STRUCTURAL PANELS COULD TO TRANSFORM HOME BUILDING

A panel-based structural building system developed in South Australia promises to transform the building industry by dramatically reducing the time and cost required to produce a finished home.

The innovative approach to home construction, developed by NU-TEK Building Systems, involves the use of structural, load-bearing wall panels whose edges are embedded with interlocking steel beams. The steel beams enable the panels to slot together firmly like jigsaw pieces to form the structural framework of a building, dispensing with the need for timber frames or brick veneer walls.

The use of these interlocking panels as chief structural components for the building frame greatly increases the ease and convenience of the construction process, while also reducing material wastage and construction time. Timber, cement board, colour bond and stainless steel are then attached to either side of the panels depending on the design of the structure.

The building components are all pre-fabricated by the company and reduces the time needed to build a quality family home from 26 weeks, which is the average at present, to just six weeks.

Source:Forest & Wood Products Australia Newsletter, November, 2014