Structural · Case study
Spotted Gum Pergola
- Location
- Dural, NSW
- Year
- 2025
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Category
- Structural
4.8m × 6.2m pergola with a 1.6m cantilever, concealed steel, no visible fixings.
Why this needed an engineer.
The client wanted a clean overhead grid with no posts inside the entertaining area. That meant the back edge had to carry the cantilever, a problem of bending moment and connection design before it's a problem of timber.
The engineering thinking.
Designed a concealed steel ridge inside the head beam, sized for the cantilever moment plus an Australian wind-load case. Spotted gum acts as the visible finish and as part of the composite section. Every fastener lands inside a routed pocket so the underside reads as solid timber.
- Spotted gum (Corymbia maculata)
- Grade 350 hot-dip steel
- Stainless coach screws
A pergola that looks like joinery and engineers like a roof. Sailed compliance, no deflection at the cantilever tip after a full Sydney summer.
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