John Washington, Construction Manager at Fletcher Living Auckland South, explained that the components are “lighter than solid timber flooring joists, which enables builders to put the floor down faster.” This adds “buildability” to the project by saving construction time.

Bevan Snookes, a Technical Advisor at NZWOOD, says the floor’s advantages come from its unique design and quality components.

“It uses Solid Start I-Beams in lengths of up to 12 metres, 45mm thick Rimboard and Hyne 17C beams,” explains Bevan.  “It can be put together using fewer parts and stronger products so it’s a better performing floor.”

John says the Hyne 17C engineered timber was particularly useful at Stonefields.

“You’re not limited to six meters, so you can easily span wall-to-wall with no lapping on internal walls,” he said.  “You can also keep the pipe work and drainage in the floor cavity by drilling right through the beams without strengthening brackets.”

John Washington stresses that the speed of construction didn’t mean a compromise on quality, however.

“It [the I-Built system] is a more consistent, straighter product,” he said.  “It really limits the amount of movement you may experience down the track.  We prefer to use I-Built floors for that reason.”