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New timber flooring system in NZ

A retail complex being built in Richmond, New Zealand is using an innovative new timber floor system. Sources: Stuff NZ, The Nelson Mail

A commercial building under construction in Richmond will add to the region’s stable of new buildings incorporating leading-edge design technology by two Christchurch academics, and which blends Nelson innovation.

The retail complex being built by Gibbons Construction in upper Queen St, which includes the new Warehouse development, will be the first in the world to use a new timber flooring system.

University of Canterbury structural engineering experts Dr Alessandro Palermo and Professor Stefano Pampanin have designed the pre-stressed prefabricated suspended timber panel floor, between the first and second level of the two-storey building.

The new design was conceived in 2010 during a conference in Nelson with world experts in timber engineering research.

Kiwinet, the Kiwi Innovation Network consortium of universities and crown entities, funded the University of Canterbury project with a grant of more than $800,000.

Palermo and Pampanin are also behind the adapted precast seismic structural system built into Lucas House in central Nelson.

Creation of the energy dissipaters built into the ground floor of Lucas House, which will be officially opened today, was helped by Aurecon New Zealand.

Nelson firm Irving Smith Jack, whose architects also designed the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology arts and media building, designed both buildings.

It also features modern advances in seismic strength technology. The new flooring system designed for the Richmond project is said to have “huge potential benefits” for the Christchurch rebuild, and for the whole country.

The flooring system [named 3PT] is made of pre-stressed prefabricated panel in timber, is produced by Richmond firm Hunter Laminates.

It consists of a combination of structural materials offering light engineered timber, concrete anchorage and high strength pre-stressed or post-tensioned reinforcement.

Architect Andrew Irving said what made it even more significant for the region was that every timber manufacturer in the district had contributed to the suite of three buildings.

Palermo said the flooring system was unique because of the concrete anchorage and connectors. He said there were huge weight reduction benefits by using timber instead of concrete, which also reduced earthquake forces on the building.

The 8.5 metre timber span weighed about 160 kilograms per square metre, compared to 500kg per sqm in concrete.

“A lighter flooring system means less seismic forces involved during earthquakes. The flooring system has huge potential for Christchurch as designs are seeking to reduce the stresses in soil, therefore minimise the foundation costs of buildings that can be quite considerable,” Palermo said.

Scott Gibbons of Gibbons Construction said what they were doing with the Richmond development was built on that already in place with the other buildings.

He said a primary driver for the flooring system was the use of laminated veneer lumber [LVL] post and beam technology with new advances to create a wooden solution with strength and weight advantages.

Pampanin said several prototypes have already been tested and performed much better than traditional timber flooring systems.

He said technology breakthroughs often occurred through a combination and “cross-pollination” of disciplines and knowledge.

“With the help of industry partners we hope this pre-stressed timber-concrete flooring system will soon become a widely adopted and well established, high-performance, cost-effective and exciting alternative solution in the Christchurch rebuild and throughout New Zealand,” Pampanin said.