Edgar Stubbersfield

Architectural Timber Battens Edgar Stubbersfield

Publisher Marketing: There has been an increasing use of architectural timber battens in Queensland, and indeed Australia wide, over recent years and while they can certainly look excellent when first installed, they have the potential to be a maintenance nightmare. Following the failure of a high profile batten project where one fell to the ground, it needs to be recognised that there is the potential in a people occupied space for litigation. When researching the subject I came to the conclusion that while these concerns were valid, they did not have to be the accepted consequence of using timber. If some basic steps are taken it will result in a long lived feature that ages well even in tropical and subtropical architecture. The following chapters will take you through the issues involved in designing to achieve that end. I could find no books on the subject so, without the generous help of those I have acknowledged, this design aid for professionals would not have been possible. Most of the projects illustrated are from Queensland in Australia which the travel advertisements say is renowned for being "beautiful one day and perfect the next" (just another way of saying it is a harsh climate). Systems that work in the Queensland environment will perform better in cooler climates. Contributor Bio:  Stubbersfield, Edgar Ted Stubbersfield and his daughter Evangeline grew up Gatton, Queensland, Australia. Ted and his parents before him operated a sawmill, Gatton Sawmilling Company which specialized in high quality hardwoods. This small country mill won many awards for the quality of its hardwood and its innovative products. In 1997, Ted started his own business; Outdoor Structures Australia (OSA) with the aim of specializing is weather exposed timber structures such as boardwalks and bridges. He undertook a number of formal research projects to allow him to understand and the special requirements of this very difficult application. Now in his semi-retirement he is writing down what he has learnt so it need not be relearnt. His daughter, Evangeline, after completing a Bachelor of Business and then worked for a time as Marketing Manager for OSA.