Seeking the ideal roofing to sit atop the sweeping arc of the dynamic structure they designed for the new Senior School building at Flinders Christian Community College’s Carrum Downs campus, Melbourne-based Studio B Architects found the perfect solution in tapered LYSAGHT® LONGLINE 305®.
As an independent, inclusive, co-educational and inter-denominational Christian school for students from Prep to Year 12, Flinders Christian Community College endeavours through their Traralgon, Tyabb and Carrum Downs campuses in Victoria to inspire every student to not only learn but also develop in character for the betterment of themselves and the community.
With inspiration viewed as key to learning, it’s not surprising that the college chose the inspired design put forward by Studio B Architects for the new Senior School building at Flinders’ Carrum Downs campus.
Sustainably and thoughtfully designed to utilise natural heating and cooling, the curved building provides numerous dynamic learning spaces while also creating a barrier against the area’s prevailing south-west winds to provide two sheltered outside teaching spaces with amphitheatre seating.
Visually, the structure is also stunning in design and detail – a vision enhanced by the specification of tapered LYSAGHT LONGLINE 305® as Henry Wong, Senior Project Architect at Studio B, explained.
“The roof profile can be seen from the ground, due to the site’s topography, so it was important to have a profile that truly followed the curvature of the building,” Henry said. “Tapered LONGLINE 305® functioned so well in following and actually enhancing the shape of the structure.
“The strong ribs of the LONGLINE 305® profile were also something we wanted – and we definitely appreciated the strong visual created where the tapered ends came together above the amphitheatre.”
While the specification of the visually appealing LYSAGHT LONGLINE 305® in the SHALE GREY™ COLORBOND® steel colour was a straightforward choice, installation of the deck roof on such a large, sweeping semicircular structure had its challenges.
However, any difficulties were overcome and a good-looking, weathertight and durable solution was achieved with tapered LYSAGHT LONGLINE 305® as Mathew Sheahan, Owner/Director of Heidelberg-based Sun Installations & Roofing, explained.
“To look at the roof it’s almost like a fan, so we used LONGLINE 305® but with all of the 162 sheets tapered,” Mat said. “The outer ends of the roof sheets were 305mm wide while the inner ends were reduced to an average taper of approximately 200mm, so they were elongated wedge shapes that crept around to form the huge curve.
“It was hard to measure, get right and lay; but we know what we’re doing and the tapered LONGLINE 305® helped us do it, as did Lysaght’s support in overcoming any issues we encountered.
“The LONGLINE 305® is a great product, really good,” Mat elaborated. “It’s a thicker, stronger material – so it’ll probably last longer than me – but the beauty of the LONGLINE 305® is the concealed fix; there are no piercings so it will never leak.
“And it looks great – we’ve also used it as a wall cladding on an apartment building project; for aesthetics, durability and weatherproofing you couldn’t find a better metal deck roof or cladding solution than LONGLINE 305®.”
Featuring wide flat pans with a bold rib,LYSAGHT LONGLINE 305® is available in the traditional 305mm cover width, fluted in a 300mm cover width, or tapered with cover width varying from 305mm down to a narrow end of 155mm.
Combining this versatility of form, dramatic good looks, superb weatherproofing and availability in a wide range of COLORBOND® steel colours it’s little wonder that LYSAGHT LONGLINE 305® has become the profile of choice for architects.
“LONGLINE 305® is the number one profile that architects request additional information on,” said Russ Hogan, BlueScope Building Components Business Development Manager - C&I (VIC). “50 per cent of all my calls are about LONGLINE 305® and I put it forward on a regular basis because it is the profile that other people will see and say they want it.
“In the case of the Flinders Senior School building we produced tapered LONGLINE 305® in very long 17 metre lengths to fit the inner and outer radii of the structure; it took some finessing to ensure a flawless result but the tapered LONGLINE 305® product made it much easier.”
As did the support of Russ Hogan and the LYSAGHT® team, according to Henry Wong from Studio B Architects.
“Working from one end to the other across a large expanse of roof, following the inner and outer radii, and having everything match up wasn’t simple,” Henry said. “Russ came out and did an independent assessment to double check the calculations and with his help and great work from Sun Installations & Roofing it all came together.
“Working with Lysaght was a good experience; they are very responsive and Russ knows his stuff and quickly responded to any queries,” he concluded. “We are very pleased with the result and have had excellent feedback from Flinders College.”
