The $1.3 million Berry recreation hall which was opened in November last year provides an aesthetic and functional addition to the Berry sport and recreation centre.
Designed by architects, Allen Jack+Cottier and engineered by Appleyard Forest the building is robust yet visually stimulating with large asymmetrical pieces of glass set into the concrete walls and a high curved roof with a 20 metre radius.
Ritek Building Solutions custom roof panels were specified in the design to achieve the unsupported spans and cantilevers. The roof design includes approximately 720m2 of panel and incorporates both straight and curved panels.
John Whittingham, Associate at Allen Jack+Cottier said, “The Ritek custom roof panel was particularly attractive because of its excellent cantilever and spanning capabilities and the ability to utilise both curved and straight configurations.
“Also, because the product is prefabricated the speed of installation reduced the construction period on site which in turn resulted in cost savings. We are very happy with the overall result and the product provides a nice finish that complements the aesthetics of the building.”
Peter Kelly, Ritek Building Solutions R&D manager explained that Ritek Building Solutions has identified that the resource strapped building and construction industries are demanding more efficient, less labour intensive systems which is key to the design of the innovative Ritek products.
“Ritek systems are designed to be quickly installed, with minimal waste on site while providing high performance, durable and sustainable products. And the Ritek products are designed to be utilised in a diverse range of applications which makes them applicable to most projects.
“The Ritek custom roof panel can be used in curved, multi-curved or flat configurations, has high spanning and cantilever capability, is suitable for cyclone regions, provides excellent thermal insulation and has a Group 1 Fire Rating. The product is also BCA Section J ready which makes compliance easy and therefore the right choice for Engineers and Architects.”
Recent developments to the Ritek Building Solutions' custom roof panel have resulted in increased thermal ratings and greater spans for high wind areas (C4-W70). The increased thermal ratings means that a higher R-value can be achieved using a thinner roof thickness.
An R-Value of 3.0 previously required the use of a 140mm panel and can now be achieved using a 125mm thick panel. This represents significant savings on the roofing system plus additional savings on accessories such as barge capping and fascias.
The new span capability for wind speeds up to 70 metres per second in cyclonic areas means that the benefits of simple construction and ease of installation can now also be utilised in high wind class situations for buildings where the roof is an architectural feature such as curved or skillion roofs.
This improvement offers significant savings by reducing expensive materials for roof trusses and support beams. Overall what is already a product that successfully saves time and money, has been further improved to be applied in more applications with more savings.
