Commercial redevelopment of retail shops

The redevelopment site was rectangular and required absolute maximum floor area. The proposed structure was to be precast concrete boundary party walls with a steel frames roof system, consisting of steel beams and purlins. This roof was common for this type of build, however having seen many older commercial buildings over the years built from timber, we decided it was time to innovate the process.

Our design adopted timber roof trusses free-spanning the shop. These are lightweight and stiff, and can support the light loads of a suspended ceiling. We also decided that the site had enough area to have the roof constructed in “pods” on the ground and then be craned into position. The roof was able to be constructed on the ground, in four sections, and then craned into position within one day, reducing construction time.

This clever design approach and construction method saved the client $10,000’s of dollars in project cost and created a much safer way of building the roof.