TDC engaged WSP to engineer the pou concrete attachment with as little interference to the carved design as possible. We were also responsible for supervising the construction of the design through to completion of the physical works.

Conventional methodologies for erecting the pou - such as embedment into the ground and above-ground mounted supports - would diminish the visual aesthetic and be an unnecessary waste of raw materials. Instead, we needed to agree on a solution to feature the carved design to its best advantage without compromising on functionality. This required a non-traditional solution to attach the pou to the concrete paving.

In order to fully utilise the log heights, Delani Brown proposed attaching the pou to the top of the concrete paving. The initial option was to insert a structural steel hollow section with cleats bolted to the timber into the centre of the log and embedded into the ground at the other end. But the weight of the pou and the required number of bolts, which would also need to be concealed, became an issue.

It also became obvious that the embedment depth was getting quite deep, meaning that the overall structure would end up some 10.5 metres tall. The structure would not be able to fit inside the carver’s workshop and would require a much larger crane to lift it into place. Lastly, it would not likely achieve the Client desired aesthetic appeal by the time fillers were used to conceal the bolts.