Boral Timber’s Kiln Dried F27 (KDF27) structural timber has been used in the development of the University of Western Sydney’s Climate Change and Energy Research (CCER) Facility at Richmond, New South Wales.
The refurbishment project incorporates an existing 1930s two storey brick building to provide new research facilities, laboratories, postgraduate offices, lecture theatres and a publicly accessible atrium and conference exhibition space.
Boral Timber’s Blackbutt species was chosen as a cladding and joinery treatment and used predominantly in the public areas within the CCER facility as well as in the ‘vestibule tube’, four thermal chimney stacks and into wall and ceiling linings as an acoustic control, to absorb direct sound in both the public areas and the lecture theatre.
Michael McPherson, Senior Associate with Suters Architects said, “The design intent was to clearly differentiate the old from the new through material choices and detailing, while also maintaining the integrity of the original building.”
Robert Gonda from Di Emme Creative Solutions, who designed and installed the thermal chimneys, said, “This project illustrates the distinct way in which timber can be used creatively. Installing the fully functioning thermal chimney stacks was a unique and challenging project for us and required a high level of customisation, including the testing and inspection of prototypes.”
The project was named finalist in the Public Category of the BPN Sustainability Awards 2011.
