Harlow trusses for Bellway WV four development

A Midlands regeneration project on the site of a former engineering plant features a shallow domed roof of prefabricated timber trusses supplied by a Harlow, member of the Trussed Rafter Association.

Harlow Timber Systems undertook the GBP36K contract for Bellway Homes at its iconic WV four development on a supply-only basis.

Built to provide stylish residential accommodation, the site created 55, mainly two-bedroom, apartments and is dominated by the curved main four-storey structure, with its metal decked roof and central courtyard.

The decision to use trussed rafters was taken after careful evaluation of three different design options.

The two main alternatives would have involved substantial cold rolled steelwork or engineered timber I-beams.

The latter would have needed huge bottom flanges to achieve the spans, and required the installation of a suspended ceiling system at considerable additional cost, while the timber lattice trusses could have plasterboard soffits secured beneath them in the normal manner.

The lattice trusses were quickly installed to give a safe working platform on which a covering of OSB boards was laid at the required falls; this is covered in the standing seam metal sheeting.

A spokesperson for Bellway Homes explained how, in conjunction with Harlow, the housebuilder had refined the original design concepts of the architectural master planner to address issues of buildability.

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