Hansen Yuncken Suspended Studios

Constructing the Suspended Studio

Four temporary columns were erected to provide support to the structural steel. The Hanging Studio was constructed from the bottom-up. Each floor plate is different in shape and none of the columns (painted blue) are vertical, which created a real challenge to ensure that the connection at the top of the column to the supporting beams met.

The floors were constructed with lightweight timber floor joists and plywood sheet flooring to reduce the load on the laminated veneer lumber box beams.

The walls were constructed from computer-cut plywood modular wall frames that varied in thickness from 300 to 600mm. These were prefabricated offsite and assembled onsite. Holes were cut out of the plywood to reduce the weight of the walls. The walls were lined with acoustic insulation.

Tongue-and-grooved solid timber flooring was laid over the top of the plywood sheet flooring and later sanded and polished.

The wall linings are Victorian Ash veneered board with secret fixings.

The glass on the windows was laminated for safety requirements. The builders also added a stainless steel handrail.

The external timber cladding is also Victorian Ash veneered board with a specified pattern of board holes of varying diameters. This was done to provide the required acoustic performance for the Atrium. The panels are also secretly fixed from the inside. The architectural drawings were very specific, with the layout of the holes and the shapes of all the panels.

The underside of the Hanging Studio has a suspension system with acoustic insulation and computer-cut blades and in-fill panels.

The Hansen Family

The Hansen family and Hansen Yuncken have a long association with The University of Melbourne. Former Chairman Peter Hansen has been a regular contributor to advisory panels, as has Director Louise Hansen while Director Richard Hansen is an alumnus of both the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning and the Melbourne Business School. The company sponsors an annual prize in memory of the late Michael Hansen [1965 – 1987]. The prize is awarded for both academic merit and leadership qualities in university activities to a student who has completed their first year in the Masters of Construction program.

Hansen Yuncken is one of Australia’s leading privately-owned construction companies, at the forefront of change and innovation in the building industry. Founded in Victoria in 1918 by Lauritz Hansen and Otto Yuncken, the company has been in continual operation for over 90 years. Today, Hansen Yuncken has an annual turnover exceeding $1 billion. They have an investment grade credit rating, employ more than 650 people, and operate nationally with offices in Victoria, NSW, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland.

Find out more about Hansen Yuncken.

The naming of this studio recognises Hansen Yuncken’s important contribution to the construction industry, and generous philanthropic gifts from Hansen Yuncken and the Peter Hansen Family Trust.

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