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Earthquake Design Unlike its trans-Tasman neighbour, Australia has been spared from a major earthquake event so far. Surely its position on the Australian plate is a good reason for that but we...

Introduction of New Glulam Grades & Products With yet another challenging year coming to a close, I’m sure we are all looking forward to a well-deserved break from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,...

Coping with Timber Shortages The Australian timber industry is currently coping with a severe short supply of structural timber. While local producers are making every effort to bridge the supply...

Highlighted Changes of New AS 4055 and AS/NZS 1170.2 There are two major Australian standards for wind loads and wind actions for the building industry to follow. They are AS 4055 – Wind load...

Common Site Issues Construction schedules can often be challenging and any impacts to the flow of installation can be costly and lead to frustration. However, a number of the issues we see are...

Keeping an eye on cumulative/global deflections when designing roof trusses On a recent site inspection to investigate reduced roof truss clearances over various internal walls, I came away thinking...

Highlighted changes in the new AS1684 The moment you have all been waiting for is finally here. The release of the greatly anticipated new revision of AS1684:2021. This new version now supersedes...

Putting Timber Connections to the Test Testing is one of several tools for verifying compliance with the NCC, and it’s certainly the most hands-on (and the most fun). What follows is a peek behind...

Efficient Truss Design and Building Geometry As articulated by the American Architect Buckminster Fuller, “The best way to predict the future is to design it.” Building design is a blend of cost and...

In a Timber Shortage, Know Your Strengths If the current global pandemic isn’t enough for Truss & Frame fabricators to deal with, they are also faced with the uncertainty of timber supply....

UNDERSTANDING THE CERTIFIER PERSPECTIVE I have a friend of 15 years who had a long career in carpentry, building inspection and building education. He always enjoyed trying to shock me with stories...

Path to Compliance for Structural Design Software In 2012, the ABCB Software Protocol for Structural Software was introduced and sets the minimum requirements for structural design software to meet...

Considerations for the use of Nails vs Screws in your Timber Connections Nails and screws are the two most common fasteners specified by engineers and used by builders. When considering the suitable...

OFFSITE OPPORTUNITIES IN NEW ENGINEERING LEGISLATION For this month’s Tech Talk I’m zooming out from the details and looking at changes in the laws that govern who can provide technical advice and...