Architecture + Women . NZ

The project installation comprised of three individual glulam modules, which grouped together formed a family and acted as a drawing point for the public as well as a marker for the event. The form and material of the installation echoed the urban furniture located in the area. The public were encouraged to activate the installation as a seating space. On opening night the modules acted as a make-shift bar and gathering space. During the week the glulam forms attracted a lunchtime crowd and skaters alike.

The Glulam Project had a set of constraints to work within; a public site and a starting point of 18 eleven-metre-long curved glulam beams donated to Architecture for Humanity from a dismantled Air NZ hangar. The rafters, consisting of 22 layers of glue laminated Pinus Radiata, were coupled with New Zealand Macrocarpa sleepers sourced from a local timber yard. Self tapping Spax® screws were selected as a fixing type to aid the construction methodology and reduce construction time and cost.

Reuse of existing materials, the ability to recycle and innovation were crucial to the viability of the project due to strict budget restraints. Central to the gifting of the glulam rafters was the idea that they be used to benefit a community, and that they be passed on after use for the benefit of a new community. Following pack-down, the rafters are being reused in other projects whilst the sleepers and fixings are being recycled. The team formulated a construction methodology to work with tight construction timeframes allowing the project team to do as much of the construction work as possible themselves.

Project Directors: Ann O’Meagher, Megan Rule

Architectural Graduate Project Team: Bhavina Patel, Lily Wong, Ellen Ashenden, Aishwarya Basrur, Divya Purushotham, Johanna Bilkey, Andreea Borta-Haideciuc

Structural Engineer: Emily Harbinson

Photos by Dollarmixbag, Johanna Bilkey, Bhavina Patel