Mobile Roll Forming Meets Mirvac’s Quality Standards

Location:	Sydney, New South Wales
Country:	Australia
Client:	Atlas Steel
Builder:	Mirvac Group
Roofing Contractor:	Direct Metal Roofing
Products Used:	LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® LYSAGHT TRIMDEK®

Premises for an anchor tenant at a new Mirvac industrial estate in Sydney's southwest are likely to set a benchmark for the seven hectare development.

Mirvac Group is one of Australia's leading diversified property groups, with more than 30 years of experience and a reputation for delivering quality products across all of its businesses. Nexus Industry Park at Prestons is the latest addition to more than 60 investment grade Mirvac properties leased to tenants including leading Australian and international companies.

Mobile roll forming technology from BlueScope Lysaght was part of a cost effective Mirvac building solution for the Nexus development's first premises, a warehouse for merchant Atlas Steel. The onsite roll forming of 11,000 square metres of LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® concealed fix cladding has helped create a roof which meets Mirvac's requirements for quality, cost effectiveness and durability.

BlueScope Lysaght also supplied 3,000 square metres of LYSAGHT TRIMDEK® cladding in COLORBOND® steel for wall cladding on the warehouse.

"We looked at the idea of onsite roll forming because we're not just building this complex to put it on the market, Mirvac Project Manager David Brenac said. "As long term owners we want to create quality buildings which will attract long term tenants and which will require minimum maintenance. A profile such as LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® gives a building owner peace of mind because of the concealed fixing method which has no penetrations."

"To maximise its potential benefits we went for a roof design without steps or joints from eave to peak, so deterioration and maintenance will be reduced or eliminated. For this building the distance from eave to peak is 36.5 metres and that brought onsite roll forming into calculations."

Mirvac carried out cost studies on available alternatives, spoke to roofing contractor Direct Metal Roofing and appointed BlueScope Lysaght to roll the sheets from ZINCALUME® steel at the Nexus Industry Park building site.

Direct Metal Roofing was formed in 2004 by directors John Roach, Mark Speechley and Greg Oliver, who all have many years of experience in the roofing industry. Greg Oliver, who took on the roofing project management role at the Nexus Industry Park site was initially sceptical of the benefits of onsite roll forming, but his experience with the BlueScope Lysaght operation has changed his opinion.

"My only previous experience, with another supplier, had not been a good introduction to mobile roll forming," he recalled. "The way in which the sheets were stacked after they left the roll former created a lot more work for us. Fortunately our experience with BlueScope Lysaght on this job has been entirely the opposite. They have the latest equipment, the sheets they produce can't be faulted and their crew has practical building site experience which has been a big help to us, even on things such as OH&S issues."

Greg Oliver said the use of onsite roll forming carried out by BlueScope Lysaght had contributed to the smooth progress of the job and had allowed his crew to stay ahead of the building program despite wet and windy weather.

"On this site without formed roads I don't know how else you could have delivered the long sheets which were needed," he said. "With roll forming carried out onsite there was a minimal number or truck and crane movements required. Mirvac took a keen interest in how our part of the building work progressed and I think they were also impressed by the outcome."

"We were able to get into a rhythm that let us complete 1,000 to 1,200 square metres of coverage each day. That's another of the benefits of working with LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH®. Once it's seated on the concealed clips you just move on."

"I have to say that when you are dealing with large roof areas, the combination of LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® profile and long lengths roll formed onsite is the most cost effective way to go. We'd definitely look at it again for similar projects."

Greg Oliver also said that the experience gained on the project had dismissed any concerns about working with extra long lengths of roof cladding.

"It's just a matter of having the right number of workers handling each sheet whatever the length," he said. "If it's too windy on the roof to work with longer lengths, then it's too windy to work with shorter lengths."

The BlueScope Lysaght mobile roll forming unit is built on a structural cage to eliminate roller distortion and the need for time intensive adjustments. This means that product quality and tolerances are far superior to the results from a basic roll former without a structural cage.

For extra long lengths, a spreader bar, which can be shipped to job sites with the mobile roll former, extends in 12 metre steps to a maximum span of 72 metres. The bar eases material handling issues on site by ensuring that even the longest of sheets arrive safely and in undamaged condition on the roof frame.

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