Located in Northern NSW inland from Coffs Harbour, the new Dorrigo Health and Wellbeing Medical Centre is a project built by the community, for the community. Completed at the end of 2015, the development was designed by local practice, Regional Architects, to blend into the surrounding natural landscape and represent the community's spirit, capabilities, hopes and aspirations.

"Environmental sustainability was a key driving force in the design," says Regional Architects Director Dan Stevens, "and the result is a building that is 95% autonomous and services cost-neutral." The environmental features include low embodied energy materials such as passive solar design, solar hydronic floor heating/cooling, hybrid solar battery/grid power system, on-site sewage management and rainwater only water supply/storage. Furthermore, the building has achieved an eight star thermal rating.

Providing the main support for the roof over the centre are three Beams 36.6m in finished length and 700 x 85 Hyne Beam 21 Select Queensland Forest Reds. Selected for its reference to the Dorrigo timber industry and heritage and their environmentally sustainable nature, the Hyne Beam 21 makes a striking architectural statement while providing the high level of structural strength required for this project.

Hyne Timber was a key factor in the success of this project says Dan. "The service provided by Hyne was excellent; from the initial factory tour where we discussed the capabilities and limitations of the factory, right through to the eventual delivery of the beams. When we were told that we could rely on a tolerance of less than 10mm over the 36.6m length of the beam, I confess the builder and I raised our eyebrows. We ended up with 3mm at each end and a cigarette paper join in the middle on every beam."

Made by selecting multiple timber sections and meticulously arranging lengths to be glued and bonded together, Hyne Beam 21 is ideal for projects where both strength and aesthetics are important. It can be specified in place of steel in many applications where high loads are supported, while the rich colour and intrinsic characteristics of the beams make Hyne Beam 21 a popular choice by architects in appearance applications such as the Dorrigo Health and Wellbeing Medical Centre.

Hyne Beam 21 is available in New Zealand through New Zealand Wood Products Ltd (NZWOOD), a leading supplier of specialist engineered wood products to the New Zealand construction industry.