2-6 Lexington Drive
Bella Vista NSW 2153
Australia
Overview
The new head office for Strongbuild at their Bella Vista factory doubles as both workspace and showroom. Designed by Fitzpatrick + Partners, the space has been made to showcase the design potential for Glulam and CLT engineered timber. Strongbuild specialise in multi residential buildings made from engineered timber, so the choice to create an office that doubles as a showroom was an obvious one.
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Structure
All of the structural elements of the Strongbuild office, including columns, beams, trusses, and wall and roof panels are made from engineered timber, either Glue Laminated Timber (Glulam) or Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). The two-storey, 600m2 office displays predominately exposed timber elements, with open floor trusses housing services.
The entire build, or assembly was completed by a four man team in just 6 days. European spruce timber was used for the engineered timber, showing great contrast to other traditional timbers that were used. A particularly striking example is the use of Tasmanian Blackwood as the feature stair hangers. The bulk of the stairs utilise the engineered timber.
Interior
So much of the interior of the Strongbuild office is constructed from timber. Given that Stronbuild specialise in engineered timber construction, this project provided the perfect testing ground for structural, decorative, and detailed timber. Doors, shelves, table legs, and stairs were all made from spruce CLT, while Tasmanian blackwood became a recurring theme as an aesthetic timber. It’s dark profile and striking grain contrasted with the lighter spruce, and made it a great choice for bench tops, panelling, and stair hangers. Blackwood is also a reliable timber for workspaces as it responds well to wear.
Strongbuild strongly believe in the effect timber can have in a workplace. Being exposed to bare timber has a calming effect, both from it’s appearance and scent. Recent timber studies have shown that exposed timber creates a more productive workplace. Special emphasis was placed on the outer veneer layer of the CLT to create a visual grade look. Extra knotty timber was placed on the outside to create a more pleasing pattern for the exposed timber.
