Muchea Livestock Centre
Structural Engineering
- Wind tunnel testing to reduce structural steelwork
- Minimum steel tonnage per sqm.
- Large roof area.
- Unique structure to suit operational requirements.
- Anaerobic and aerobic ponds in addition to clean and grey water dams.
The major structure consisted of a 260m long x 200m wide (52,000m²) open sawtooth roof covering the entire saleyard complex.
The engineering challenge was to design a roof that was simple to construct, repetitive, cost efficient and allowed competitive tendering.
The wind code, AS1170.2, does not provide adequate guidance on open sawtooth structures. Believed to be producing a conservative design solution, wind tunnel testing of the structure was undertaken at UWA. Results from wind tunnel testing produced a significant 51% reduction in total horizontal wind loads and fundamentally changed the structural solution. This wind load reduction, coupled with refinement of the design, produced a cost saving to the client of approximately $750,000. Innovative and efficient design, paired with attention to simple details and construction efficiencies, produced an economical structure that does not obstruct saleyard operations and pose a hazard to livestock.