Tilling invests in knowledge & infrastructure to support WA lightweight timber construction

16 August 2017

The construction industry across Australia has historically developed to suite local conditions and materials, which in turn has led to the development of region specific construction methods and standard practices. Some of these are subtle, like 70 x 35 mm wall framing members in Queensland compared to a 90 x 35 mm elsewhere, which developed because the stronger Queensland hardwood timber lent itself to a smaller cross section. Others are more obvious like the West Australian ‘standard build’ of double brick and concrete compared to the Eastern States brick veneer. As new materials become available, we start to see incremental changes in a region’s practices. One such change is occurring in the Western Australia residential market, which is starting to transition from double brick to lightweight timber construction.

Tilling SmartFrame is working to provide local support for this growth from its Perth operations, backed up by capital investments in plant and equipment. The company has recently completed the installation of a Hundegger CNC cutter. Housed in its own brand-new shed, this cutter will provide precision docked engineered timber products for SmartFrame engineered floor systems.

Tilling SmartFrame is also providing local support to build knowledge within the WA market around the light weight build process, with the Perth office conducted an industry specification night in August this year. The event was very well received and generated a lot of interest, attracting 128 attendees across merchants, engineers and builders. Keynote speaker Dr. David Bylund, Architect & Program Development Manager and Mid-Rise Advisory Program with Wood Solutions provided valuable information on what is happening in the eastern states within the lightweight timber construction space; while Tilling’s own Engineering Manager Craig Kay detailed the lightweight flooring and engineering capabilities of the SmartFrame Design Centre.

Tilling SmartFrame will continue to support the WA market with industry events and has further capital investment planned for mid-2018, so watch this space.