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MINING BOOM ACCOMMODATION CRISIS
BOOSTS INTEREST IN FAST TRACK BUILDING SYSTEM
AT PERTH STEEL FRAME BUILDING EXPO
9/3/10
The mining boom is set to worsen the shortfall of accommodation in WA.¹
This pressure is boosting interest in more efficient forms of housing construction to better
cater for mining-related demand especially.
Organisers of the Perth Steel Frame Building Expo have noted a jump in interest to attend
over the past two months with news of resurgence in mining.
FRAMECAD™ Building Solutions is organising the Expo
in conjunction with the National
Association of Steel Frame Housing (NASH). It will be staged from 17 to 19 March 2010 in
Perth.
Factory in a Can
A
highlight at the Expo will be a completely self-contained mobile steel frame fabrication
factory by FRAMECAD. It will be demonstrated at the Perth Expo.
Called the “Factory in a Can”, FRAMECAD’s F300i roll forming machine is housed in a
modified 6.1m (20 ft) shipping container. This mobile factory can be trucked into any
location and made operational within 24 hours of being sited.
With its own diesel generator and computer-operated steel frame fabricating machine, the
mobile factory can manufacture precision engineered roll-form framing and trusses at a
rate of up to 700 metres per hour, allowing quick start construction of structures of all
kinds, from residential homes to multi level commercial buildings.
Its efficiency is such that framing and trusses for a standard 200 sq m house can be
completed in one day and erected within one to two days.
Targeting Remote Cyclone-prone WA
Growing demand for mining-related accommodation will continue to focus on northwest
WA. The coastline here, between Broome and Exmouth, is the most cyclone-prone region
of the entire Australian coastline.
FRAMECAD’s mobile factory and the steel frames it produces on site address many of the
key concerns for both housing and housing construction in harsh remote areas via:
faster construction versus traditional methods
strength: cyclone proof - non-warping, non-twisting
cheaper/cost effective to construct: as much as 30% over traditional methods
lightweight to erect
lightweight, compact and cheaper to transport
(i.e. assembled on site): important in
WA with long distances to mining towns
termite proof
galvanised: rust/water/rain resistant
safer to construct (i.e. less OH&S concerns than establishing traditional wood frames
with nail guns etc)
the environmental benefits of steel.
1
The Real Estate Institute of WA underlined this by pointing to Karratha where the median house
price jumped from a peak of $770,000 in June to a new record of $822,000 in December last year.
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A number of FRAMECAD factory machines are already operating successfully in WA.
Shortage of Accommodation + Shortage of Skilled Labour = Mobile Factory
FRAMECAD’s Australasia Manager, Mr Peter Blythe, says: “The mobility of the Factory in a
Can is ideal for the vastness and distances of WA. Add to this the speed at which it can be
deployed on site and you have real competitive advantages in filling accommodation
demand in remote areas.
“There is seriously unfilled demand in WA for pre-engineered structures that can be
produced, assembled and erected on site in remote regions.
“Coupled to this, there is a shortage in the availability of skilled trades people in WA as the
economy turns around. This is adding to the appeal of FRAMECAD’s mobile factory and its
steel framing because it does not require especially skilled labour for assembly on site.
“Our framing is ‘Meccano-like’
in its simplicity of assembly.
This is because production is
computer controlled and every piece of framing produced is numbered and coded so it can
be easily assembled on site.”
Mr Blythe
said the Mobile Factory was originally designed for commercial building
companies wanting to build multiple homes in large-scale developments.
FRAMECAD & NASH Expo information
The Expo is open to anyone associated with the building industry.
Dates:
17 & 19 March 2010
Location:
12 Millrose Drive, Malaga 6090
Framecad demonstration times:
10:00 am & 6:00 pm daily
[Those interested in attending the FRAMECAD
demonstrations should contact Peter Blythe at
peterb@framecad.com or at +61 419 101 639]
NASH Seminar:
NASH will stage a seminar at the Expo:
Design of Residential and Low-rise Steel Framing.
It will present an overview of the new NASH
Handbook Design of Residential and Low-rise Steel
Framing released in August 2009. The presentation
will also include information on two new NASH
Standards being developed to provide steel framing
span tables and related information.
The seminar is on Thursday 18 March 5:30 for
6:00 pm start. Contact Louise George at NASH on
info@nash.asn.au to register attendance.
Background:
Further information:
FRAMECAD:
Peter Blythe. 0419 101 639 or peterb@framecad.com
Media:
David Park: parkyoung. 0418 159 231 or media@parkyoung.com.au
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