Environmental Impacts of Multi-Storey Buildings Using Different ...

- 36 -In the TimberPlus building all aluminium windows frames were replaced by timber (CanadianWestern Red Cedar) frames and composite aluminium-cedar frames in the case of the openingwindows. Timber louvres in the north facade are another important replacement with theoriginal aluminium louvres replaced by cedar louvres supported in a cedar structure with steelconnections (cedar was used also for mullions and transoms and in all parallel louvres outsidethe curtain wall). Louvres outside the north façade cover the same area as in the Concrete,Steel and Timber buildings and are supported in a cedar timber structure.The light weight envelope walls in the east, west and south façade (including service areaenvelope walls) are framed in timber studs with 90 mm fibreglass insulation. These wallshave a 25 mm air cavity for ventilation built with 25 mm timber battens under Pinus radiatapine weatherboards (www.timber.net.au/flatline). Internal linings are medium densityfibreboard (MDF), painted for service and corridor areas and solid finger jointed timberboards inside the offices. The partitions between the main offices are solid timber walls madeof five solid timber layers of Pinus radiata with a final thickness of 105 mm. MDF panelswith a decorative hardwood veneer are used for ceilings in all office areas.Figure 4.10: TimberPlus building, North-east and South-west perspective views.Figure 4.11 shows an interior view of the two different types of finish materials used in theoffice buildings. The top image represents the very common type of office interior finishesused in the Concrete, Steel and Timber buildings. The bottom image shows the internal viewof an office in the TimberPlus building. Carpet was applied to both types of finishes but canbe potentially replaced by timber flooring (Parquet) in the TimberPlus building. Theseimages graphically demonstrate ‘common practice’ finishes and the variation of this usingtimber in the case of the TimberPlus lower image.Figure 4.11: ‘Common finishes’ of the concrete, steel and timber buildings, compared with the internalfinishes of the TimberPlus building.