RAMMED EARTH FOR RACV

The RACV Golf Club at Torquay has pushed the architectural boundaries of what SRE can achieve to revise many benchmarks in the industry.

Wood Marsh Architects together with Wynward Structural Engineers engaged Earth Structures Group to assist in the design and buildability of the new project.

The building comprises five storeys including a large hotel, golfers’ facilities, an indoor aquatic area and restaurants. In typical Wood Marsh fashion the building is elegantly grounded using simple materials such as rammed earth and massive recycled timber sections while pushing the architectural envelope with a soaring cantilevered fourth level which overlooks the stunning Torquay Golf Course.

The Earth Structures Group together with the builder Kane Constructions have engaged new access and delivery systems to clad the massive steel portal first and second level frame with 400mm thick insulated stabilised earth (ISE). The third level facing the golf course is clad with a spectacular ribbon of 1800mm deep precast stabilised earth panels.

Protecting many of the parapet SRE wall tops was a challenge. The architect preferred no fabric capping for these surfaces. Instead, the surfaces have been coated using a breathable highly water-resistant impregnation Solid Silane system provided by Tech-Dry Building Protection Systems.

Tech-Dry have also supplied the project with Plasticure for all the SRE walls. Plasticure is an aqueous water repellent admixture which is now a staple throughout the SRE industry. Plasticure ensures SRE walls do not suffer from efflorescence, cure more slowly and provide a considerable water repellent component to the walls.

For more information visit: www.techdry.com.au