A Salute to Australian Design and Discipline
23 December 2011
| Location: | Townsville, Queensland |
| Country: | Australia |
| Client: | Australian Government, Department of Defence |
| Architect: | BVN Architecture, Brisbane |
| Fixers: | SPD Contracting, Townsville |
Located in Townsville, Queensland, the redevelopment of Lavarack Army Barracks sets a high standard for Australian military architecture with its distinctive design achieved through the use of a range of materials made from ZINCALUME® steel. The site also posed unique challenges which required military-like precision to ensure the correct installation of the roofing to achieve the required aesthetic.
In an unusual test of installation and product prowess, steel sheeting installers, SPD Contracting, had to work with 43.9 metre lengths of LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® steel roofing made from ZINCALUME® steel. Initially, SPD Contracting considered producing these long lengths on site using a specialist roll-forming rig, but this proved to be too difficult due to site movement restrictions on heavy equipment.
"We had the answer for delivering these long roof-sheet lengths when we learned that BlueScope Lysaght also had a rear-steer bogey extendable trailer," said SPD Contracting Director, Trevor Smedley.
"Up to 25 men per sheet were needed to lift these long spans into position on the roof, but it went down very quickly and was installed in just one day."
BVN Architecture, the forward thinking architects behind the design, believed that the material also possessed a military-like aesthetic making it an ideal fit for the redevelopment.
"ZINCALUME® steel references qualities such as strength, durability, toughness and directness – all of which are intrinsic to the Australian Army," said BVN Architecture Brisbane Senior Associate, Scott Hardcastle.
"ZINCALUME® has provided a range of benefits on various stages of the project redevelopment. The profiled cladding and roofing has widely been adopted as a cost-effective and low-maintenance external armour that can withstand the robust Army environment and extreme Townsville climate."
Materials including LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK®, SPANDEK®, CUSTOM ORB® and MINI ORB® profiles made from ZINCALUME® steel in Zincalume finish™ were chosen for Lavarack Army Barracks due to their durability, light weight, thermal efficiency and easy fabrication. Additionally, another project at Lavarack Barracks required SPD Contracting to install over 32,000m2 of roof sheeting and 8,200m2 of wall cladding made from ZINCALUME® steel.
ZINCALUME® steel is sold by BlueScope Steel in Australia and is wholly made in Australia for the Australian market. Not only is it designed for Australian conditions, but the high-tech manufacturing facilities and quality control processes means it is able to reliably meet, or more likely exceed, Australian Standards.
