ARTICLE ANALYSIS 5: Forestry Tasmania Dome

This innovative dome structure is home to the offices related to the history and development of Tasmania's forestry heritage. The structure links and forms the entrance between the two standard brick buildings on either side. IMAGE: View from the street.

The dome houses an indoor forrest that replicates the Tasmania's working forrest, and thoroughly highlights timber as a renewable source. IMAGE: Interior of the domes structure.

The application of timber rather than the standard steel aslo demonstrates timber's increasing useage in the building industry, particularly in unconventional design. The timber used in the structure in glue laminated hardwood timber that extends over an apporximately 22m gap in 16 equal parts. IMAGE: Roof Plan.

Glue laminated timber eliminated the disadvantages of natural defects and were appropriate to long span construction. The qulities of this type of timber could also be easily manipulated to match the domes profile. Each of the 16 parts of the dome has radial edge beams with intermediatry structure to support the glass roofing. Each part was able to be assembled on site and once assembled, bolted together to form one single roof structure.

IMAGE: Trusses that comprise the domed roof.IMAGE: Rafter connections to the tie rod hub.

IMAGE: Secondary rafter connection.

A central tension ring with a steel cable was also connected to each truss to resist lateral loads.IMAGE: Tie rod hub cone.

The openness of the structure was also an advantage over unstable foundations. A steel barrup truss supports the endge of the dome on the opposite end of the street. The glulam elements were further finished to project the feelings of slickness, newness and richness.IMAGE: Overall dome from the interior displaying each truss and each roof section.