Wind and Roofs
Aeronautics has a glorious history of unlikely aircraft but, speaking as an engineer, these should never include roofs. By Paul Davis Forget the Wright Brothers, an Australian, Lawrence Hargrave was the first person in the world to fly in a heavier-than-aircraft. He...
Traditional Owners and Forestry
VicForests’ focus on sustainability has 60,000 years’ worth of experience backing it. Sustainability Manager for Responsible Wood (RW), Matt de Jongh recently spent a week in Victoria observing an independent, third-party audit of VicForests’ operations. The audit is...
The Other Hardware Store
Mitre 10’s new ad campaign seeks to add more DIY customers to their already strong trade base. The Mitre 10 group has always had an individual way of doing things, but their new ad campaign may be the first time public nudity has played a role. With tongue firmly...
Queensland Timber Awards
As the nation listened to Antony Green, an equally exciting set of results were being announced with TABMA hosting the 2022 Queensland Timber Industry Awards. The evening of 21 May was one of the more exciting this year. While some people might have been focused on...
Robot Construction
Two major unis and a leading building firm have given a trial construction robot its first day on the job. Some construction jobs are worse than others. Screwing 500,000 connections into a mass engineered timber (MET) building is one of the less fun parts, with the...
Reference Checking
Is reference checking worthwhile? Yes, if you do it right. By Peter Maguire Whether or not checking references is worth your time is a question that is often asked and, like lots of things in business, the answer is, “that depends on how you do it.” Properly...
Designing Parapets
This unusual building feature requires a complicated series of design steps – and their related experts – to avoid problems. By Paul Davis Every so often you are going to get a roof to design that includes parapets. Typically, there will be a box gutter behind at...
Cladding with Timber
Timber cladding ticks more boxes in terms of technical performance and aesthetics than any other. We talk to some of the biggest suppliers about what’s hot now. Main image: Porta Contours celebrates the texture of Tasmanian Oak in Strata (wall), Riverine (back wall)...
Super Changes
The Superannuation Guarantee is rising and more employees will be covered. On 1 July this year, super is changing for employers. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know so you can get your payroll systems sorted with time to spare. THE SUPER GUARANTEE IS...
Semiconductor Shortages
A global semiconductor shortage is impacting on a huge range of manufacturers and has left many fishing for chips. Semiconductors aren’t the first thing you think about when you’re thinking timber. The links between a shortage of the components that are vital for so...
New Floor System
A mixed-material approach has helped Viridi Group to win big contracts and can also be the key to smaller fabricators expanding what they can offer to a hungry market. Oakhill College’s Innovation Hub will, when finished, be a 4200m2 timber and glass structure housing...
Floor Vibrations
Unwanted vibes can have a major effect on homes, so check for the unexpected in designs. By Craig Kay Poul William Anderson (25/11/1926 – 31/07/2001) was an American science fiction author who wrote from the 1940s until the 21st century. A quote attributed to him is...
2021 IHG National Awards of Excellence
The ceremony may have been virtual but the celebrations were real when the IHG family came together to celebrate the 2021 National Awards of Excellence. With a cracking set of Scott Cam and Catriona Rowntree impersonations from hosts Brett Martin, IHG’s business...
Calculating Cantilevers
Cantilevers are increasingly common but require considered design solutions. By George Dolezal, Principal Engineer, Meyer Timber. Anyone who is involved in the design and detailing of the modern two-storey family home knows that it is not as easy as it used to be....
FG Rafters: LVL Substitute
Bruce Wallace was worried about LVL supply well before it constricted. His FG Rafters design solution has been tried and tested and now he’s giving it to the marketplace. Early on in the pandemic, Bruce Wallace twigged to the fact we were about to hit a supply crunch...
The Agile Combi-MR4
A forklift that can dance is perfect for narrow racking and small yards and can lift 4.5T. For anyone who’s ever wanted to see a forklift dance, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you leave this page for a moment and visit Combilift’s St Patrick’s Day 2022 video....
Worn Exposure
A timber building stalled for 21 years is a great object lesson – alas, for all the wrong reasons. By Paul Davis The three rules of timber durability are ‘Keep it dry’, ‘Keep the water off it’ and ‘Don’t let it get wet’. So, what would happen if someone built a...
Updating the Workplace
Can flexible work be made to work for everyone, even if you’re not in an office? Right now, we have the ‘perfect storm’ of lots of factors causing constriction of the labour market in the post-lockdown environment. There is lots of talk about working from home and...
Green and Glorious
Architects and other specifiers are choosing recycled timbers for their durability, carbon storage and beauty, and getting the added bonus of healthy, welcoming spaces. Main image: Clad in recycled red ironbark that has been allowed to silver, the McCrae Bush House...
Flood Fundraising
Eight Sly bros workers lost everything in the Northern Rivers floods. In March, we wrote about the devastating floods that had destroyed the homes and possessions of eight of the 22-strong Sly Bros workforce, as well as severely impacting properties and possessions...
Koalas and Forestry
A focus on wildlife at HVP Plantations is helping South Australia’s koalas breed strong. Over 15 years of work on koala safety is paying off for HVP Plantations. Recently, the private plantation company responded to a request from the South Australian Government to...
F&T Multi Media
FTMA Australia’s new podcast and report make it easier than ever to get the news you need. Like most of us, Kersten Gentle isn’t a fan of 2022. “I told a friend the other day, if I see four horsemen riding down the street, I’m out of here!” says Gentle, executive...
Don’t Fight the System
The guidance of AS 1684 has its limits and pushing outside them isn’t worth the risk. By Craig Kay, national product engineer, Tilling The typical reader of this column would be well aware that the provisions of the AS 1684 Light Timber Framing standard underpin the...
Contracts are Critical
Don’t leave room for uncertainty: get your workers’ status right and in writing. By Peter Maguire. There have been a number of developments in the past year that make it imperative that businesses: Have written contracts for all employees and contractors and Ensure...
