PE Centre

As one of the girls from my work goes to Sacred Heart College in Aphrasia St. Geelong, I thought it would be worthwhile asking if she could get me in one day for some photos. My original intent was to photo their new Music/Entertainment Hall, however it was being used at the time. No worries, as their Carmel O'Dwyer PE Centre was a good alternative to show long span construction.


Here you can see the corrugated roofing and wall cladding. Also note the guttering on the top roof, with the downpipes that run down.


A view on the inside shows all the elements of long portal frame construction, such as the UB beams and UC columns, purlins, insulation, roofing etc.


Here is a connection of two UB beams at the apex. Additional support has been given by the two connecting bars joining the beams to the purlins.

Here is another joining at the apex, similar to the previous photo except it has rounded steel bracing beams that span across to the opposite set of UB beams and are connected here at the apex.

A different structure of the knee joint has been used to comply with the large air vent pipe. Here, the haunching is in the skeletal truss-like form of steel bars, one which is connected from the column to the beam, and two more bars connecting knee joint to the diagonal bar.

Here you can see a steel beam connected to a column, and the plaster ceiling joined on each side of the beam.

This photo shows the beam and purlins, and how the lighting is suspended from the purulin. Electrical services run along the inner edge of the purlins.

A closer look at the knee joint, and the rounded side beam that connects with each column.