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A big ‘tick’ for Force 10
Published July 14, 2010 | A big ‘tick’ for Force 10
Utilising the Force 10 building system, specialist builder Canstruct has just completed two buildings ahead of schedule at Brisbane’s Rainworth State School in Bardon as part of the Federal Government’s Building Education Revolution Program.
The scope of the project was to complete two buildings: A Library / Resource Centre and a Multi-Purpose Hall. The Library / Resource Centre consisted of a 368 sq. metre structure, with ten separate rooms which included a multi-media room, video/audio room, library and seminar room. The Multi-purpose Hall was even larger insize incorporating a basketball size court / meeting hall and staff offices. Force 10 specified its unique steel frame modular building system and provided technical expertise for Canstruct to complete the job in record time.
The Rainworth School is built on very undulating terrain, and the sites for the two buildings were particularly difficult. The site for the Library was on land that had a steep slope dropping more than 3m over the length of the building, but more challenging was the environmentally sensitive nature of the land. The council did not permit any clearing of any trees outside the building footprint. Similar site restrictions were imposed on the multi-purpose building site, and the terrain for this site was a sheer 8m embankment, making site access difficult. The construction team were also only given a very small ‘working area’ to use in order to complete this building.
Adding to the challenge was that the construction work had to be done during the school semester. This made safety the number one priority for the build – for both construction workers and staff & students. The building team were highly commended at how safely, quickly and efficiently construction was completed, ahead of its scheduled time-frame and to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.
One of the key features of the Force 10 building system is its speed of construction. The Resource Centre (Stage 1) was completed using only 2.2man hours per square metre. This is phenomenally fast and efficient when compared to traditional cement construction time frames. Force 10 were also able to accommodate late changes to the design layout, requested by the head librarian, at no extra cost to the school. Due to the unique properties of the Force 10 building system the library walls were easily relocated to suit the changing and expanding needs of the resource centre. The construction of the building was completed an amazing 16 weeks ahead of it scheduled time-frame, the fit out then continued and was handed over to the school 32 days ahead of schedule in March 2010.
Another key feature of the system is that it is prefabricated off site and delivered to site in one shipment. Canstruct took advantage of this to ensure that vast majority of work was completed offsite, and the structural elements of the building delivered to site ready for construction. Despite the limited access space Stage 2 of the project was completed without encroaching on children’s paly space and sporting fields. This multi-purpose hall was also completed a full two weeks ahead of schedule and handed over in June 2010.
Mr Bill Carey, Principal of Rainworth State School, said on behalf of his staff and the students that he wanted to thank the Canstruct construction team for the professional manner in which the team worked to ensure that safety of the students was the number one priority during all stages of construction. He was especially pleased that both buildings were completed ahead of their scheduled completion dates. Force 10 and Canstruct construction crews are to be commended on a job well done.
Courtesy of Force10 International
An ‘A’ for Force 10
Published February 1, 2010 | An ‘A’ for Force 10
Specialist builder Force 10 has just completed a new school building project ahead of schedule in the remote Indigenous community of Papunya, as part of the Federal Government’s Building Education Revolution program (BER). The school building was tailored to the specific needs of the school, staff, the children, the local community and climate.
Working together with community members is a key philosophy of Force 10, and local Alice Springs construction firm MPH Carpentry & Construction headed by Peter Harvey was engaged for this project. Force 10 provided technical expertise and their patented technology to make this project a great success.
Construction of the new school buildings commenced in mid-October 2009 and was completed in December 2009 with the official hand over on 26 January 2010, a full three months ahead of schedule. It consisted of a multi-function building with library, 2 classrooms, kitchen, separate office, outside access to a bathroom & shower, ramps and verandahs. The buildings will cater for 12 staff and 74 students.
The new school buildings were designed to make the most of Force 10s specialised energy-efficient insulated walls, which are based on a steel framing system rather than the traditional timber or concrete construction. This scientifically tested and accredited insulation system allows for natural temperature control in the building, ensuring the teachers and students will be comfortable in both the dry and wet seasons. This makes the building far more energy efficient than standard concrete ones. Force 10 buildings can achieve up to a 9 star energy efficiency rating in most locations, compared to the new Australian industry standard of 6 stars.
Another of the special features of the Papunya School building was the unique anchoring system. It was founded on Force 10s unique patented footing system that does not require concrete or specialised equipment, and it is very easy to install. It was perfect for remote the location of Papunya, 250km north west of Alice Springs, where there is no ready mixed concrete supply available.
Other key features of the construction were that it is a healthy building with very low volatile organic compound emissions, low environmental site impact, has termite & borer protection, and is cyclone & thunderstorm proof.
The biggest challenge with this particular project was the remote location. The Papunya Community is located 250km from Alice Springs and is accessed via unsealed roads, which are not always well maintained. It means that building materials and skilled labour are not readily available.
Careful & systematic planning, and the precise engineering & factory manufacturing of the Force 10 building system, means that the entire school project was able to be flat-packed and delivered quickly and easily to site in a single 40ft container. Once delivered, ‘work-on-site’ was minimal and construction proceeded quickly with a minimum of skilled labour.
Force 10 are an Australian family owned business, based in Brisbane, exporting world class, scientifically tested buildings to over 30 countries across the globe.
Courtesy of Force 10 International
Force 10 used in Award Winning College Campus Design
Published August 18, 2009 | Award Winning College Campus Design
In 2004 the Victorian Government’s Department of Education and Training (DEECD) together with the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) conducted a competition for the best design for a new Rural Learning Centre for The Snowy River Campus.
The $3.8 million dollar centre was an initiative of DEECD to offer residential educational experience for year nine, government school students to develop personal skills, leadership qualities, fitness and an awareness of rural environmental issues.
Renowned architects FMSA won the right to design the unique organic layout of the new facility, incorporating the use of the innovative Force 10 Building System. Force 10 provided technical experts its patented technology to the project, working in conjunction with FMSA, who were the designers and project managers.
The design features of this single storey campus won the 2007 CEFPI Victorian Chapter Architectural New Construction New School Award and FMSA also received in 2007 a commendation in the School Design Awards.
The scope of the project was to complete an 870sqm single story campus that was energy efficient and have an environmentally sustainable design, which blended with the natural environment. FMSA produced a design that started with a village hub from which all other parts of the campus flowed and included a reception area, dining hall, learning centre, kitchen & store area, staff facilities and residential area.
The residential centre was designed to make the most of the specialised energy efficient insulated walls, which are based on a steel framing system rather than the traditional timber or concrete construction. This scientifically tested and accredited insulation process allows for natural temperature control in the building, ensuring staff and students would be comfortable in both the summer and winter seasons, making this facility much more energy efficient than standard buildings.
Other design features of the campus included the use of an innovative roof with a thermal flue which assisted in managing natural heating and cooling. Force 10 buildings can achieve up to a 9 star energy efficiency rating in most locations, compared to the Australian industry standard of 6 stars. Force 10 also provided the internal features for the centre ensuring they are durable and allowed for low maintenance, at the same time creating an environment which was welcoming and visually rich in composition.
The Force 10 system has some other key environmental benefits that lent itself perfectly to this project including small construction imprint with low site impact (meaning there is less disturbance to the local ecology and habitat), efficient use of Australian Bluescope steel, minimal use of concrete, and low volatile organic compound emissions.
One of the difficulties faced with this particular job was the remote location. The use of the Force 10 Engineered building system allowed simple delivery to site and significant a reduction of on-site construction time.