For centuries, buildings for peaceful reflection and community gathering have valued the use of timber for its soft, natural and acoustic qualities. People enjoy and marvel at timber's interior and exterior aesthetics, so why not make the structural elements part of the aesthetics too. That was the brief for the new Stella Maris Church in Maroochydore, Queensland, a project which came to fruition on the 14th December 2016 — just in time for Christmas.

The project welcomed and benefited from a partnership approach to supply the pine glue laminated beams used for the exposed structural elements of the construction. "Our Hyne Beam 17 product was specifically selected for its light colour and aesthetics while achieving cost efficiencies," says Rob Mansell, Hyne's Business Development Manager — Commercial.

Steel plates were also specifically selected for best possible application with the beams, delivered to site in time for the pouring of the concrete. The H3 treated tapered columns and rafter system were coated to maximise the durability externally.

"There were many challenges that were overcome during the project, but partnerships with suppliers and trades including Hyne Timber mean we can work together to reach the best possible solutions quickly," says Mansell. The engineered timber beams were Hyne Timber's Beam 17, manufactured within four weeks at their Glue Laminated Timber Plant in Maryborough.

The plant has recently commissioned their new, state-of-the-art CNC machine, which will make the supply of prefabricated timber solutions even quicker and more cost efficient. It is an automatic joinery machine that can cut, drill, slot and profile both small and large scale timber components.

It can be programmed from CAD drawings to give a high level of accuracy, increasing the fabrication services capability, reducing the time it takes to complete prefabricated timber projects. "Projects such as the new Stella Maris Church show that designing and constructing with engineered wood are possible and you get the results you are after," says Bill Blackmore, Director of New Zealand Wood Products Limited.

New Zealand Wood Products Ltd partner with Hyne Timber to offer a full range of Hyne glulam products, including I-Built LVL, Solidstart I-Beams and J-Ply Plywood. Together with the New Zealand technical team and software support, they help make a project like this happen.