A review of standards and codes applicable in Australia for the design of timber construction.
This section contains information on timber design and construction compliance related to fire, acoustics, building classes, environmental impact, thermal performance and quality assurance. Additionally, it specifically covers MRTFC (Multi-Residential Timber Framed Construction) and AS 1684, a four-part Australian Standard covering compliance for timber framing.
AS 1684 allows for the use of proprietary masonry anchors for fixing bottom plates to concrete slabs. These fixings may be required for resisting the uplift forces at the end of bracing walls and/or the tie-downs of walls due to wind uplift. Tie-down capacity...
Changes made to bracing wall bottom plate fixings in Amendment 4 of AS 1684 removed anomalies between Parts 2 & 3 and Part 4. Prior to the amendments, Part 4 permitted lesser bottom plate fixings for some bracing walls.
...AS 1684 Section 8 requires permanent bracing be provided to enable the roof, wall and floor framework to resist horizontal forces applied to the building (racking forces). Appropriate connection is also required to transfer these forces through the framework...
Standards and codes have been developed to ensure that all constructed objects such as buildings and furniture, conform to a minimum level of safety. The codes are designed to protect public health, safety, and general welfare as they relate to the construction and...
There is no restriction on what structural timber products are used for house framing. Use engineered, softwood or hardwood products as usual.
Bushfires are becoming more frequent around the world and, as a...
Fire ratings can be achieved with timber in a number of ways. The three most common are:
Wind causes lateral and uplift forces on houses that must be resisted by the appropriately designed and installed tie-downs and bracing detailed in AS 1684.
Under normal circumstances, the house...
In recent times, growing pressure to design for energy efficiency has impacted on all aspects of the building industry. Construction design can contribute greatly to maximising comfort and to minimising non-renewable energy consumption.
...Environmentally friendly housing design principles using traditional timber construction aid informed decision making by designers, architects, builders, developers, home buyers and building authorities.
These design...
Any wall or floor that separates one dwelling or unit from another must provide adequate resistance to the passage of sound. There are two types of sound which need to be resisted: sounds from airborne sources such as speech, musical instruments and loudspeakers; and...
