Locally produced Victorian hardwood timbers are fast becoming the material of choice for some of Melbourne’s major cultural, recreational and tourist based landmarks. The National Gallery of Victoria, Federation Square Precinct, Melbourne Museum and the State Library of Victoria have all embraced the use of Victorian hardwoods for a range of inimitable and beautiful applications.
If we were to take a tour of Melbourne’s CBD we would, inevitably, find ourselves visiting one of these landmarks heralded as the main foundation to the mix of the city’s new and old, cultural and recreational, public spaces.
Beginning our tour, we take in the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), currently undergoing a transformation, ensuring that this enchanting space changes with the times. The $148m project, scheduled for completion next year is spearheaded by architects in association, Mario Bellini Associates from Milan, Italy and METIER3 Architects of Melbourne while construction is by Baulderstone Hornibrook.
In keeping with the vision of architect Roy Ground’s original design, Victorian Ash was selected for the approximate 10,000sq m installation of parquetry.
Speaking with Franco Fiorentini, director of METIER3, it is clear to see why architects prefer timber and more specifically Victorian Ash for large commercial flooring applications. Highly regarded for its excellent acoustic, thermal, durable and environmental properties it also accumulates less dust, produces no “off-gasses” that can affect the priceless artworks and it looks stunning. “No wonder timber is the preferred material for galleries around the world”, says Fiorentini.
Closely located to the NGV project is one of the most ambitious and complex projects ever undertaken – Federation Square Precinct. Designed by Lab + Bates Smart Architects the square is set to be the new civic gateway to Melbourne, making full use of the southeast corner of the CBD and is complemented by Birrarung Marr, Melbourne’s most recent riverside park.
Federation Square will feature many public and commercial spaces and will incorporate 500sq m of Messmate Trueloc® flooring, a beautiful golden-honey timber. The new NGV Australiana Gallery will also feature 5,000sq m of recycled Red and Grey Ironbark creating a sense of significant warmth and a dramatic contrast with the white prismatic walls.
Adjacent to Federation Square is Birrarung Marr, Melbourne’s newest park that provides a much-needed promenade link between the CBD, Yarra River and the sporting precinct, contributing to a green belt of parkland around the city. Birrarung Marr is a leading example of current international urban park design.
The centrepiece of the park is the 300m long Red Ironbark bridge, providing some of the best views of the Melbourne city skyline. The bridge consists of a series of steel columns and cross beams, representing the imposed grid and linearity of the city, whilst the profiled timber beams and timber decking suggest the softer more tactile aspects of nature. Red Ironbark has the highest durability rating, rated class one, making it suitable for use in ground for a minimum of 25 years. Used above ground its service life will be considerably longer. The richness and durability of the species highlights the excellent natural characteristics of the sustainably harvested species.
Leaving the southeastern block of the CBD and moving toward the northeast of the city we enter the Melbourne Museum , which showcases Victorian hardwood species both living and in a range of value-added applications such as panelling, cabinetry, furniture and particularly flooring. Seen in the Living Forest Gallery, Aboriginal Performance Gallery and Touring Exhibition Hall, they allow for a unique experience into the many wonderful spaces that can be created by using locally produced hardwoods.
At the centre of the building is the Living Forest Gallery a living interpretation of Australia’s forests - including a stand of Majestic Mountain Ash trees. The recreated landscape is overlooked from the first level circulation-axis which runs the length of the building, providing a unique juxtaposition as the floor of the walkway is a beautiful example of Mountain Ash strip flooring.
The Aboriginal Performance Gallery is a majestic space with towering hardwood poles supporting a spiralling walkway clad with Natural Feature Messmate panelling. Created from fire, wind, drought and insects, each board panel has its own history of the harsh Australian environment. The centrepiece of the Aboriginal Gallery is the Victorian Ash, parquetry ‘Performance Floor’. The dramatic look of the floor has been achieved by the creative use of square end-grained parquetry blocks, randomly oriented so the growth rings evoke images of an aboriginal painting.
Even Phar-Lap is surrounded by a stunning Southern Blue Gum, block-parquetry floor with the 350 x 60 x 19mm blocks laid in an ashlar pattern.
Moving back into the heart of the city and to the State Library of Victoria - the cultural resource and information network, one of the first things visitors will see is the beautiful Murdoch room decked out in golden honey-coloured Messmate parquetry. Edwina Portelli, State Library exhibitions project manager, says that the species selected met all of the criteria for the restoration - being strong, durable and in keeping with the remaining parquetry flooring in the other galleries.
As Melbourne’s CBD enters into a new civic age the continued use of Victorian hardwoods in large-scale projects is a testament to the popularity of this timeless material.
This story was compiled by the Timber Promotion Council. For timber related enquiries contact its free advisory service on www.tpcvic.org.au.