LYSAGHT W-DEK® produces advantages for 3M Australia warehouse

Latest news from 3m Australia

09-Sep-2005

A decision to use LYSAGHT W-DEK structural steel decking has solved design and site challenges at a new logistics and distribution centre in Sydneys west. Walker Corporation has just completed the new 3,000 square metre office and warehouse complex at Greystanes for diversified technology group 3M Australia Pty Ltd. Grant Roe, director of Costin Roe Consulting Pty Ltd, said the challenges posed by the Greystanes site and the layout of the building complex prompted his companys suggestion of the decking solution. Truck access from the road to the sloping warehouse site and the need to provide six metres of clearance on the buildings lower level would have given rise to a lot of additional cost and complexity if coventional formwork had been used to create the slab, he said. We suggested to Walker Corporation that LYSAGHT W-DEK could provide a cost effective solution for the steel framed building. Developed specifically for Australian conditions by BlueScope Lysaghts world-class research and development team, Lysaght Technology, LYSAGHT W-DEK is a steel formwork system that has been designed to provide optimal efficiency, speed of construction, and economy. Steel formwork acts not only as formwork, but additional bottom reinforcement as well, so less reinforcement needs to be used in the concrete. It also requires less propping than traditional ply formwork, and there is no stripping, which reduces material handling on site, leading to faster installation and reduced cycle times. On the 3M Pty Ltd site the use of traditional plywood formwork for the slab would have been a major undertaking, Grant Roe said. The time and cost involved in providing propping above the six metre clearance represented a significant impact on the whole project. We were aware of LYSAGHT W-DEK and its spanning abilities, so we recommended it to Walker Corporation for this application. It provided a very straightforward construction solution for what would otherwise have been a costly and time consuming task with traditional technology. We were able to use clear spans of four metres. Walker Corporation and Costin Roe Consulting Pty Ltd co-ordinated the supply and installation of the complete suspended flooring solution through Lysaght Design and Construction, a subsidiary of BlueScope Steel. The company, which was involved with the development of LYSAGHT W-DEK and associated design methodology from its inception, provides total construction solutions, from design assistance, to the construction of building elements. On the 3M Pty Ltd project Lysaght Design and Construction supplied and installed the LYSAGHT W-DEK, all reinforcing and accessories, including the two-stage pouring of a concrete slab necessary to achieve effective drainage in a carpark area. Intimate knowledge of the project, from its inception prior to design, right through to construction project management, was a significant benefit to all parties on this project. Constructed of high-tensile Australian steel,