Fairfield Library
Looking Back to 1999
Recently we visited an “old” glulam project and found it still holds its original appeal after many years. Fairfield Library, part of the Darebin Libraries network, still revels with the beauty and unique architecture created by Andrew Wallace and Terence Carey Architects in collaboration during 1999.
Andrew Wallace completed this project before he founded Vicbeam in 2003. Glulam beams are key stunning features of the Fairfield Library that give this building character and style even into the 21st Century.
You cannot help be drawn into the high corridors with beautiful white cypress portals which provide a meaningful and inclusive space. It’s a meeting place for a cross-section of the whole community, a community living room where people can interact or sit quietly and read.
The manufacturing of several 300mm x 300mm white cypress glulam posts and beams offers more than meets the eye.
Rather than double laminating solid Glulam beams together to form a solid post, the architect and engineer requested they be made with hollow centres to save on costs, which also made the posts lighter.
You will see from the above drawing that a glulam block is glued into the hollow space to provide a strong connection point for steel fixings.
This kind of project is key to the success of Vicbeam, a purpose built solution that isn’t ‘out of the box’. The result is a better fit for purpose, absolutely solid architecturally considered beam solution.
For construction photos you can view the architects’ album on Facebook here: Fairfield construction
Here is one our favourite photos highlighting Andrew at work:
