CYCLONE CODED PAVILION AN INDUSTRY FIRST

WORDS: PENNY BAXTER. PHOTOS: RUSSELL BROWN AND COLIN WEST.

A local innovator and SkyCity Darwin are at the forefront of a revolution in the building industry with what is believed to be the strongest public temporary structure in the world.

Framelock Structures’ Beachside Pavilion at SkyCity may look like another stylish marquee – but it can withstand winds to the equivalent of a medium range Category 4 tropical cyclone. Its ability to cope with internal pressure changes, its certification to meet the Australian Building Code and its ability to withstand the powerful winds of a tropical cyclone makes SkyCity’s Beachside Pavilion, potentially the strongest public temporary structure in the world.

The 1000 sq m pavilion is certified to withstand a 69 m per second wind load – equating to 250 km per hour. Colin West, innovator and owner of award winning Framelock Structures, has received national and international interest in his new pavilion from a number of industries including aviation, mining and events. “I feel very excited about it. In fact I’m slightly overwhelmed by the reaction to the pavilion,” Colin said. “It has really given me a good idea of the strong potential for the product across a range of industries.”

Despite being told it couldn’t be done, Colin and Darwin consultant engineer Peter Russell designed the 25 m by

40 m temporary structure to comply with the National Construction Code 2013 of Australia. The temporary structure was built for one third of the cost of building a permanent structure of the same dimensions.

Manufactured by Roder HTS Höcker in Germany, Colin and Peter designed each aluminium component, including

rafters, columns, knee braces and purlins, which were custom made and carefully transported from Germany to Darwin. “Framelock Structures and SkyCity are at the forefront of a revolution in the building industry in the Northern Territory and Australia,” Colin said. “Nothing in this building is off the shelf or standard – every element has been custom designed and built. “There are a lot of secrets we have included in the pavilion which cannot be seen by the naked eye.”

The pavilion has also gained recognition for its unique and innovative features in the engineering world. Peter said the structure could revolutionise the building industry, in particular the automatic internal pressure venting system Colin designed and created himself, which has a patent pending.

Peter said the structure’s overall design has wide reaching implications for mining, oil and gas companies who are building temporary facilities across northern Australia that need to be cyclone coded. “This internal venting system has never been used before to my knowledge as it does not rely on power and is very cost effective,” Peter said.

The airconditioning system is state of the art as it uses a lightweight fabric ducting which costs 12 times less than conventional steel ducting. The structure can be completely dismantled and taken away, leaving only a concrete pad, and is re-usable at other locations.

The marquee has received a building occupancy permit as a class 9b public building under the Northern Territory Building Act, issued by local building surveyor Lucio Maddalozzo from Cardno. SkyCity General Manager Brad Morgan said the Beachside Pavilion was a fantastic asset for SkyCity and

Territorians, and it had already hosted many successful events since it was launched in July last year.

“The pavilion allows SkyCity to offer a new venue for functions and corporate events for our clients and en

ables us to host events year round without worrying about the weather,” Mr Morgan said. “I congratulate Colin and Peter for their innovation, expertise and persistence.” TQ