Hyspan on display in Adelaide
Gallery
ARTerial, a new contemporary art
gallery in Parkside, Adelaide, runs exhibitions
every six to eight weeks. Not only is the work of
local, interstate and international artists on show
in this dynamic space, but the Hyspan® Structural
LVL by futurebuild® that helped architect Angelo
Ali create the space, is also a feature of the gallery's
design. Ali describes the project that saw his architectural
firm and his wife's art business find a stylish
new home.
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Ali has been running his business,
Angelo Ali Architecture Pty Ltd, for twelve years.
Ali's projects are mostly residential renovations
and new developments though sometimes extend to
small commercial jobs. He purchased the buildings
in Parkside with the idea of developing an office
space for himself combined with an art gallery space
for his wife. The site was ideal - it had visible
frontage on a main road and there were two old villas
on the block. Built in 1910 and typical of Adelaide
architecture, the stone villas had been in commercial
use for several years.
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However, the project ran into difficulty
with planning restrictions. Due to limitations on
the car parking available, the original footprint
of the structure had to be retained and any extension
had to be upward rather than outward. Says Ali:
"We wanted to do something different, using the
two old villas, joined with a new structure.the
villas were skewed on the block and there were difficult
angles to join together, so we installed a single
storey structure at the front with a roof that sweeps
up to form a room at the back. so the roof sweeps
up to form a mezzanine at the rear of the property.
The original outline could not be increased at all
because of the car parking issues, so this space
got through Council that way."
It is this central contemporary
linking space that houses the office space and part
of the ARTerial gallery, with an artists' studio
on the mezzanine above the office. Ali wanted a
design that was contemporary but still sympathetic
to the old stone villas and that was eye catching,
and would be suited to all the various purposes
of the space. The villas are mostly separately leased
now, the gallery and office are up and running in
the central area and Ali's wife, Cathryn Scott Ali,
and another artist in residence, Elizabeth Wojciak
use the painting studio upstairs.
Hyspan's availability in long lengths
up to 12m helped with the cantilevering of the mezzanine.
As the mezzanine is visible from the centre office
space and is the first thing you see when you walk
through the front door, Ali wanted long sections
of timber that were true and straight, without warping
or twisting. It had to be visually appealing as
well as structurally sound. The stiffness of the
Hyspan joists allowed for a generous cantilever
(240 x 45 mm) for architectural effect and also
allowed for a balustrade to be attached to the end
member. Plywood flooring was then glued and screwed
to the hyspan floor joists which helped to reduce
the potential for squeaking and bouncing of the
mid-floor. The plywood was then finished with a
clear polyurethane coating.
This was important for the ARTerial
gallery and Ali offices, as the office is directly
underneath the floor of the painting studio. "I
didn't want to be distracted with squeaking when
the artists are moving around, maybe listening to
music or dancing around..."
"The Hyspan was also efficient in
span compared to traditional timbers," adds Ali,
"I use the product all the time on residential projects.
For example, where there is flooring above a garage,
Hyspan saves having to use intermediate supports."
Hyspan off-cuts were then used to
great effect as the exposed treads of the staircase.
The Hyspan off-cuts were clear coated and Ali even
left the Hyspan imprint on the timber, producing
a funky and inexpensive look that was easy to construct
using steel stringers and cleats attached to the
treads.
Ali designed and then project managed
the building of the space, with most of the construction
done by carpenter/builder Tony Fachin of Tony F
Carpentry and Design and some other contractors
from Adelaide. Two years on Ali is really pleased
with the clean contemporary look of the place:
"Everyone visiting appreciates the
architectural aspects of the space, it has been
well received. It is a great studio and working
space and the mezzanine has been good to work in,
with the function of extra space without more floor
area . I am thinking I might use a similar floor
and mezzanine space in the future, for contemporary
apartments."
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