Modern Construction Project Report: Timber Building System Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Timber Building Systems (TBS), focusing on their application in modern construction projects. The report examines the unique features of TBS, including its post-tensioned pre-manufactured building system, and highlights its use in the Meyer Timber NSW office. It discusses the innovative aspects of TBS, such as architectural flexibility, integrated structural systems, and seismic resistance. The report also explores the benefits of TBS, including improved health and safety, reduced building mass, cost savings, sustainability, and customizable design. Furthermore, it addresses the challenges associated with timber construction, such as susceptibility to climate changes and pests, while also suggesting potential improvements. The analysis emphasizes the advantages of timber as a sustainable and cost-effective construction material, particularly in prefabricated building systems.

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MODERN CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Name of Student
Name of Institution
Name of Course
Date of Submission

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Timber Building Systems – manufactured timber panels and cladding- Penrith
Table of Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Project Name, Description...............................................................................................................4
The problem(s).................................................................................................................................5
The innovation(s).............................................................................................................................6
Outcome...........................................................................................................................................7
Possible Improvement(s) on this Innovation.................................................................................10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................12

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Executive Summary
This report will focus on discussing the unique features of Timber Building Systems –
manufactured timber panels and cladding- Penrith. TBS is a unique and revolutionary post-
tensioned pre-manufactured building system intended for the construction of multi-level
residential housing, student accommodation, hotels, commercial office buildings, and senior
housing facilities. With that The Meyer Timber NSW office is a structure which was constructed
by TBS will evaluate and the unique features discussed. The building was Constructed to test and
evaluate the innovation of new timber based prefabricated building systems. The construction of
the entire building only took 25 days. There are problems which are associated with the
construction of Meyer Timber NSW office such as Majority of timbers which is used in the
construction of this building are prone to rot, pests, fungi, and mold attack. Even though some
types of timber are better as compared to others, but both of them requires treatment for them to
be used in the construction of structures. Timber to look much old if it is left in its natural form
without any paint, which makes the structures constructed from timber look unpleasing. Also,
there are benefits that were associated with the innovations which were done on the project and
they include improvement of health and safety measures, enhanced quality, reduced building
mass, and reduced construction schedule.
Introduction

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Company Name, Characteristics, etc.
The timber building system (TBS) is a unique and revolutionary post-tensioned pre-
manufactured building system intended for the construction of multi-level residential housing,
student accommodation, hotels, commercial office buildings, and senior housing facilities.
The company is concerned with providing their clients with sustainable solutions, design
flexibility, exceptional architecture, lower overall cost, customer service, and high-quality
products. Timber Building System patented building assembly systems which wood-based
integrated flat-pack panels which include the structural as well as the plumbing services.
Timber Building Services minimizes their project carbon footprint by maximizing the locally
sourced products and the manufacturing services. Also an in direct contrast to the conventional
modular and the prefabricated manufacturers (Dodoo, Gustavsson and Sathre, 2014). Timber
Building Systems have unique packaging and the connection system which is set which makes
the installation and delivery to the site very efficient.
Project Name, Description
THE MEYER TIMBER NSW OFFICE

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Fig 1: the Meyer timber(Buchanan et al 2011).
The Meyer Timber NSW office is a structure constructed to test and evaluate the innovation of
new timber based prefabricated building systems. The construction of the entire building only
took 25 days. This project confirms the ability of the timber to be used as the main structural
material for the mid-story and multi-story commercial and residential buildings. The excellent
use of timber allowed the architect to develop a double height and spans which are up to 14m
using sculptured glulam columns and beams (Buchanan et al 2011).
From the researches and analysis that have been carried out regarding this project, it has been
established that timber could only achieve a green design but could also provide offers fast and
accurate pre-fabrication which is cost effective as compared to other traditional construction
systems. In this given project timber accounted for more than 80% of the construction of
construction materials which includes, exterior cladding, columns, finished walls, structural
beams, and columns. The resulting building is the lightweight of high quality which was
constructed quickly with least truck movement and on-site wastes.
The problem(s)

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There are problems which are associated with the use of timber in the construction of this
structure and they include;
The fact that timber is cellular and natural it moves with the changes in climate conditions.
Timber swells, shrinks, cracks, bends and twists over time during different climatic conditions.
Majority of timbers which is used in the construction of this building is prone to rot, pests, fungi,
and mold attack. Even though some types of timber are better as compared to others, but both of
them requires treatment for them to be used in the construction of structures.
Timber to look much old if it is left in its natural form without any paint, which makes the
structures constructed from timber look unpleasing.
The maintenance of the building constructed from timber seems to be much higher than any
other type of construction material.
The innovation(s)
The Timber Building systems make application of an innovative post tensioning connection
system which represents more a wide range of knowledge in the modular and prefabricated
construction field. The Timber Building Systems timber wall panels which offer a cost quick and
cost-effective assembly of the building systems, suitable for the commercial and residential
buildings. By making application of the design for manufacturing and assembly principles, our
system offers quick innovations during construction such as:
i) Architectural flexibility
Timber Building Systems offers complete architectural design flexibility which is optimized
floor-to-floor and the undertenancy wall details. This construction system permits large span,
double height ceiling and full span glazing (Robertson, Lam and Cole, 2012).

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Fig2: Flexible staircase (Robertson, Lam and Cole, 2012).
ii) The fully integrated structural system
Timber Building Systems provided a primed internal surface which is ready for painting and
joining and also offers a cavity for services, glazing, insulation and a finished exterior
cladding. This is aimed at eliminating the need for the external scaffolding and delivery a
building to be erected within a few days.
Fig 3: Fully integrated structural system (Robertson, Lam and Cole, 2012).
iii) Structure
The integrated system which is engineered by timber panels features a continuous post-
tensioning systems which are mainly designed for the use in the construction of high rise
constructions. The timber wall panels unique compression and bracing properties whilst the
steel post tension tie-down anchoring systems offers an excellent opposition to the lateral

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forces which are as a result of seismic and wind events (Jensen, Olofsson, and Johnsson,
2012).
Fig 4: seismic and wind resistant structure (Robertson, Lam and Cole, 2012).
Outcome
Timber Building Stems have been developed for the construction of low to mid-rise buildings.
With the innovation being made in the construction of these buildings, the system offers very
essential time and cost saving over the traditional methods. There are many benefits which are
obtained from the adoption of the Timber Building System, such as:
i) Health and safety
With the use of the Timber Building System, a significant number of man-hours occurs
within a safer controlled factory setting, which reduces the extent of exposure to risk site
conditions. The Timber Building system also eliminates the need for installation of the
exterior scaffoldings and the need for elevated work needs.
ii) Reduction of building mass
By comparing with steel and concrete construction, application of timber materials minimizes
the overall building mass, which in return lowers the substructure construction cost.

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iii) Cost savings
Timber Building System offers a competitive project pricing model. This is because of the
controlled manufacturing settings where the activities take place. The reduced construction
schedule, the site overheads, and financial holdings are greatly reduced as compared to the
application of traditional methods of construction.
iv) Sustainability
The materials which are used in the construction of the projects are sourced sustainable
suppliers, which are locally available, The factory fabrication plays a very important role in
reducing the overall wastes to the landfill sites by approximately 80%. Timber is a renewable
resource and usually requires an about 70-90% less energy to be processed for construction
purposes when compared to steel and 94% less than the amount required to process aluminum. In
additional timber is also a tool for sequestering carbon dioxide (Poirier et al 2016).
v) Customizable Design
The use of timber panels provides an architectural layout with a lot of freedom , this is because
timber panels offers large spans which results in large open spaces. The large spaces are
known to give designers such as architects the freedom to design. Such large open spaces ensures
that there is utmost efficiency and functionality of spaces.
vi) Improved quality
Based on the advanced manufacturing principles, proper tools, supervision and process,
automated production process, rigorous quality control program and use of modern equipment.
The overall quality of the projects constructed with Timber Construction Systems is of high
quality (Messier, Puettmann and Coates, 2013).

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vii) Logistics and interference
The timber units which are used in construction are transported in a pre-assembled which are
greatly optimized for shipping and load capacity. With such configuration the overall amount
of loads to be handled on site are minimized, the reduction in the amount of loads and the
optimization for shipping helps in reducing the cost of transportation and the cost of handling
the materials on site. There is also a coordinated delivery schedule which helps in eliminating
the need for large laydown areas. The reduction of the number of hours which workers on site
also plays a very important role site management and overall productivity.
viii) Reduced Building mass
When compared with other structures constructed of steel and concrete, the application of timber
panel greatly cuts the overall mass of the building by a factor of at least 50% which leads to
reduced construction cost (Ceccotti et al 2013).
Possible Improvement(s) on this Innovation
There some of the improvements which can be done on the innovations and they include;
The Timber Building Systems can develop timber panels which will not require any further
operations during construction. That will reduce the cost and resources incurred after the
construction has been completed. Operations such as painting will be avoided which will also
increase the speed of construction.
The size and other parameters of the timber panels should be optimized to ease the construction
process. The panels should be easily elongated and shorted by the use of different timber
connections.
Conclusion

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In conclusion, the Timber Building Systems (TBS) is a unique and revolutionary pre-
manufactured building system intended for the building of multi-level residential housing,
student accommodation, hotels, senior housing facilities and commercial office buildings (Pei,
Lindt, and Popovski, 2012). The use of Timber Construction system has many advantages such
as; the timber units which are used in construction are transported in a pre-assembled which are
greatly optimized for shipping and load capacity. With such configuration the overall amount
of loads to be handled on site are minimized, the reduction in the amount of loads and the
optimization for shipping helps in reducing the cost of transportation and the cost of handling
the materials on site. When compared with other structures constructed of concrete and steel, the
use of timber panel greatly reduces the overall mass of the building by a factor of at least 50%
which leads to substructure construction cost. With the use of the Timber Building System, a
significant number of man-hours occurs within a safer controlled factory setting, which reduces
the extent of exposure to risk site conditions.
Even though the construction with Timber Building Systems has many benefits there are also
some problems which are associated with it and they include; timber is cellular and natural it
moves with the changes in climate conditions. Timber swells, shrinks, cracks, bends and twists
over time during different climatic conditions. Majority of timbers which is used in the
construction of this building is prone to rot, pests, fungi, and mold attack.
From the researches and analysis that have been carried out regarding this project, it has been
established that timber could only achieve a green design but could also provide offers fast and
accurate pre-fabrication which is cost effective as compared to other traditional construction
systems. In this given project timber accounted for more than 80% of the construction of

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construction materials which includes, exterior cladding, columns, finished walls, structural
beams, and columns.