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Futurebuild help regional medical centre make a healthy saving.
Steve Tilse, of Tilse Building, discusses using a floor system, made up of Hyspan Structural LVL and Hybeam Engineered I-Joists by
futurebuild, which saved the Scone Medical Centre precious time and money.
The Scone Medical Centre is a huge project in the Hunter Valley, for the Upper Hunter Valley Shire Council. Providing new facilities
and a large new centre, the aim is to attract more doctors to this regional area. Steve Tilse was the builder in control of the site from
the project's beginnings right to the end.
The scale of the centre meant a large amount of flooring was required, almost 900 square metres. The site itself was a sloping block,
making the usual method of concrete slab foundations unsuited to the job. The solution was to have the entire building raised up off the
ground on bearers and joists, accommodating the site's topography. According to Tilse, the original design specified steel bearers and
joists. However, he considered the futurebuild Hyspan and Hybeam alternative, an all LVL floor system, as this would reduce the costs
considerably. Both in terms of the cost of the material itself and the overall time and cost of the project, the LVL had clear advantages
over the steel.
The futurebuild system was familiar to Tilse from past projects and he felt the engineered LVL members would be ideal for such large
scale flooring. Hyspan and Hybeam helped because the joists spanned further than traditional timbers, reducing the number of piers and
bearers needed and the overall cost. Also, the joists still offered the rigidity of steel and concrete foundations.
The members were also treated to H2-S to protect against termites, which Tilse was very pleased with as this minimises any risk after
building. The bifenthrin-based insecticide is added to the glueline ensuring it impregnates every single layer to the core, not just the
surface. So subfloor termite protection is ensured. "Since we used the Hyspan and Hybeam on that job, we have used it on two more already,"
he says.
Another major benefit of the futurebuild floor system for the Scone Medical Centre was the speed of construction that was possible. The
timber beams were easy to use, light and didn't warp. "They were so light," explains Tilse, "that two people could carry a nine metre
joist comfortably which saves a lot of time. They were also perfectly straight which meant the floor is straight. They are well
manufactured."
Tilse estimates that choosing to go with the futurebuild floor system over the original steel meant a cost saving of at least $20,000.
"It's a lot cheaper than steel, more flexible, easier to work with and overall, more efficient."
For further information contact:
CHH Futurebuild
web: www.chhfuturebuild.com
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