May 19, 2024
There is a growing desire and push for sustainability across all aspects of life and society, including construction.
When it comes to construction, a number of companies are actively exploring how they can best achieve their sustainability objectives when building new structures. There are a number of ways for these sustainability objectives to be met. One way that is becoming increasingly popular is the combination of timber and steel in buildings, with timber playing a larger role in certain projects than it may have done in the past.
Steel has been preferred and continues to be used in the commercial construction space for the many qualities it brings, including sustainability. Click here to learn more
As well as being the key component in many construction projects, steel can also work really well alongside timber, playing a vital role in the structural integrity of a building.
“Steel is heavily used in the construction sector, particularly in the commercial space. The robustness, workability and resilience steel provides for the structural soundness of a building is critical. This, when balanced with the recyclable and other sustainable qualities of steel means that it still has an application in environmentally focused projects.” - Ben Jensen, Jensen Steel Fabricators
Green Star is Australasia's largest voluntary and truly holistic sustainability rating system for non-residential buildings, fitouts and communities. Green Star is focused on the way our built environment is designed, constructed and operated.
Green Star Certification works toward:
Green Star is a holistic tool that awards points across various key performance and environmental categories to assess a project's sustainability. There’s a 6 star rating, with 6 Star ‘World Leadership’ being the highest rating. Achieving Green Star rating is often part of these companies’ sustainability objectives.
Jensen Steel Fabricators are proud to be part of a number of such sustainability focused projects locally in the Bay of Plenty. A few examples of these projects are below:
Tauranga City Council’s new office building at 90 Devonport Road is set to be the largest mass timber office building in New Zealand.
Property development and investment company Willis Bond has worked alongside Warren and Mahoney architects to design the 10,000sqm building. It uses engineered timber in place of most traditional concrete and steel elements, with a view to reducing embodied carbon, to its lowest possible point. The project sets a new precedent for innovative and sustainable building design in New Zealand.
The building is targeting the highest 6 Green Star – Design and As-Built NZv1.0 – Design Review Rating, demonstrating world leadership in sustainability. It also has a strong emphasis on mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge systems) and connection with the surrounding natural environment.
We’re honoured to be part of such a landmark project for our client, construction company LT McGuiness and have our steel be part of this building. Jensen Steel Fabricators will be providing the large K-frame bracing elements which run the height of the structure in different locations, as well as our steel featuring in some aesthetic design features, as well as stairways and plant rooms.
This project brings together steel, mass timber and concrete in the creation of five different buildings. Each building is unique in the way steel is used alongside the other structural materials. There was a large amount of coordination particularly between steel and timber, to ensure the two materials came together and fitted onsite.
This new three-level facility has sustainability at the forefront of the design, targeting a 6 Green Star rating. The building will be a mass timber hybrid structure with steel used for structural support and bracing, much similar to the Tauranga City Council Building. Jensen Steel Fabricators will be erecting 10 large K-Brace frames in this downtown Tauranga project.
While steel is a critical component in commercial construction in New Zealand, it can also be used effectively alongside timber, where together the materials can achieve sustainability goals. Jensen Steel Fabricators understands the need for a sustainable future and works hard to maintain its Gold Accredited membership of the Sustainable Steel Council of New Zealand - an accreditation that is audited yearly.