Kowhai Falls Retail Centre’s innovative and eco-friendly design includes the use of a mass timber structure made from New Zealand pine, including LVL (NelsonPine) and Glulam (Techlam). These materials significantly reduce the building’s carbon footprint to less than 30% that of a concrete and steel equivalent.
The building’s energy-efficient design also includes Metalcraft’s new PIR insulated panel (R4.8), solar panels, and a super-smart HVAC system to ensure an extremely low energy footprint over its 50-year design life. Live feedback from solar energy generated vs power consumed in the building will also be displayed in real-time for shoppers to see.
“We’ve built plenty of high-end residential as well as standard steel commercial and industrial buildings so this was really a combination of the two. We were a bit apprehensive about using mass timber for the structure of such a large building but once we had some new systems and processes in place and understood how the LVL can change with weather we’re very happy with the final product to the point we are moving ahead with stage 2 using the same timber structure. There is more work in the build but the product just looks so much nicer. ” Bevan Morrison, Project Manager, Dobbyn Builders.
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Kowhai Falls
Woodcocks Road, Warkworth
Kowhai Falls Retail Centre’s innovative and eco-friendly design includes the use of a mass timber structure made from NZ pine, including LVL (NelsonPine) and Glulam (Techlam).
