By Carter Holt Harvey
Te OrO - Glen Innes Music and Arts Centre (GMAC)
CHALLENGE: Create a Unique Architectural Building Shape using a Fitr For Purpose Structural Solution
SOLUTION:Consultation with local iwi and the community uncovered a recurring theme that would become the driving aesthetic for Te Oro - the intrinsic connection we have with our natural environment. “The building was conceptualised as an arboreal canopy, under which learning and creativity could occur with interiors strongly linked to the natural world and Futurebuild® Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) suited this concept perfectly”, explains Lindsay Mackie, Principal Architect from Archimedia. Comprising three pavilions interlinked by two glazed transitional areas, the numerous sound, art and performance spaces are housed within a series of hooplike ‘ribs’ that support LVL rafters. The ‘ribs’ were formed by portal frames, each prefabricated from Futurebuild LVL to form a unique shape.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES:Initially specified as a steel portal struc ture, the Futurebuild Commercial Preliminary Design Service gave the architect the confidence to change to Futurebuild LVL.
Carter Holt Harvey (CHH) is one of New Zealand’s leading forest products companies, manufacturing and supplying timber, laminated veneer lumber (LVL), plywood and other building products to the New Zealand market. Carter Holt Harvey together with its legacy companies has been a feature of the Australasian timber industry for more than 150 years. Carter Holt Harvey is organised into four business units: Carter Holt Harvey Building Products (CHH Timber), Carter Holt Harvey Plywood (CHH Plywood), Carter Holt Harvey LVL (Futurebuild®LVL) and Carters Building Supplies.
CHH Timber is one of the largest and oldest producers of timber building products across New Zealand. Manufacturing timber across the Kawerau, Kinleith and Nelson Mill facilities, CHH Timber produces brands Laserframe®and Pinex®for use in structurally graded or outdoor timber applications.
CHH Plywood specialises in the manufacture and supply of both structural and non-structural plywood products, with familiar brands such as Ecoply®, Shadowclad®, Ecoply Barrier and Handiply®. These brands are suitable for a range of applications subject to proposed use including structural, exterior cladding, interior lining applications, DIY and packaging among some of the many uses. The brands are specified and used within the New Zealand construction industry by Architects, Builders and DIY professionals. Operating in New Zealand for over 30 years, CHH Plywood is one of the largest producers of plywood in New Zealand and manufactures from its central North Island site at Tokoroa.
Futurebuild LVL offers the largest range of LVL products within New Zealand, which are used in projects across Australasia. Manufacturing LVL in the Marsden Point plant, Futurebuild LVL produces brands hySPAN®, hyJOIST®, hyONE®, hy90®, hyCHORD®, truFORM®, hyPLANK®, edgeFORM®, and hyFRAME® building systems. Futurebuild LVL products are used in applications such as floor joists, beams, rafters, lintels, truss chords and purlins in construction of residential, commercial, industrial and rural buildings, subject to design verification.