Why ASH should be involved in the design stage of mass timber construction

Talk to ASH before designing your next mass timber project.

The unique strength of our MASSLAM range opens the scope of possibility.
MASSLAM systems:

• can span up to 12m in floors, beams and columns
• continue the grid from basement carparking
• increase floor to floor height and ceiling height
• increase usable floor space
• in some cases, make it feasible to add an extra floor!

It’ll save you money

By considering MASSLAM from day dot, you’ll save on costs associated with:

• Size – MASSLAM has a fantastic strength to weight ratio which means you get all the structural benefits of an Australian hardwood at a smaller size. Less wood fibre means fewer deliveries, smaller surface area to coat, smaller connectors.
• Cost compared to alternatives – timber construction saves 13.6% when compared to concrete as outlined here
• Weight – MASSLAM is 18% the weight of concrete and 80% the weight of steel which means less need for expensive foundations and better efficiency of delivery to site
• Labour – prefabricated mass-timber construction requires less labour on site and shorter construction timelines

Let ASH do the hard work

By including ASH in the early design stages, you will be able to determine the most cost-effective timber, size and system for the project. Once at the design stage, ASH can prepare a basic ‘reverse engineered’ guide to decide of the best outcome for your clients’ needs. Once the MASSLAM products and system are selected, the engineering team create a digital 3D model detailing the chosen components with intricate details including connection types, sizes, screws, CNC requirements and the exact location of every detail.

A faster build

MASSLAM is delivered ready for installation, this means all the CNC requirements, priming and connections are done off-site for ease of construction. This equates to reduced labour requirements, a higher quality of build and faster timelines. During the design phase, potential issues are addressed and a solution is found by the engineering team, rather than being fixed on site by an expensive labour force or holding up the critical path.

There may be a better solution

All construction materials require unique consideration of their performance in order to maximise cost-efficiency. MASSLAM can be the most cost effective of all systems but this might not be the case if you design for the performance of concrete or imported mass timber and hope to compare price with MASSLAM. You have to design for cost efficiency from the start.

It is for these reasons why it is imperative to get your MASSLAM specialist in early.

The MASSLAM team want to see you get the most out of your build and encourage all specifiers to get in contact to learn more about this innovative way of building in Australia.

Contact the MASSLAM team or learn more about MASSLAM here.