch discussed how greater knowledge can help business, individuals, and the whole sector. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, you would have been hard-pressed speaking with any of the major figures in Victorian timber merchanting – they...
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Fighting Fire
With record fires happening more and more frequently, builders and fabricators working in timber are playing an important role in keeping residents safe in at-risk areas. It’s the survival calculus everyone in a bushfire-prone area performs when the warnings appear:...
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DIY Sawmill
It’s not all major operations when it comes to timber… For Paul McKay, founder of Julia’s Onsite Timber Milling, every tree deserves a second life when it reaches the end of its time growing. His operation can collect logs or even come to you, set up a small mill on...
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Virtual Visits
A new range of programs allows designers, builders and clients to step straight from CAD to VR, allowing you to walk through projects before any real-world work begins. One common difficulty for designers and builders is helping clients to ‘see’ the final product....
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Hoo-Hoo Golf Day
The timber industry’s finest met on the golf course last month. The International Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo is one of the world’s oldest service organisations, dating back to 1892. Its members are drawn from the forest industry’s many branches and it has one core...
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Hobart Making History
Certified cypress is the star in this new hotel. Building onto old concrete piles that previously supported a single-storey shed, physical logistics were just one of the issues facing the team behind the new MACq 01 Hotel on Hobart’s waterfront. The solution? Timber...
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Small Joys
The beauty and potential of timber is celebrated by Budapest-based Hello Wood, a creative design and architecture studio that challenges and delights. For many years, Budapest has been famous as a city of fine art and architecture. It’s a place where creativity is a...
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Engineered Timber Takes the Lead
Sophisticated timber product is challenging the dominance of steel and concrete in Australian developments. By Donyale Harrison. There are two types of technological revolution. The first is all-changing, such as the advent of the smartphone, which has seen the...
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Northern Treasures
Branch 95 specialises in top Australian hardwoods from a very special location. Dale and Meyers Operations has spent the past 30 years cementing their reputation as top suppliers of Australian hardwoods. Now the Queensland-based company has introduced an exciting new...
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In Memoriam: Peter Duncan
A great gentleman of the trade, Peter Duncan passed away on Tuesday 9 October, 2015. Here, we remember him. It’s often said that we do not die until no-one speaks our name. If that’s the true definition of immortality on Earth, then the late Peter Duncan of Peter...
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SupaBord Protection
This easy-to-use product is a board saviour. It’s a sad truth of building that floors can’t be the last thing to go in on most sites, which means they are often exposed to accidental damage from follow-up trades. With intricate parquetry and luxe floorboards making a...
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Employment Updates
An overview of employment matters that have changed recently. FAMILY & DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LEAVE NOW IN AWARDS Many modern awards have been varied with an effective date of 1 August 2018 to include an entitlement to unpaid Family & Domestic Violence Leave. This...
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Regional Investment
Timberlink is investing $100m in jobs and Australian timber supply. As the only major Australasian sawmilling company managing full chain of custody from forest to warehouse, Timberlink holds a unique place in the industry. Now it is set to expand with a $100 million...
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Social Splendour
Hybrid timber/steel construction and clever software has seen Sunbury Wallframes and Trusses create a social housing success. By Jane Clark. Corpus Christi is a thriving residential care facility in Greenvale, Victoria, that provides accommodation and support for...
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Adapt and Thrive
By turning to custom-made machinery, fabricators are able to expand their business. Spend enough time around fabricators and the discussion will turn to changes in the industry. Light timber is still going strong in residential building and low-rise commercial, but...
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