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TDA Annual Reports
Bushfire roofs Print E-mail
Friday, 10 July 2009 00:00
TDA: The back of a timber roof after a recent fire test
TDA: The back of a timber roof after a recent fire test
The TDA with Forest and Wood Products Australia helped in coordinating a series of timber-based roofing solutions to meet upcoming changes to regulations governing roofing in bushfire prone areas. The solutions include sheet metal and roof tiles, they are relatively cheap and they do not favour any particular species of timber. Interestingly the work program was conducted with one of the partners being Bluescope Steel.

The regulatory changes which we are seeking to address are the result, of course, of the bushfires which devastated south eastern Australia earlier this year. Victoria and the ACT have already pushed through changes to Australian Standard 3959 - 2009 Building in Bushfire Prone Areas. These changes require that in bushfire prone areas, roofs in new buildings and in certain renovations and extensions meet appropriate bushfire attack levels. Other states are expected to implement similar regulations by May 2010.

These sudden regulatory changes have pushed development of our timber-based roofing solution for bushfire prone areas to the top of the TDA to-do list. The end result is both cheap and effective. It requires little more than a 15 mm plywood sheet over the rafters of the roof -- and Anticon insulation in the resulting cavity between the roof exterior and the plywood. Tony Walther, our structural engineer, has overseen the latest round of fire tests and is pleased with the performance of our roofing solution. And all of us here at the TDA are pleased to be getting this solution tested, certified and on the market with a range of options for builders to utilise.
 

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