Timber paves way for quake-safe countryFriday 30 Mar 2012 Two buildings soon to be constructed in Christchurch could lead the way for a seismically safer New Zealand. The Garden City will soon be home to two commercial buildings built of EXPAN, a revolutionary post-tensioned laminated veneer lumber (LVL) building system that makes lightweight, seismically safe multi- story timber buildings commercially viable.Developed at The Universities of Canterbury, Auckland and Technology Sydney, as part of The Structural Timber Innovation Company (STIC), EXPAN buildings can be constructed quickly, at an equivalent cost to steel or concrete - and with all the reassurance of lightweight construction. EXPAN’s unique post-tensioned technology combined with the flexibility of timber also enables unique superior seismic capabilities. There are already seven EXPAN buildings in New Zealand, including Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT)’s new Arts and Media Building, and The TUMU ITM Building in Napier. That number looks set to grow substantially, with more than 260 companies across Australasia signing up for the EXPAN design and installation, and fabricators licences, and more coming on board each week. More >>. The news was also covered in another media release this week. |
Copyright 2004-2026 © Innovatek Ltd. All rights reserved. |