A 'glassy' job with Hybeam H2 from Carter Holt Harvey  You would expect the head office of a glass manufacturer to have plenty of sparkle. The new DMS Glass office at Clayton, in Melbourne's south-east, goes further � it features a spectacular reflective curtain of glass.
The DMS commercial of?ce building required a higher floor load capacity to accommodate office use. Hybeam H2 HJ360, manufactured by Carter Holt Harvey, was perfect for the job and made installation of all the building's services and the suspended acoustic ceiling much simpler. The services were placed through the centre web of the Hybeam which allow for limited hole penetrations without reducing the joist's required performance. As an added bonus the standard range of Hybeam is safely treated to Hazard Level 2, providing cost effective protection against termites. Unlike surface treatment processes, the termiticide and insecticide in Hybeam H2 are applied to every glue line during manufacture, giving each joist protection from surface to core. The concentration of termiticide in the product makes Hybeam H2 effect against attack from Coptototermes, a species of termite, generally found south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Although the superstructure was fabricated in steel, the use of Hybeam H2 joists made for easier floor installation. It's all about buildability. Whilst Hybeam H2 is a lightweight product it is able to cater for the needs of a higher floor load design. In the case of the DMS job, ?xing to the steel superstructure was simpli?ed by way of the top-mount joist hangers supplied by distributor Dindas Lew Australia. Minimisation of contact between the superstructure and the joists by use of top-mount hangers also assisted in achieving minimal sound transfer through the building. Project Manager for Manorford, Graham Rimington suggested Hybeam H2 to Project Engineer, Bruce Gardner. Graham's past experience with Hybeam H2 had included the recent construction of twelve warehouses in Spencer Street, West Melbourne. Bruce agreed and speci?ed Hybeam H2 as the floor joist product. Graham Rimington says of Hybeam H2: "I've used it for the last ten years. I try to get it on every job because I love the top-mount hanger detail � you don't need to build out the web." He explains further: "Normally when you connect into a steel I-beam you have to pack out the centre web till its flush with the top and bottom flange and put in a joist hanger. With Hybeam H2 all you do is put a timber plate onto the top flange of the steel beam and use top-mount joist hangers. Saves hours, days, and dollars." Steel 'C' section joist alternatives have the inherent problem of requiring screw-fixing of the flooring, which is a more expensive and very time consuming method compared to nailing into timber joists. Steel joist flanges can also bend during the ?xing process thus the screw can't penetrate effectively and you get a substandard connection. Another motivation for Graham was the vibration issues associated with steel. "I've tried all sorts of options but steel just has too much bounce. Computer screens for example can bounce for ages after you've walked past. Hybeam H2 absorbs vibration much faster." 
For further information contact:
Carter Holt Harvey
Phone: 1300 658 8...
Fax: 02 9468 5....
Web: www.chhwoodproducts.com.au
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