INTERSECT Q2.22

The Strait House Cape Paterson by Luke Middleton of EME Design.

Contents

What’s Up 01

From the President & CEO

News from around Australia 06

Planning Tid Bits by Clause1 08

What’s On 03

DMN events across Australia 70

Shining a light on Shading by Vicki Marshall, DMN Senior Sustainability and Thermal Performance Manager 74

Taking action for a greener future by Emma Green, NATSPEC Communications 78

What’s In 02

Small Project Big Difference by Katie Shortland-Webb, Director and Building Designer at KT Designs 16

Changing the Order of Design by Samantha Choyce, DMN State Manager 24

Sustainable design across Oceania Luke Middleton, EME Designs, Australia Richard Hassell, WOHA - Singapore William Jr Ti, WTA Design Studios - Philippines Hiroyuki Unemori, Unemori Architects - Japan 32

Healthier Homes with Green Star by Elham Monavari, Senior Manager - Operations Transformation GBCA 60

Is progress happening in WA for energy efficiency? by Tristan Stanley-Cary, Architect, TPA DMN TASC member and Educator. 68

Designing for Tasmania by Peter Graham Tas DoJ Executive Director CBOS 82

Proposed move to 7 stars

Anthony Jenkin, Outlier Studio - Victoria Ian Fry, Frys Energywise - NSW Victoria Walker, BERA Building Energy Ratings + Advice - Queensland 84

Navigating R-codes in Western Australia 92

Who’s Who 04

Five by Five: Five minutes with...

Michelle Monaghan, Accredited Thermal Performance Assessor, LMD Studio Chloe Overton, Building Designer, Eclo Designs, Tasmania Geoff Alexander, Principal Designer, Alexstar Building Design Ingrid Hornung, Building Designer, Designs for You Andrea Cochrane, Thermal Performance Assessor, Utopia Thermal Assessments 95

Students of Design Samuel Mollema Zanda Lee Peter Tsetsonis 106

DISCLAIMER

Publication of an article or inclusion of an advertisement in this edition does not imply that Building Designers Association of Victoria Inc trading as Design Matters National agrees with the views expressed, or message conveyed, nor does it imply endorsement of products. In addition, Design Matters National does not accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. No content may be reproduced without the written permission of Design Matters National. Requests should be lodged to The Editor, at editor@designmatters.org.au Printing Southern Impact

01 What’s Up

“I have relished the opportunities I have had this year to finally meet more of our members in person - the energy and excitement of learning together has been a joy to experience!”

From the President

By Ingrid Hornung, President, Design Matters National, 2020-2022

Welcome! In this issue of INTERSECT:Q2 we are looking ‘outward’; and investigating what is happening in design, around the world. It seems an appropriate reflection of the ‘opening up’ that has been happening within our community, after the last few years.

Closer to home, I have relished the opportunities I have had this year to finally meet more of our members in person - the energy and excitement of learning together has been a joy to experience!

Our members are part of a thriving design community, embracing the opportunity to shape alternative futures, and possibilities, through their work; and, as I write this, the last entries are being submitted to our Annual Design Awards, and our inaugural True Zero Carbon Challenge.

I wish all the entrants the best of luck; and I look forward to the opportunity to celebrate all that our members have achieved, together.

Happy reading;

Ingrid Hornung President

By Peta Anderson, CEO, Design Matters National,

From the CEO

I had the pleasure of attending the Semester 1, 2022 Graduate Exhibition for the Advanced Diploma of Building Design (Architectural) at RMIT in June.

Showcasing exceptional work, the exhibition highlighted the resilience and creativity of these amazing upcoming building designers, who commenced the first 18 months of their entire course in lockdown at the height of the COVID19 pandemic.

The exhibition encompassed a range of media and design techniques displaying 3D visualisation and modelling skills to produce buildings, spaces and situational relationships across concept projects, all of which were beyond impressive.

Most of these graduates have now commenced their career as building designers, some have continued their studies into other relevant pathways and others are using their skills to pursue interests connected to architecture.

The exhibition highlighted the commitment of not only the educators but also the students, particularly in their expression of their diverse ideas and creativity.

I’m looking very forward to the next one and wish all of the graduates of the Advanced Diploma of Building Design (Architectural) a very successful and fulfilling career.

“I’m looking very forward to the next student event and wish all of the graduates of the Advanced Diploma of Building Design (Architectural) a very successful and fulfilling career.”

Top Right - Concept design by James Lamande Bottom Right - Concept design by Aileen Lord

ONLINE

Architecture in the age of diversity with Hiroyuki Unemori

12 August- 1pm AEST (online)

Design Matters National is excited to have special guest Hiroyuki Unemori, Founder of Award winning UNEMORI ARCHITECTS, share his experiences and knowledge of architecture in the age of diversity. A prime example of this work is “House in Takaoka, ” a stilts house generating from the response to ventilation and humidity. This not to be missed online session will provide attendees an insight into architecture in the age of sustainability to come, that stays close to nature by living in Japan, which is a mature society with an aging and declining population.

DMN Accreditation for Building Designers – A Landmark Event for WA

55 Salvado Rd, Subiaco, WA 6008

18 August 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (AWST)

Professional accreditation plays an integral role in any industry and the implementation of mandatory licensing for Building Designers is essential to the recognition and longevity of the profession. Until Western Australia introduces laws requiring building designers to be licensed, DMN, as Australia’s peak body for building designers has introduced the DMN Building Designer Accreditation program a voluntary accreditation program for members.

Hiroyuki Unemori

Westcoast Annual Building Design Awards

The Raft – Perth WA 5pm onwards

The Annual Building Design Awards will celebrate the best building designers and design students in 2022. Join us as we discover the best in building design from the West Coast of Australia, and celebrate the role it plays in improving lives and communities. The 2022 Annual Building Design Awards will recognise the most talented building designers in residential and non-residential building design; showcase excellence in the use of a range of materials and documentation; and bestow the greatest accolade: The WA Building Design of the Year.

East coast Annual Building Design Awards

The Timberyard – Port Melbourne 5.30pm onwards

The Annual Building Design Awards will celebrate the best building designers and design students in 2022. The 2022 East Coast Annual Building Design Awards will recognise the most talented building designers in residential and non-residential building design; showcase excellence in the use of a range of materials and documentation; and bestow the greatest accolade: The State Building Designers of the Year and the National Building Designer of the Year.

Welcome Mikhaela Lombardozzi

NSW State Manager

Mikhaela Lombardozzi has recently joined DMN as the State Manager for New South Wales. Having worked for 6 years in the property industry, she has had a diverse range of experience including interior design, commercial property management and residential project management. With 8 years’ experience in customer focused roles in both sales and account management, Mikhaela’s professionalism and personable nature is a great asset to DMN and will be very welcomed by our NSW Members and sponsors. and partners.

Mikhaela Lombardozzi

Planning

Right: The process of making an application to amend a permit does not mean an applicant avoids public notice of the amendment.

Transformation of a planning permit through an amendment application

The Victorian Planning and Environment Act 1987 (the Act) provides the opportunity for a planning permit to be amended, including the permit text, plans or other documents endorsed under that permit. Section 72 of the Act provides A person who is entitled to use or develop land in accordance with a permit may apply to the responsible authority for an amendment to the permit.

The planning process for such applications is similar to that of a regular planning permit application in relation to notice/advertising and appeal rights.

In a recent application brought to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (the Tribunal), a planning permit applicant had approval for a multi-storey building containing apartment dwellings and ground floor retail space which they wanted to amend. The amendment application was to construct a building to be used as a hotel with a restaurant at the bottom. The most significant changes included:

• One additional storey but a lowering of the building height

• Fewer car parking spaces and fewer levels of basement parking

• Changes to the external design

• Changes to the interior layout

• Changes to the use of the land as noted above

Council refused the application which was subsequently appealed to the Tribunal. The Tribunal found that because the proposal resulted in a “transformation” of the proposal, the appeal was dismissed, concluding:

The differences in the appearance and layout, and the permit conditions are a product of the change in the purpose of the uses proposed. In my view, the development approved by the Permit is proposed to be changed, and what results is a different permit, as opposed to a modified permit.

A regular feature on the latest in town planning rules and regulations.

On appeal to the Victorian Supreme Court, the Tribunal’s findings on “transformation” were overturned and the matter referred back to the Tribunal. Of interest, the Supreme Court decision in Mondib Group Pty Ltd v Moonee Valley City Council [2021] VSC 722 found that:

• Previous Tribunal decisions had formed the practice that a Section 72 amendment application should not result in a proposal being transformed into something which the original permit did not approve.

• In contrast to an event that brings the permit to an end, the word ‘amend’ does not carry with it any particular limitation on the extent of the change that may be involved.

• The word amendment does not carry any particular limitation of the kind ascribed by the Tribunal and neither the purpose or overall scheme of the Act requires a limitation to be applied. A so called transformative change would, if made, still be an amendment to the permit.

• The Tribunal erred in dismissing the application on the basis that the proposed changes were transformative. The nature and extent of the changes were properly a matter to be assessed on the merits of the application and not at the threshold.

• The decision of the Tribunal should be set aside and the application remitted for hearing.

We may conclude from these findings that Section 72 of the Act provides permit applicants with broad scope for change to existing permits when applying for an amendment. It enables changes to planning permits which result in a different outcome without the need to go through the process of a new planning permit. It may allow changes to permits which would otherwise be prohibited or limited by changes to planning scheme provisions, although as with both permit applications and applications to amend planning permits, the merits of the applications still need to be considered by the Responsible Authority in coming to a decision.

The process of making an application to amend a permit (rather than apply for a fresh permit) does not mean an applicant avoids public notice of the amendment and it still gives third parties the opportunity to object and appeal the decision of the Responsible Authority. This provides for a fair and transparent process with opportunities for review.

Planning Scheme Amendment VC205

– Transport Zones

The Victorian State Government has introduced a state-wide Planning Scheme Amendment VC205 which changes the Road Zones 1 and 2 (RZ1 and RZ2), and the Public Use Zone 4 (PUZ4), to a new Transport Zone (TRZ). The TRZ combines the RZ 1 and 2 and the PUZ4 into a single zone for public infrastructure that is associated with land-based transport, including road and rail elements of the state transport network and significant municipal roads. The new zone provides consistent requirements through a single zone rather than separate zones for different modes of transport. The new TRZ is now shown on planning maps as follows:

Shown on Planning Scheme Maps as

TRZ1

Purpose of Transport Use Zone previous known as

State transport infrastructure Public Use Zone 4 (PUZ4)

TRZ2 Principal Road Network Road Zone, Category 1 (RZ1)

TRZ3 Significant municipal roads Road Zone, Category 2 (RZ2)

TRZ4 Other transport uses Public Use Zone 4 (PUZ4)

Clause 36.04 Road Zone is now titled “Transport Zone” and includes the following purpose:

To implement the Municipal Planning Strategy and the Planning Policy Framework.

To provide for an integrated and sustainable transport system.

To identify transport land use and land required for transport services and facilities.

To provide for the use and development of land that complements, or is consistent with, the transport system or public land reservation.

To ensure the efficient and safe use of transport infrastructure and land comprising the transport system.

The clause has been further amended to refer to the “Transport System” rather than just roads.

Clause 29 Land Adjacent to a Road Zone, Category 1 or a Public Acquisition Overlay for a Category 1 Road has been retitled Land Adjacent to the Principal Road Network. A planning permit is still required under this clause to create or alter access to specified roads, in this case a road in a Transport Zone 2.

More information about this article or to obtain town planning expertise and advice visit clause1.com.au

TPA

Boosts

Bottom Line

Upskilling is a no Brainer for the Savvy TPA

Thermal Performance Assessor skillsets across accuracy and reliability are set to be put under the microscope in the coming months and years with the finance and real estate sectors driving consumer demand for 7 star minimum buildings.

Based on sound skills analysis data, Design Matters National’s bespoke Upskilling and Quality Assurance programs have been specifically developed to equip members perform to these elevated industry standards with confidence and ease.

Offered bi-monthly, the Upskill Now Masterclass is one such example and all Assessors are encouraged to enrol in this targeted TPA training… and of course the earning up to 6 NatHERS Technical CPD points is an added bonus.

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Confidently and quickly generate accurate NatHERS energy assessment reports and certificates

• Quickly revise and check your own work to ensure accuracy and reliability prior to certifying

• Be prepared and pass future Quality Assurance Reviews confidently

• Understand the application of the NatHERS Technical Note, relevant building code energy efficiency provisions and where to find product specification data

• Build your own reference library

March 22 Masterclass attendee, Deb Guilmartin who has been a NatHERS Accredited Thermal Performance Assessor since 2017 and carries out a moderately high number of energy assessments in her professional practice had this to say about the course:

“As someone who has been an energy rater for 5 years and working alone, the TPA Upskill Masterclass was a fabulous program to both reinforce my previous learnings and teach me several new skills. Matthew Graham is an excellent presenter and to not only have his expertise, but also that of other industry experts, was invaluable. I took on this Masterclass with my CPD requirements already fulfilled for the year and it was definitely worth it. I highly recommend all assessors, new and experienced, to not only participate in the course, but also take the opportunity of having their skills peer reviewed”.

Testimonial from Callan Fowler, an attendee at the 17 February Upskill Now Masterclass:

“The Design Matters TPA Upskill Now Masterclass is an excellent opportunity for both aspiring and practicing thermal assessors alike. A great program involving the best assessors in the industry that bridges theory and practice”.

Another attendee John Boutros reported at the completion of the Upskill Now Masterclass course:

“After 14 years of industry experience, I was sure that I knew all that there is to know in modelling dwellings in the software… Enter the Masterclass. Lured in by the potential 6 CPD points, I signed up.

I can honestly say this was the most productive, and eye opening TPA themed course I have ever done! I learned new things about the software, particularly what the software can “see” and what it cannot.

I also had to “un-learn” some habits that no longer apply, and ones that have inexplicably crept in. All this has resulted in increased confidence in my software modelling skills, with the added benefit of more cost effective outcomes for my clients.

Matthew and the Design Matters team should be commended in creating this opportunity, and I am extremely grateful for it.”

Newly accredited Assessor, Linda Straughn said this after attending the 17 February 2022 Upskill Now Masterclass:

“The Upskill Masterclass is a great way to be reminded of small items that are easy to forget yet are necessary for an accurate result. I was also surprised in how many little items that were not taught (or I hadn’t comprehended) in the Cert IV course but were mentioned in the Upskill Masterclass. I will be doing an Upskill Masterclass for the first couple of years after accreditation as it’s a good way of keeping up skills or increasing skills, until competency is achieved consistently in all jobs I carry out”.

It’s very true when they say “the higher your skills, the higher your productivity and income”. With the targeted drawing set interpretation and data extraction along with the efficient modelling procedures you will learn during the Upskill Now Masterclass, assessors find they are working more confidently, more efficiently and cost effectively thus not only providing their clients with better service, but doing so in less time… who doesn’t want that?

Upskill Now focusses on teaching participants the fundamental skills of reading and understanding what to look for on an architectural drawing set to then perform an energy assessment of that property.

It was developed in response to skills gaps identified in the Design Matters National (DMN) Quality Assurance Review process. This live, online, industry ready course is for DMN members and non-members and is appropriate for all levels of Thermal Performance Assessors (TPAs).

Ensuring best practice in NatHERS software modelling and compliance with the current NatHERS Technical Note, software user manuals, and relevant building codes are critical in ensuring that housing meets minimum energy efficiency provisions and emission reduction targets are met.

Learn more about the Upskill Now Masterclass on the Thermal Performance Assessor page of the Design Matters National website, discover when the next Masterclass is scheduled in the Events section.

New Materials New Possibilities

The next collaboration in James Hardie’s architecture series is with Nathanael Preston and Daniel Lane of Melbourne and Hobart architecture firm Preston Lane. Using Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding and its supporting range of accessories, the team could inject fun and whimsy into their new architectural facade concept; the striking Zig-Zag house. With the use of Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding, the Zig-Zag House is an arresting addition to its Melbourne laneway and has become a financially feasible point of inspiration for many homeowners. This speculative project shows how innovative materials can create endless design possibilities without compromising durability or the practical elements of a build. For homeowners, this means that experimental and exciting designs are more achievable than ever before thanks to using Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding.

Order your free Hardie ™ Fine Texture Cladding Sample & Accessories kit to see it for yourself. Request yours at jameshardie.com.au/specifier

Hardie

owned

James Hardie Technology Ltd. Image shows

digital representation of Hardie™

Texture Cladding installation.

By arranging 600mm-wide Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding lightweight panels at 90 degrees with internal and external corner junctions, they created a sharp-edged shape with a subtle texture to wrap a two-storey extension.

02 What’s In

This month we feature well renowned local and international designers who continually push the boundaries of sustainable architecture to ensure their residential and commercial projects engage positively within their surroundings. We also interview Leah Bennet, an incredible interior designer from Perth who is carving a path for Indigenous artists through her designs.

A clever renovation transforms a tired East Fremantle cottage into a forever home

By Katie Shortland-Webb, Director and Building Designer at KTR Creations

Small

BIG

The old character home was falling apart prompting the owners to give it a new lease on life whilst ensuring the streetscape stayed true to the unique character of the East Fremantle area. The brief was to design an extension to create a time warp to encapsulate contemporary modern design, and to take advantage of the stunning views the property had to offer.

On approach the renovated home still appears as a humble East Fremantle cottage, with the natural feature concealing the extension from the street.

Small Project

As an artist, our client had a creative and clear vision of how her existing home was going to be transformed into a forever family home ensuring the renovation gave place to feature a gallery of her original artwork throughout. The aim was to create a home that would stand the test of time and pay homage to the traditional yet quirky style of East Fremantle.

Blending a traditional cottage front elevation with a contemporary flat roof design at the rear of the home drew some challenges to ensure the extension aesthetically melded beautifully and did not appear simply ‘tacked on’. There was also a two metre slope from the front of the property to the rear which, due to the height of the extension raised some complicated planning issues in regard to overlooking.

Cleverly placed natural timber screening was used to overcome the issue and the backyard was tiered to provide a selection of outdoor entertaining spaces with an elevated alfresco area.

Above: Incorporating the old with the new to create a comfortable living space.

Above left: Seamlessly connecting the interior to a useable and aesthetically beautiful outdoor entertaining area.

As an artist, our client had a creative and clear vision of how her existing home was going to be transformed.

Big Difference

The owners didn’t need a large house, but they did need a comfortable living space which connected seamlessly to a useable and aesthetically beautiful outdoor entertaining space in their back yard. The alfresco spans the entire width of the kitchen, living and dining area, which enhances the internal space and protects the home from the westerly afternoon sun.

On approach the home still appears as a humble East Fremantle cottage, with the natural feature concealing the extension from the street. Guests visiting the residence are pleasantly surprised when entering to find a seamless marriage of the olde world charm with new contemporary design creating a balanced space with modern functionality.

Our clients love their new home which suits every aspect of their life as a couple. The old home still remains in all its glory, however it’s functional now and no longer tired.

Below left: The contemporary kitchen provides seamless access to the outdoor entertaining areas.

Right: The alfresco spans the entire width of the kitchen, living and dining area and protects the home from the afternoon sun.

Changing the order of design

I had the honour of sitting down with one of Perth’s rising stars in interior design and to say she impressed me is definitely an understatement. Leah Bennet is carving a path in the industry for Indigenous artists and designers with such grace and a deep love for the Australian land and its people, it’s hard not to feel immense pride when you listen to her story.

Samantha Choyce, DMN WA State Manager

Above: The “Land” room in the “Applecross Residence” interior project by Design Umbrella & Leah Paige Designs, featuring artwork “Emu Feathers” by Whadjuk Noongar Artist Yondee Shane Hansen.

Photo by Carlia Knowles from Studio CK

I had the honour of sitting down with one of Perth’s rising stars in interior design and to say she impressed me is definitely an understatement. Leah Bennet is carving a path in the industry for Indigenous artists and designers with such grace and a deep love for the Australian land and its people, it’s hard not to feel immense pride as you listen to her story.

Leah’s tertiary education started at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts where she set out on her dreams of becoming an actor. However, Leah found herself passionate about creating the performing space even more than the acting itself and soon enrolled in a Bachelor of Design at Billy Blue College of Design where it seems destiny was waiting for her.

Leah is a proud Wudjari Noongar woman with family ties to the Ravensthorpe region in WA. Growing up, Leah didn’t know her family was Aboriginal until her grandfather reconnected with his family in his last few years who shared letters and stories of their history, prompting Leah to learn as much as possible about her Aboriginal culture from then on. She shares what she’s learned with incredible respect for her family’s story and her heritage has become a beautiful driving force behind her career in design.

When Leah began her career in interiors, she found there were not enough people doing design influenced by culture. Even when cultural engagement was in the plan of a project, it seemed to be an afterthought or obligation and most of the time ended up being an Aboriginal art piece hung in an insignificant place just to ‘tick a box’. This experience gave Leah a clear vision – to change the order of design.

“It’s a wasted opportunity for all projects not to take into consideration the land they are on and the stories of the area, because when real life experiences are reflected through design, it changes a room or building from being beautiful to look at, and connects you to how the space makes you feel,” said Leah.

When taking on a new project, Leah researches the area and how Indigenous communities lived, worked and enjoyed the land and its natural resources. She often consults with Aboriginal leaders and incorporates the stories into her planning.

Below: LDP Karlup Raindrops Smoke cushions shown in the small, medium & large, photo by Carlia Knowles from Studio CK

Right: LDP Karlup Raindrops cushion large featured in the “Applecross Residence” by interior designer Design Umbrella & Leah Paige Designs, photo by Carlia Knowles from Studio CK

A current project Leah is working on will be drawing inspiration from the six Noongar seasons. Unlike the European calendar, there are six Noongar seasons in Western Australia’s South West region, which are indicated by changes in local plants and animals. I’ve asked Leah to keep us posted on a commercial project with two boardrooms where one has been styled as a traditional boardroom and the other as a yarning circle – a safe space to learn from a collective group, build respectful relationships, and preserve and pass on cultural knowledge. I’d love to know, after 12 months, which boardroom the employees gravitated to and how it’s affected their working environment and culture – what a fantastic case study!

Leah’s interior empire is well on its way starting with the launch of LPD.Karlup, a luxury homewares range connecting home to Country. The artwork on her cushions is truly beautiful and not what you might expect. Leah didn’t want to make cushions that would be used for the short term, but rather permanent pieces, made of durable fabric, that are featured for the same duration as the furniture in the space.

Many West Australian Indigenous artists tend to use longer brush strokes and neutral earthy tones and Leah has incorporated a stunning print for her Raindrops range by Noongar Whadjuk Ballardong artist, Yondee Shane Hansen.

Her vision for the homewares range is that each piece is immediately aesthetic and the story follows after, the subtle, natural artwork means any style from Hamptons to Art Deco or classically corporate can feature Leah’s cushions and they’ll never feel out of place.

Leah gave me a lot to think about. What she’s managed to achieve in such a short time already, and her huge goals for the future are inspirational, but the message that keeps her grounded is my favourite take-away; “Just because things are done a certain way and always have been, doesn’t mean we can’t change them”.

For more information about Leah’s projects and to view a gallery of her designs go to leahpagedesigns.com.au.

Right: Leah Bennet standing with LDP. Karlup Raindrops Spinifex small cushion, photo by Carlia Knowles from Studio CK

“Just because things are done a certain way and always have been, doesn’t mean we can’t change them”.

Sustainable design across Oceania.

We interview designers from Australia, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan to discover what sustainability means to them, and how their work exceeds what is currently seen as sustainable whilst still designing architecturally beautiful buildings.

Right: WOHA’s Kampung Admiralty Photo: Patrick Bingham-Hall

EME Design

Why is sustainability important to you?

I see sustainability as holistic problem solving, whilst maintaining an essential empathetic mindset. I strive to go beyond the term sustainability, setting the goal of restorative or regenerative design that will improve the environment over time, rather than simply reducing impact.

Why is it important?

Well, I feel it’s important to consider design decisions from multiple perspectives. All decisions made now have far-reaching consequences that will impact the world for decades and centuries, especially given our built environment is a significant consumer emitter.

We can’t just look at the energy rating for a building to make things sustainable, we need to be flexible and think in a much broader context about the neighbourhood and how that area may look in the future. Every design decision needs to be looked at from multiple perspectives and timeframes, medium and long term, because there are far reaching consequences.

Our approach is to consider the future to ensure we are designing a building that can adapt through collaboration and sharing of resources within neighbourhoods and streets to enhance sustainable outcomes. Just as in nature, symbiotic relationships evolve with an open and inclusive mindset.

As we see so often, sustainability is not just grabbing a piece of recycled timber and putting some solar panels on a roof. For example, I have seen ‘token’ recycled timber used in projects which has been glued down, completely defeating the purpose, as it can never be recycled again. We can’t get it all right all the time, but what we want to be doing is striving within our design process to improve awareness for our clients and the general public.

Sustainability should be a collaborative, holistic approach to sharing knowledge; the more we share the learnings rather than hide them, the more we can accelerate the process.

Your list of clients is vast. What themes tie the work together in terms of the problems they seek to solve?

There has been vast diversity in our client base over the years, however the one theme which underwrites our work is authenticity. We approach all new projects with a fresh perspective and without any preconceptions. Using various techniques, we have evolved a deep analysis process that dives into the practical and the poetic. It’s imperative to harmonise the pragmatics with the sculptural, to provide a solid foundation to springboard off.

Each site and client have their own personality, our process aims to find a solution that is authentic and unique, not just unique for the sake of ‘novelty’.

Luke Middleton EME Design

“All decisions made now have far-reaching consequences that will impact the world for decades”

Luke Middleton, Melbourne Australia

Above: Luke Middleton’s family home encapsulates his learnings over the last 20 years in passive solar and passive house design.

Photograph by: Peter Clarke

Approaching a project with a fresh perspective, by profiling the client’s personality, meticulously analysing the site, its typography and adjoining culture and looking at all aspects from a practical and poetic point of view ensures the solution is driven by a process, not via an aesthetic.

What are some of the key selling points on sustainability that you use with your clients?

It depends on the client. Some clients are sold when they arrive. For the less committed, we point out the obvious advantages of sustainable design including lower bills and running costs. We also highlight that building sustainably is a sound investment, after all, a super-efficient home is more resilient and remains comfortable under extreme weather events, even if there’s a power outage. Why would you build a VCR player when we have streaming services that are more convenient, cost effective and higher quality?

Sustainable houses are healthier, we primarily design to Passive House standards now. These homes/buildings receive 24/7 filtered fresh air to ensure a healthy indoor environment.

We encourage our clients to build less and build better, including ensuring spaces are multi-functional and think in depth beforehand about how each space will be used.

A smaller building footprint doesn’t need to be pokey if it is designed well. There are lots of techniques that can be used to make a smaller home feel much bigger. By building a smaller home, owners enjoy the added advantage of having more landscape, an important aspect for the future, to reserve space for productive gardens and habitat. Growing food locally and in our back yards is inherently more sustainable.

What is the most challenging aspect of bringing together sustainability and architecture?

Society is very image-based today, and the saturation of greenwash sends the wrong message to people. There’s also the problem that for some, homes have become a commodity, driving short-termism.

There’s a disconnect between ‘claimed’ or theoretical performance and actual performance of ‘sustainable’ homes. There are many people who have engaged an architect or building designer thinking they were doing the right thing, to build a sustainable home but once built, it unfortunately doesn’t live up to the hype.

There is currently no mechanism to correct this gap, rendering our largest asset with a no, as-built, guarantee.

To help bridge the gap, we have monitored the actual performance of our projects over the last 15 years which is providing us with ongoing and useful lessons to learn about what actually works in practice.

So, what is happening when a building is built? This is a big question that nobody is really asking right now. There are situations in the market professing to build sustainably, yet when the client moves in, the bills are exorbitant and there are cold or hot spots within the house, yet, the client and builder remain tight lipped to avoid devaluing their asset.

Currently, there are no guarantees and, once built if the theoretical performance of the house is X, but the actual performance falls far short from this, there is no recourse, and the myth of the theoretical performance (hype) lives on.

One way to overcome this critical problem is to ensure there are mechanisms in place. Testing actual performance needs to be happening, however, rarely occurs. By implementing these mechanisms, we can drive up the real performance standards much faster.

It may not be feasible to test every home or building. One way to gain leverage and to enhance the current trust levels, is to test the homes which are promoted as being sustainable and publish the results. Also, testing high profile projects, enables us to leverage on their exposure, ensuring the results of these aspirational homes send an authentic message of their performance to professionals and the public. Developing and disclosing transparent testing mechanisms works positively in two ways by illuminating the best performers, eventually causing the ‘hype’ to lose traction.

Which of your projects do you consider exemplary of sustainable high-performance design? What are the sustainability indicators in a project? Do they refer to materials and/or processes?

Right: Wrights Terrace, Prahran wraps around a water feature to assist with cooling the home and showcases beautifully crafted hardwood floors with low VOC finishes and low embodied energy construction.

This question needs to be considered within the time continuum as we are continually learning and trying to improve. What I considered an exemplary sustainable home twenty years ago is not what I would necessarily call an exemplary example today.

One of my earlier projects in 2002 which may have been ‘up there’ in terms of sustainable design, was a compact new home on a small site sitting on the edges of the Melbourne CBD in the suburb of Prahran.

It’s interesting that, now in 2022 and twenty years down the track, many of the key design characteristics and features, used in that project, are yet to be mainstreamed. The kitchen at Wright’s Terrace, Prahran is used for a casual entertaining zone rather than a utility area. A moveable island bench allows the owners to adjust this space to suit the ocassion.

The home had low embodied energy and locally sourced materials, natural low VOC finishes, a 5000-litre rainwater tank, inverse masonry construction and double glazing.

The layout and floorplan bucked the trend, rather than jamming loads of rooms and ensuites in, the two-storey home was designed to be more generous and flexible, accommodating a variety of modes of operation, including working from home, multi-generational living and multiple north-facing outdoor living spaces.

Resilience and adaptability are sometimes forgotten aspects of sustainable design and an indicator that this continues to be a strong project is that it would still ‘punch above its weight’ now, twenty years on.

There are a few projects we are working on that are next level within their context. We have some wonderful really engaged clients that want to squeeze the most out of their sites in terms of sustainability and resilience and restorative outcomes.

I’m also very proud of the pro bono, collaborative work we did on an urban renewal project in the Fukushima region of Japan.

How has your work impacted the field and practice of sustainable design?

I hope we have helped eliminate the perception that sustainability and beautiful architecture are mutually exclusive. For many years, there was a perception in the industry that incorporating sustainability in a design could result in stifled creativity. For me, the complete opposite to this perception is true.

Integrating and working within the parameters of sustainability, future proofing and flexibility requires a very creative response, and what evolves from this is unique and responsive to the environment in which it sits. Providing our clients with unique architecture that is delightful to occupy is of utmost importance and we strive for an approach that is being clever with what we have to work with.

Where do you think the movement is going? What is the next evolution in sustainable design?

Similar to America, Australia has some of the largest homes in the world per capita that require enormous amounts of energy to be heated and cooled. Through education on the benefits of smaller sustainable housing, we are seeing a movement within society to building smaller, more energyefficient homes. I believe this movement isn’t just about sustaining, it’s also about restoring what is already built and utilizing regenerative design to ensure homes become a positive contribution to the environment.

For instance, some homes will be better suited to generate more electricity and catch more water to enable sharing of the overflow with their local community. This, in turn, helps to create neighbourhood webs of borrowing and sharing and building cultural cohesion that has further positive effects on loneliness and selfism in Australia and the world. By creating these connections between people can only have the positive result of building resilient communities.

What is needed to move the mainstream toward sustainable buildings?

There’s no silver bullet, - here’s a few thoughts.

Proactive and engaging visionary leaders from major industry bodies and governments is crucial to moving towards a growing knowledge and acceptance of sustainable buildings.

We need to educate society by highlighting the greatness of sustainable homes using tangible examples through a living library of case study projects.

The pre-conception that sustainable homes are more expensive needs to be removed, and instead, promote the message that good design and priorities is what it is all about.

We need the sources of sustainable building information, that don’t necessarily have a benefit to gain to be a part of the information sharing. For example, the introduction of providing additional government incentives to encourage people to build sustainable homes.

As mentioned above, transparent disclosure on the performance of high profile, award winning projects, is a key component to ensuring the correct signals are disseminated to industry and the public.

How does sustainable architecture help countries deal with other environmental issues such as energy use and water?

Sustainable design delivers buildings and homes that are closer to self-sufficiency in terms of energy and water consumption, and many go beyond self-sufficiency to become resource positive. My family home, for instance, is a net exporter of power with a modest solar array 5kW.

This is only possible because the home is inherently efficient due to its sustainable design.

At present, there are too many examples of developments or homes that rely on technology and carbon offsets for the sole purpose of a carbon neutral headline for marketing. To make significant inroads we cannot rely on technology to come to the rescue, architecture and urban design must step up and do a good proportion of the heavy lifting.

Water is an under-valued resource. Homes are perfect water harvesting devices and making the most of their roof catchment is vital. Installing a 2.5k litre water tank on a family home is a lost opportunity. Whereas a larger tank will collect a whole lot more water and, help to alleviate storm surge.

Our home has an 11k litre water storage tank which provides a fantastic on-site resource and is reflected in our mains water consumption which is less than 60 litres per person per day, equating to less than half the average for a family home.

Creating public awareness is essential with figures showing that 25-30% of carbon emissions from housing contributes to a country’s overall annual carbon budget.

What is your ultimate goal when it comes to your work? What do you want to be best remembered for?

To be considered a passionate designer inspired by nature and someone who tried to spread the positive word about how sustainable design results in beautiful architecture. Also, by helping to accelerate a shift in the focus of architecture towards resilient, restorative, and sustainable design. Primarily, to make these the foundation stones of all architecture.

Designers of architecture really have a huge impact on our transitioning world, and I think a re-calibration of our responsibilities and motivations is overdue. That has been one of my missions and it is why I dedicate time to research, analysis and monitoring the performance of our built work. Disseminating these learnings with open days, academic writing, and public speaking also enables me to illustrate to people that results are important, not just theoretical performance.

The sculptural and experiential qualities of architecture and space making are key drivers for me, but so too is being authentic.

By embracing systems thinking I believe we can create symbiotic relationships between beauty and science. Hopefully avoiding, novelty for the sake of novelty.

WOHA Architects

Richard Hassell WOHA

What does sustainability mean to you?

The word itself is a little bit difficult because as humans on this planet, we actually need to go beyond what’s sustainable at this point. We can’t go on in a way that sustains the status quo but have to work towards repairing the damage we have done. The climate and biodiversity crises are real and urgent, they have already caused immense suffering, and will continue to do so if we don’t take immediate action. This means we need to move away from the mindset of “do less harm” or even “do no harm” to “doing good” and giving back.

In our work this translates to using regenerative strategies in our design and to look at how our projects can do good, beyond fulfilling the client’s brief, for both people and nature. We’ve developed our own rating system to measure the performance of our buildings, because we want to measure the things we value, like a green plot ratio, community plot ratio, and indices that show how the building scores in terms of civic generosity, ecosystem contributions and self-sufficiency.

We’ve also developed a “systems approach” in our design thinking, in which we view every project as part of larger social, economic and environmental systems – be that on a precinct or city-level. Our buildings interact with their context, the people and nature. To achieve that, we can’t have tunnel vision where we see our building as an isolated object. We ask ourselves how we can optimise the systems to create productive relationships between city, people and nature. We think it’s important to set up situations in which positive feedback loops can start happening and build connections that spark new relationships and greater productivity. In this way, the system becomes more complex, versatile and resilient.

Singapore

Right: Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore sets out to create an alternative imagery for commercial high-rise developments.

“We look at how our projects can do good, beyond fulfilling the client’s brief, for people and nature”

Richard Hassell, Singapore

Singapore At home in central Singapore, between the central business district and Chinatown, the Parkroyal Collection Pickering captures passersbys’ attention with its striking lush, green terraces.

For instance, high-rise greenery is not just for the inhabitants or users of the building – it has a biophilic effect for anyone who looks at it, be that a neighbour or just someone who walks past it. It performs environmental services like filtering the air, blocking out noise, absorbing heat, providing habitat for animals, which in turn increases biodiversity. Planting the greenery creates rippling effects which forge positive relationships between a development, its context and those who interact with it.

Working in this way requires an important shift in mindset to think of a development as not a standalone object but as an intervention in a web of existing relationships that can improve, sustain or harm the status quo.

Your list of clients is vast. What themes tie the work together in terms of the problems they seek to resolve?

In our work we move across different typologies, which allows us to bring fresh ideas into our projects and means that there’s no silo-thinking or very specialized expertise in just one thing. For instance, because we work on large public projects, we bring the idea of civic generosity into private residential or hotel projects.

This leads to interesting solutions when we’re putting things together that might seem unusual but show that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

What are some of the key selling points on sustainability that you use with your clients?

I’ll give you an example, our Parkroyal Collection Pickering project here in Singapore is a prototype for topographic architecture, and it has a high green plot ratio and civic generosity index. The integrated greenery not only performs valuable ecosystem services, but is now also a major selling point for the hotel, which translates into higher occupancy and room rates.

We’ve realized that our clients are not against having sustainable approach to their project, but we as architects are the ones that have to come up with a solution that is environmentally and socially sustainable as well as financially viable, and fulfils the client’s brief.

What is the most challenging aspect of bringing together sustainability and architecture?

There is this inherent contradiction that we have to overcome, because development is not sustainable. This is why we need to move from “doing less harm” to a regenerative approach, and this requires a big shift in mindset.

We view our projects as built prototypes that adapt our sustainable design strategies. Kampung Admiralty, which won World Building of the Year 2018 at the World Architecture Festival, is primarily a public housing development for senior citizens in Singapore. But it is also a prototype with which the Sinagpore government wanted to explore how we should live in the future.

The development integrates senior-friendly residential units, healthcare services, childcare and senior care, food and beverage options, retail, as well as a sheltered public plaza, a public rooftop park and an urban farm.

It’s a building that provides all the services for your daily necessities, no matter what age bracket you fall in. It is designed to draw in the neighbourhood to create a vibrant, intergenerational community. It plugs in seamlessly into the existing neighbourhood as well as the public transport network and has become the new heart of the community.

The largest and most complex ones are our masterplans, one of which is currently under construction here in Singapore. The Punggol Digital District is a really exciting project for us because we are able to realise parts of a plan for a self-sufficient city that we have been working on for many years. It will be the first district in Singapore to adopt an integrated masterplan approach that brings together a business park, a university and community facilities and transport infrastructure.

This district-level planning approach enables collaboration between the different use-cases, optimises land use (important, because Singapore is very land-limited) and fosters community. It also allows us to design and integrate innovative technological platforms from the ground up, transforming the way people work, live, learn and play in an inclusive and sustainable environment.

How has your work impacted the field and practice of sustainable design?

We have shared our scoring system with many people, including the mayors of cities like London, Paris and Istanbul, and the feedback has been that these things like green plot ration, community plot ration, civic generosity etc. should become requirements for our industry. The city of Taichung has actually adopted a high green-plot ratio as part of their new building guidelines and used our Sky Green project, which was completed in 2019, as a case study while they were developing these new guidelines.

Now, around 50 new projects in Taichung are using Sky Green as a benchmark, which has been very encouraging. One building doesn’t necessarily make a huge impact in the grand scheme of things, but once you have multiple buildings that fulfil certain sustainability criteria and perform ecosystem services, then you really start to see a difference.

Most recently, the city of Brisbane has been interested in our strategies and will be adopting their own version of our measures.

Below: Kampung Admiralty is Singapore’s first integrated public development that brings together a mix of public facilities and services under one roof.

In Which of your projects do you consider exemplary of sustainable high performance design?

Where do you think the movement is going? What is the next evolution in sustainable design?

We have been teaching classes at various universities and can see that a new generation of architects understands the urgency of adopting sustainable and regenerative design into their work. Our masterclass at the National University of Singapore has been going on since 2011. Every year we work with students to develop a plan for Singapore to become self-sufficient in food, energy, and water, and it’s very interesting to see how the plan has been evolving over the past 10 years. And with every batch of new students we see that sustainable architecture is the key to this self-sufficiency.

What is needed to move the mainstream toward sustainable buildings?

With every built prototype, we have proof of concept and can show that it is possible to build sustainable structures that fulfil the brief, stay within budget and are attractive and good for humans and nature. With more successful built examples and changes in development and building policies, these prototypes will become the norm.

How does sustainable architecture help countries deal with other environmental issues such as energy use and water?

A project like the Singapore Pavilion, which was just completed last month for the Expo 2020 Dubai, is a good example of how architecture can help build a sustainable and responsible future; one in which we care for and co-exist with nature.

The pavilion is a green oasis in the desert. It is able to sustain itself through a net-zero energy system: the energy to operate the equipment, lighting and irrigation is harnessed from the sun with a solar canopy. The water for operation and irrigation is desalinated directly from the ground. The pavilion lives and breathes - like a big tree. It photosynthesizes, draws water from ground which it then releases back into the air, provides shade and filters the air, creates a comfortable micro-climate and supports ecosystems. The pavilion demonstrates how building design can learn from and give back to nature.

It also shows the possibility of scaling up the design strategies and sustainable principles to buildings and master planning. We think that if we build a significant amount of structures that use a similar design approach, we can make a meaningful impact on climate change.

What is your ultimate goal when it comes to your work? What do you want to be remembered for?

We’d like to be remembered for helping to shift the thinking from architecture as standalone projects to architecture as a part in a regenerative system – and we’re very interested and excited to see the new forms of beauty that result from solving problems around the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Inspired by Hong Lim Park, which is located next to the site, rice terraces and the topography of natural landscapes, Oasia Hotel brings 15,000 square metres of greenery.

WTA Design Studios

What does sustainability mean to you?

Sustainability means balance. It means being able to leave the world better than how we found it. I grew up in the densest district in the densest city in the world. I’ve always felt like we need to find a solution for how we can develop more sustainable lifestyles in the continuously growing megacities of the world.

William Jr Ti WTA Design Studios

“Sustainability means balance. It means being able to leave the world better than how we found it. ” William Jr Ti, Philippines

Your list of clients is vast. What themes tie the work together in terms of the problems they seek to resolve?

We’ve always been attracted to projects that allow us to explore new solutions for how we build our communities. We have not been very stylistic nor thematic with our work but rather look for projects that can be evolved to have a more positive social impact.

What are some of the key selling points on sustainability that you use with your clients?

I always emphasize a holistic view of sustainability. We always discuss the value of density as a sustainability tool, smaller more compact building footprints, as well as embracing locally available materials and manpower as opposed to “green” technologies and ratings.

What is the most challenging aspect of bringing together sustainability and architecture?

We need to avoid shortcuts and highlight that architecture or buildings are only a part of a much bigger picture that includes communities and cities.

Sustainability efforts should not be distracted and sidetracked to embrace small wins, but, rather focus on systems and frameworks that can better help our environment. The time for small steps has long passed us and we are quickly running out of time.

Sustainability is integrated and embodied in the design on East Grid. High performance glazing on low-emissivity glass reduces glare and heat gain as well as allowing the towers to blend into the sky.

Which of your projects do you consider exemplary of sustainable high performance design?

Our work on building hyperlocal spaces like the Book Stop Project and Emergency Quarantine Facilities, pedestrian mobility like the Riverlane, densification like Horizon Manila and Twelve Luxury Flats, and reforestation like the Catbalogan City Hall explore our ideas on sustainability. They, likewise, provide insights upon which we can build on for succeeding projects.

For us sustainability largely refers to the planning process. We avoid having to rely on mitigating factors in construction to address innately unsustainable projects. Indicators for us include foot traffic and site occupancy. We focus on intensification and lubricating movement in our city.

Right: Strategies have been integrated into the engineering design to ensure that Les Saison uses sustainable technology and practices including rainwater harvesting.

How has your work impacted the field and practice of sustainable design?

We’ve managed to help develop a network of community libraries, we’ve helped densify communities, and we’re working on a massive reclamation project now with Horizon Manila.

Where do you think the movement is going? What is the next evolution in sustainable design?

I believe that we need to approach our cities as we do any other ecosystem. We need to assess and manage a more balanced human environment that allows for much more inclusion and has a place for everyone in society. Sustainability is not just about our natural environment but also the human environment which we all live in.

What is needed to move the mainstream toward sustainable buildings?

We need to show how sustainability affects our lives positively. How it is not just about saving the environment, but creating more sustainable lifestyles.

How does sustainable architecture help countries deal with other environmental issues such as energy use and water?

Architects are the foremost professionals tasked with establishing and safeguarding our built environment. Our problems do not just need efficiency and technology but, we must look at planning and realizing better, more sustainable communities.

What is your ultimate goal when it comes to your work? What do you want to be remembered for?

I just want to leave behind my city better than I found it. I want to help build awareness about our human environment and encourage the strengthening of our communities.

Hiroyuki Unemori Unemori Architects

Unemori Architects

PHOTO CREDIT: ©Kai Nakamura

What does sustainability mean to you?

For me, sustainability is living with others. The other person here refers to any existence other than oneself, such as human beings and natural environments. In today’s age of diversity, I believe that being able to feel others and live together will lead to a sustainable society.

Your list of clients is vast. What themes tie the work together in terms of the problems they seek to resolve?

Thinking about the environment and scale, it is my theme that is common to all projects. Creating the flow of light and wind, and when designing the size of the space, I aim for architecture in which they are integrated without separation.

What are some of the key selling points on sustainability that you use with your clients?

A characteristic and selling point of my architecture is to enable people to feel diverse natures and to spatialize its changes.

What is the most challenging aspect of bringing together sustainability and architecture?

For example, creating darkness at the same time as brightness. It is the most difficult, and important, to realize a wide variety of environments and spaces such as large and small, lively and quiet.

Which of your projects do you consider exemplary of sustainable high-performance design?

Kitakami Health and Childcare Support Complex. This is a conversion project which is a multipurpose architectural project to support children and their parents. It coexists with the old one and creates a space like an outdoor square that can be freely used by people of many generations.

Where do you think the movement is going? What is the next evolution in sustainable design?

I think that the fusion of both tangible and intangible designs will become important in the future.

Above: Kitakami Health and Childcare Support Complex

Undulated ceilings are inserted into the existing skeleton to create various environments such as quiet places and lively places.

What is needed to move the mainstream toward sustainable buildings?

Considering the conditions, the process is important. The basis that produces sustainable architecture can be created by the process of considering the conditions themselves, such as the range of the site, the program, the cost, and the users.

How does sustainable architecture help countries deal with other environmental issues such as energy use and water?

Architecture that allows sunlight to enter, cool breeze to escape, and air to flow, that is, to live with nature. And it is also very effective for environmental problems.

What is your ultimate goal when it comes to your work? What do you want to be remembered for?

Architecture is large, heavy, and a fixed entity that will continue to exist for a long time. In addition, many people are involved, various social situations are reflected, and it is a universal entity that expresses the values of that age. Therefore, beyond my personal thoughts, I would like to express the prosperous society of this era through the creation of architecture.

House in Takaoka

The entire building is raised to an appropriate height to prevent flooding, allow for air circulation to the courtyard and surrounding areas, and prepare for snow accumulation.

Sukagawa Community Center

The interior view of the inner street sloped gently along the terrain on the 1st floor of “Sukagawa Community Center”. Various small spaces set with such as slopes, movable furniture, and curtains coexist in a large and high ceiling space.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Above: ©Kai Nakamura

Right: ©Kawasumi Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office

“Architecture that allows sunlight to enter, cool breeze to escape, and air to flow, that is, to live with nature. And it is also very effective for environmental problems.”

Healthier homes with Green Star

Elham Monavari, Senior Manager - Operations Transformation Green Building Council of Australia

We’ve always known that our homes are a key contributor to carbon emissions which is why in April this year, the Green Building Council of Australia released a new rating tool to the market, Green Star Homes. In Australia, our residential sector accounts for 57% of greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment (13% of national emissions). Reducing these emissions has been a driving force for the GBCA but we’re also determined to improve the health and financial impacts that come from our homes. That’s why a Green Star Home is designed to be a comfortable, healthy home that doesn’t cost the earth, while also being highly efficient, fossil fuel free and powered by renewable energy.

A Green Star Home is designed to be a comfortable, healthy home that doesn’t cost the earth, while also being highly efficient, fossil fuel free and powered by renewable energy.

Positive

01Fully electric, airtight and efficient home powered by renewables.

A positive home is one that is energy efficient and powered by renewables. This means it has been built to generate sufficient renewable energy to power estimated regulated loads as well as estimated appliances and plug loads. It does not use gas.

These requirements cover:

Thermal Performance Window Systems

Airtightness Hot Water

Energy Efficient Appliances

Renewable Energy Home User Guide

Healthy

02Ventilated, comfortable, with products that are better for you.

A healthy home has been built to be well ventilated to prevent the growth of mould. It has also been built to minimise the entry of pollutants. It is thermally comfortable and uses materials that are low or non-toxic. High quality lighting has been installed.

These requirements cover: Air Quality Moisture Management Light Quality Material Toxicity

Resilient

03Water efficient, climate change ready.

A resilient home is one that has been built to be better than Code at withstanding natural disasters and future climate change conditions such as bushfires, flooding and extreme heat. The home also considers its effect on the broader climate by reducing water use and its impact on the community.

These requirements cover:

Water Use Heat Resilience Resilience Essentials

“Green Star Homes are designed to a standard set by the Green Building Council of Australia and independently assessed against three categories. Each category contains a number of credits with requirements that must be met to reach the Green Star Homes Standard.”

What are the benefits of living in a Green Star Home?

Most of our homes are too hot in summer and too cold in winter, making them very expensive to keep comfortable. But since we spend 90% of our time indoors, and two thirds of this time is spent in our home, this discomfort can have negative impacts on our physical and mental health. That’s why a Green Star Home is designed to be a comfortable, healthy home that doesn’t cost the earth.

Advanced ventilation system reduces mould as well as carcinogenic pollutants by up to 75% and pollen pollutants by 99%

Highly efficient water fixtures will save you $463 per year on water bills

Lighter–coloured roof keeps home cooler and can reduce your energy bills by up to 34%

No gas cooking or heating removes fossil-fuels from the home, reducing the liklihood of asthma symptoms by up to 42%

Solar panels help save at least $800 on energy bills per annum

Double-glazed windows are 50% more effective at reducing heat transfer, keeping home warmer in winter and cooler in summer

High quality LED lights provide ‘flicker free’ consistent lighting reducing eye strain and risk of headaches

Increased insulation reduces heat loss in winter by up to 25% and heating and cooling costs by up to 30%

for the Future is an exclusive product collection of bricks, building blocks, retaining wall blocks and paving made from a high quality engineered sand, consisting of processed coloured glass aggregates which provide on trend colours and textures that softly glisten. These patented building products are quality assured to ISO 9001:2015 and have achieved Global Green Tag certification.

Is progress happening in WA for energy efficiency?

In the WALGA discussion paper “Supporting the Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings 2022” – WALGA sets out several opportunities for both state and local government to support increased energy efficiency of buildings. Of particular interest to thermal performance assessors (TPAs) are recommendations to shift energy efficiency into the planning phase, mandate accreditation of energy assessors, and introduce compliance inspections on site.

Currently, energy compliance is demonstrated at the certificate of design compliance (CDC) / building permit stage. At this stage of a project - windows, wall heights, setbacks and shading are often locked in by a planning approval, and major changes are not generally possible without requiring an amended planning application.

Compliance with energy efficiency requirements often means the NCC and glazing/frame specifications meet code, which typically adds significant cost. Bringing energy compliance forward in the project timeline would enable TPAs to assist with more design changes such as window size and placement, wall heights, shading and potentially even room placement or other further costs – all of which may not add cost, but can increase thermal performance substantially.

This may require a shift in thinking from designers and builders, who may still see energy compliance as a quick tick off before submission for CDC/permits – but with a shift to 7 stars, ensuring the design is right at the outset, will become more critical. This is not a new approach, NSW currently requires energy efficiency requirements are demonstrated at the planning stage for residential projects, and Victoria is considered a similar state-wide planning policy.

Where energy compliance comes into a project is a topic worthy of further discussion – while an early review is good, designs can change quite dramatically as a result of planning and engineering – so a planning stage energy report may not align to what ends up being documented.

Mandating assessor accreditation is also being considered as a measure to help improve energy efficiency in buildings. Currently only NSW and the ACT have mandatory accreditation for assessors, and while assessor accrediting organisations have long pushed for mandatory accreditation - it is difficult to get traction in this area, with the ABCB claiming it is up to the states to implement regulations around accreditation. Calls to the AIBS and state building departments also have not yet yielded any results – perhaps a state planning policy could be the key here, particularly if tied into energy assessments required at the planning stage.

Currently, the as-built performance of many houses does not match what is specified, simulated, or certified at the CDC/permit stage. Currently, WA does not require inspection of single dwellings for occupancy certification – the permit holder simply signs a declaration that all works have been completed in accordance with the permit and requirements.

In a 2019 report from DMIRS – audits showed that nearly one in three energy efficiency elements did not comply with NCC requirements. It is one thing to mandate minimum 7-star NatHERS ratings, but if the simulation doesn’t match what is installed on site, is the regulation working?

We will see the outcome in July of the building ministers’ meeting, and know if the draft NCC22 provisions will be adopted by the states. HIA has been lobbying hard to delay a shift to 7-star NatHERS ratings, but regardless of the outcome of the July meeting - governments at all levels now largely support moves to improve energy efficiency. Claire Lings, from WALGA, noted that 80% of local governments in WA have sustainability measures in their planning instruments covering the built environment.

We are seeing this progress in many areas - The Department of Communities in WA mandates minimum seven stars for all their social housing projects, and Victoria is pressing ahead with mandating a minimum 7-star NatHERS rating, regardless of what comes of the updated NCC22.

I recently quoted on TPA consulting for some single dwellings to be designed and built by a local authority in a Pilbara – one of which was to have a 10-star NatHERS rating. DMN have launched the True Zero Carbon Challenge, with many designers and TPAs excited by the prospect of zero carbon housing, and estates such as the Witchcliffe Eco-village (which recently increased the minimum required NatHERS rating from 7 to 8 stars) continue to push energy efficiency as priorities.

Perhaps we will see a shift to higher energy efficient housing in WA regardless of whether the building ministers decide to adopt the proposed 7-star changesthrough a state-wide planning policy. Independant local authorities or a state-wide planning instrument may mandate higher performance requirements, coupled with mandatory accreditation of TPAs and on-site inspections of single dwellings, we should see a significant improvement in the thermal performance of WA housing.

Tristan Stanley-Cary, Architect, TPA (WA representative on DMN TASC) and Educator.

References: WALGA Support the Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings Discussion Paper 2022 https://www.afr.com/property/commercial/ home-builders-push-for-easier-energystandards-20220525-p5aod1

02 What’s On

Celebrating DMN members and guests from events across Australia

Bendigo Hobart

Bendigo in May - Designing for Seven Stars panel discussion. Thank you to our Members Jeremy Spencer, Darren Parker, Shae Parker-McCashen and Simone Schenkel.

Hobart in May - Designing for Seven Stars. Thank you to members Matthew Gee Michael Plunkett and Wayne Gorman and to our special guests Benjamin Price - Snr Analyst at CBOS and Peter Brown for participating in the panel discussion.

Melbourne in June - Designing for seven stars. Thank you to members Jeremy Spencer, Darren Parker, Shae Parker McCashen, Simone Schenkel and special guest Jason Rocca, NSW Business Development of our wonderful sponsor Breezway.

Karrinyup - The science behind the importance of lighting DMN Members were taken on a tour of one of the state’s biggest and newest commercial projects. Brad Swansen, Unios’ residential electrical and lighting specialist, with input from Damien DeWind, Project Lighting Manager at Mondaluce guided us through the why, how and what of the incredible lighting project at the new Karrinyup shopping centre.Breezway.

Weathertex at Subiaco Restoration Gavin Wilson from Weathertex came to showcase new profiles to our WA Members and show us how Weathertex’s manufacturing process and green credentials make them the better choice naturally for lightweight cladding. Hosted at the Subiaco Restoration showroom, members toured the 13,000sqm facility housing the widest range of building and architectural products from all things timber to heating, hardware, lighting, bathroom and homewares.

Melbourne

Perth

Celebrating DMN members and guests from events across Australia

Sydney in June - Designing for 7 Stars. Thank you to our members Ian Fry, Debbie Bute and special guests Mark Dandridge from Dowell Windows and Caroline Pidcock.

Brisbane in June - Designing for 7 Stars. Thank you to our member Victoria Walker and special guests Nathan Boyd from Breezway, Jeremy Salmon, Michael Ross, Andrew Noonan, Rebecca Steffanoni from Big Ass Fans. Thank you to BDQ for collaborating with us for this event.

Sydney Brisbane

Exclusive benefits for members of Design Matters National.

Shining a light on Shading...

And why it matters in the scheme of building design and thermal performance assessment.

By Vicki Marshall, DMN Senior Sustainability and Thermal Performance Manager

As revealed in quality assurance data over a number of years, shading is one element that consistently features in the list of most common errors in NatHERS Modelling.

It’s true that modelling shading sounds simple enough, however it is a complex component of the NatHERS energy efficiency assessment, with many elements and variables to be considered… and the issue does not discriminate. Whether Performance Assessors have been accredited since 2010 or 2021, the shading conundrum is present and consistent across all softwares.

So why is shading such a big deal I hear you ask?

According to the NatHERS Assessor Handbook, not only can shading make the difference between a dwelling being comfortable or uncomfortable to live in, it can also have a significant impact, either positive or negative on the thermal performance reflected in the NatHERS star rating.

Whether by oversight or intention, omitting or incorrectly modelling shading can artificially improve star ratings, leading to unreliable and misleading information for regulators and home owners alike.

As a result, heating and cooling loads and projected energy consumption of the home can be significantly skewed... thus we end up with a NatHERS Certificate that provides misleading information, a home that generally speaking underperforms and has higher ongoing operating costs over its lifetime for the occupants.

For example, the shade cast onto a dwelling can limit the amount of sun or solar radiation striking a building, thus affect the ambient temperature inside the dwelling. While large shadows can be beneficial during the summer months, the reverse is true during winter months and in cooler climates where smaller shadowing and higher solar gain can be beneficial and these factors must be correctly entered into the NatHERS modelling software to obtain accurate assessment results.

Illuminating Shady Industry Conduct

While it is widely reported that many volume builders and building design professionals actively discourage and pressure NatHERS Assessors to exclude shading in their energy rating modelling, this practice is unacceptably misleading for the consumer and perilous ground for the Assessor.

Assessors are bound by their Code of Conduct to perform their work with the highest level of professionalism and in accordance with the practices outlined in the NatHERS Technical Note. When Assessors are subject to a Quality Assurance review, their projects are measured against the technical note and, therefore they are at risk of losing their accreditation should they fail... there is a lot at stake.

NatHERS Technical Note provides processes to ensure consistent and reliable Home Energy Ratings.

The NatHERS Technical Notes can be likened to the systems and procedures that have made McDonald’s Golden Arches an international phenomenon. Like McDonald’s systems and procedures, the NatHERS Technical Notes provide robust scaffolding that guides NatHERS Assessor best practice resulting in a consistent, reliable and repeatable product.

For example, we can be reasonably certain about the kind of experience we can expect when visiting McDonalds... the branding and signage are consistent and immediately recognisable, car parking is plentiful, inviting and surrounded by manicured gardens, we can expect certain items on the menu and that those items will look and taste the same no matter if we visit a store in Woolloongabba, Woolloomooloo, West Wyalong or Washington DC... the decor is the same, bathrooms will be clean, and the smiling server at the front counter will ask “would you like fries with that”!

Similarly, the Technical Notes are intended to guide consistent modelling practices across the industry so that building surveyors, regulators and industry at large can be confident the data provided via the NatHERS Certificate is accurate and a reliable measure of the proposed dwelling’s demand on the energy grid and carbon footprint. The consumer can be confident they will get what they have paid for and deserve... a dwelling where the home’s thermal efficiency, seasonal comfort and ongoing energy running costs can be reasonably predictable.

This notion is becoming more and more important with expanding reliance on NatHERS Star Rating reports as evidence of a building’s sustainability measures for the likes of the financial sector Green Home Loans and the expected introduction of mandatory disclosure of a dwelling’s energy efficiency rating at point of sale and rental.

So what does the NatHERS Technical Note deem as shading?

As mentioned earlier, shading in NatHERS modelling is complex and there are many elements to be considered. Shading devices can be elements of the building itself or can be separate to the building.

Examples of elements of the dwelling itself that cast shade include eaves and gutters, pergolas, verandas, outdoor living areas, glazed or solid screens, supporting devices such as brick pillars and any part of the building that casts shade on another part of the building at any time during the day.

Similarly, examples of detached shading elements include fences, neighbouring walls, heritage listed protected vegetation and neighbouring buildings. There are also provisions and guidelines in the Technical Notes and Handbook to include projected future buildings when modelling a home in a new, unpopulated estate.

Assessors and Building Designers can refer to Upper Case Section 10 of the NatHERS Technical Notes 2019 and Section 9 of the NatHERS Handbook 2019 for rules and guidance on modelling shading.

...the shade cast onto a dwelling can limit the amount of sun or solar radiation striking a building, thus affect the ambient temperature inside the dwelling.

Canning Highway by Madeleine Opacak

Taking action for a greener future

By Emma Green, NATSPEC Communications

When news about climate change seems to include only devastation and despair, the good news often goes forgotten: sustainable actions work. As confirmed in research by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we have it in our collective power to halve harmful emissions by 2030. All industries have their role to play in making this change, particularly the built environment.

In Australia, buildings produce nearly a quarter of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Green buildings refute the built environment’s reputation for environmental damage. According to the IPCC, for global warming to be limited to around 1.5°C, the world’s greenhouse gas emissions need to peak before 2025, and be reduced by 43 per cent before 2030. Already halfway through 2022, the window for action is now.

At this crucial point to limit climate change, green buildings are one of the industry’s best tools for longterm success. As defined by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), a green building is energy efficient, water efficient, has good healthy spaces, and is built responsibly on sites that are not critical natural areas. It unites economic, ecological and social sustainability.

The GBCA maintains the Green Star sustainability rating system, including Green Star Buildings, released in 2021. Green Star is an internationally recognised system that highlights environmental and social sustainability excellence. Since the system’s beginnings in 2003, it has made an exceptional mark on the way the design and construction industry approaches sustainability. Across the country, hundreds of thousands of people live, study and work in a range of Green Star-rated buildings, homes and communities.

When specifiers and building designers are making environmental considerations and choosing sustainable practices, documentation is essential. The specification puts design decisions into effect. Sustainability must be designed into a project from the start. In the context of green buildings, the role of the specification is to enable the full sustainability potential of the design to be achieved.

By specifying sustainable, fit-for-purpose materials, products and techniques from the beginning of the design process, building designers can ensure that the project’s final result is exactly as environmentally friendly as they intended it to be.

Specifications are particularly important for any specifier working on a project that is aiming for a Green Star Buildings rating. For any building to be certified with a Green Star rating, it must first meet fifteen Minimum Expectations credits. These Minimum Expectations ensure that all Green Star rated buildings meet the basic definition of a green building.

After meeting the Minimum Expectations, a project requires additional credits, measured by points. The number of points achieved determines whether it is awarded a 4-, 5- or 6-Star rating.

In Australia, buildings produce nearly a quarter of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Green buildings refute the built environment’s reputation for environmental damage.

In line with the goal of improving the quality of the built environment, NATSPEC cites Green Star Buildings in numerous National Building Specification worksections. NATSPEC’s April 2022 update includes new guidance clauses referring to Green Star Buildings credits to further promote sustainable design. Guidance text notes that the associated text in the specification targets the requirements that may be needed to achieve Green Star Buildings minimum expectation credits.

A greener built environment is the industry’s shared goal. It pushes everyone to work together, pooling their knowledge to find solutions. One solution for specifiers and building designers is the new publication Specifying for Green Star Buildings using NATSPEC, published by the GBCA in May. When specifiers and building designers are making environmental considerations and choosing sustainable practices, documentation is essential.

This document lists each Green Star Building’s credit with a NATSPEC worksection classification number, clause number and title where these credits are covered in the National Building Specification, as well as recommended evidence as required by Green Star. This saves specifiers time and energy, encouraging them to define and stipulate sustainable development in project documentation.

With less than three years before damage caused by climate change becomes irreversible, every action counts. Not every person, and not every industry, has the power to effect change on a large scale, but the combined effort makes a difference. In even the smallest way, the principles that drive Green Star Buildings can inform all design and construction work, making Specifying for Green Star Buildings using NATSPEC an indispensable resource.

In the global challenge of mitigating climate change, the built environment has a responsibility to act. Designing sustainability into a project and documenting these decisions in specifications is one reliable way to work towards a greener future. Reducing global warming is possible – and the strategies to achieve it work.

NATSPEC is a not-for-profit organisation owned by Government and industry. It maintains the National Building Specification and has been a valued part of the Australian construction industry for over 45 years.

For more information, visit gbca.org.au and www.natspec.com.au.

Above: Hanging Gardens of One, Central Park, Sydney

With less than three years before damage caused by climate change becomes irreversible, every action counts.

Designing for Tasmania

from the Executive Director of Consumer, Building and Occupational Services – Tasmanian Government

Tasmania has a proud history of high standards of building design contributing to our built environment. High standards of building design and construction are one important factor which contribute to this state being recognised as an attractive place to live and work. Assisting building designers to ensure that such high standards of design and construction are maintained is a priority of our building regulator Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS).

One key feature of Tasmania’s building regulatory framework is the requirement for residential building work of certain classes to comply with the Director of Building Control’s ‘minimum requirements for design documentation’. Schedule 1 of the Director’s Specified List provides minimum documentation requirements that must be provided for the design project to achieve approval. All designers who do work in Tasmania must comply with Schedule 1 to ensure that our buildings are safe, compliant and gain approval through the project building surveyor.

Tasmania’s climate also presents additional challenges for our built environment. Energy efficiency stringency can provide great benefit for building occupants, making homes more comfortable throughout the year, and reducing energy bills. However, in colder climates such as in Tasmania, thermal performance achieved via increased sealing of the building envelope can result in condensation risk.

In recognising the difficulties associated with condensation, CBOS initiated research projects on the topic in 2014 and 2017 by the University of Tasmania School of Architecture and Design. This research led to the development of the Condensation in Buildings – Tasmanian Designers’ Guide, which is available at cbos.tas.gov.au.

This Guide provides strategies for building designers to minimise condensation risk within new home designs. Strategies include roof space methods, such as sarking to be installed underneath roof battens and additional ventilation for supply and exhaust; and wall and subfloor techniques including specific techniques for building in bushfire prone areas.

Consumer, Building and Occupational Services is committed to ensuring that Tasmania’s buildings are designed, approved and constructed to the highest standards. For this reason, our building regulatory framework has been carefully developed to ensure that all of our specialised and licensed persons operating within this framework are provided with information and guidance to assist them to deliver high quality buildings. CBOS looks forward to continuing to work with our building designers as we all work towards designing for the safety, health and amenity of Tasmania’s built environment.

Peter Graham is the Tasmanian Department of Justice’s Executive Director of Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS).

Peter oversees Tasmania’s regulatory response to consumer protection in his various statutory roles.

Peter’s key statutory roles include Director of Building Control, Security of Payment Official, Administrator of Occupational Licensing, Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading and Residential Tenancy Commissioner.

Prior to joining the Department of Justice Peter held senior executive roles in the Victorian Public Service with responsibility for infrastructure, education and regulation.

cbos.info@justice.tas.gov.au

Tasmanian House by Architect Jiri Lev Australia.

The Tasmanian House is an attempt to address contemporary problems with a combination of traditional and innovative approaches.

Anthony Jenkin Founder and Building Designer

Victoria

Proposed move to 7 stars

An interview with Anthony Jenkin of Outlier Studio, a building design company based in Bendigo.

What do you see as the greatest challenge in your home state should the increase to 7 stars be adopted in the proposed NCC 2022 Energy Efficiency Provisions?

There are two components to this answer, being pre-construction and then the construction phase. The first is the perceived challenges for designers and thermal assessors to create and model designs that achieve a 7 star rating.

Currently approximately 80% of thermal assessments are achieving the minimum 6 star rating and I imagine energy assessors fear the expectation to elevate their assessments to 7 stars or receive consequential backlash from home owners and designers for non compliance assessments.

The most beneficial approach is to see designers and TPA’s collaborating in the design phase of a project as opposed to the often seen industry standard, at the construction documentation phase, as a tick box exercise for a building permit.

The second part of the answer is in regard to construction phase as builders I believe are fearful that the increase to 7 stars will just surge the cost of construction even further, to an already volatile industry, with what feels like never ending material increases and supply chain nightmares. The good news is, that with thoughtful design and consideration towards the site orientation and climate, a design can achieve a 7 Star Rating with no to minimal construction cost increase.

Do you think that your state will consider adopting the proposed increase to 7-star energy efficiency provisions?

From what I have gathered, yes. The majority of climate and design advocacy groups are pushing strongly for the increase which I personally strongly support. The pushback I have noted is from the building associations with the concerns that I’ve raised above.

For what reasons?

There are a multitude of reasons, however, the top 3 would be:

1. It’s estimated that Australia’s households could generate up to one fifth of Australia’s greenhouse gases and if Australia is to reach net zero emissions by 2050 we need to reduce the amount of emissions our homes are producing.

2. Australia needs to almost double the amount of its current housing stock if we are expected to meet the projected population growth by 2050 and with approximately 200,000 homes currently being built a year, we have an unexcuseable opportunity to improve the housing stock in Australia.

3. Reduce the demand on our electricity network and most importantly reduce the operational cost of homes for owners. The less heating and cooling required, the smaller the power bill.

How are you and your business preparing to meet not only any increase in regulatory energy efficiency provisions, but as Australia moves towards the net zero carbon targets in the build environment?

We started our practise with the core value of increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and reducing carbon emissions in Australia. It’s something we have been developing, learning and educating others about from day one. We aim for all electric homes with energy efficient devices and photovoltaic (solar) systems in all our designs.

For designers out there who have concerns about how to meet the increase to regulatory energy efficiency provisions, I recommend starting with a call to your thermal assessor to start collaborating as early as possible in the design stage, and attempt to educate the client throughout this as well.

What would you say you’d consider as “low hanging fruit” in terms of up specking a set of building plans to improve the thermal performance of the building fabric and lowering heating and cooling loads?

Orientate the living zone of your home as close to North as possible and ensure the glazing is adequately shaded in the warmer months.

Consider the amount of glazing that is in the home a rule of thumb for the living area is around 25% glazing m2 area to floor m2 area. Mitigate air leakage, ensure your documentation includes notation or detail on sealing up gaps around external windows and doors. Taping the joins of the external wrap is also very beneficial. Lastly include notation or details on the type of insulation and where it is going, as a minimum R2.5 to the external walls and R5-R6 in the ceiling.

More importantly, is the insulation of a good, even and consistent installation quality with less than 5 per cent of the home’s insulated areas missing, or not installed satisfactorily .

How do you feel about the sectors of the industry which are objecting to the increase to 7 stars, citing industry under preparedness given the last increase in NCC energy efficiency provisions occurred in 2012, essentially giving the industry a decade to prepare?

I understand and agree with the building associations’ concerns given how volatile the industry is at the moment. The proposed increase to 7 stars will, in my opinion, add some additional cost to construction initially as we transition from designs that are increasing performance via product specification rather than incorporating more cost effective solutions into design such as optimum orientation in order to elevate to a 7 star rating. However it is suggested that after this initial calibration period, that cost will reduce in items such as double glazing as we see a much bigger demand for that product in the marketplace. From a climate perspective this is well overdue and cannot afford to delay any longer.

Ian Fry, Director of Frys Energywise and a NatHERS Accredited Thermal Performance Assessor

New South Wales

Proposed move to 7 stars

An interview with Ian Fry of Frys Energywise, a well renowned Thermal Performance company located in Castle Hill.

What do you see as the greatest challenge in your home state should the increase to 7 stars be adopted in the proposed NCC 2022 Energy Efficiency Provisions?

I see we will spend the first 6 months training the industry on the changes and what will be required to meet compliance.

Do you think that your state will consider adopting the proposed increase to 7-star energy efficiency provisions?

Yes, BASIX has already provided their proposed heating and cooling caps. In a lot of climate zones, these exceed 7 stars.

How are you and your business preparing to meet not only any increase in regulatory energy efficiency provisions, but as Australia moves towards the net zero carbon targets in the build environment?

It is really going to be an issue of awareness, not only from the builder, but also from the public. We need to not only promote the changes and the advantages of net zero to the builder, but also the public. We need help from the public to drive the change. I feel little is being done to promote benefits of a low energy and low carbon home. If the public start to ask for these changes, it will become a snowball effect as one builder adopts the change, another will follow.

What would you say you’d consider as “low hanging fruit” in terms of up specking a set of building plans to improve the thermal performance of the building fabric and lowering heating and cooling loads?

Orientation is key. In my view the volume housing industry is going to need to rethink their processes. No longer can we just match any block of land with any house design. The differences between one design and another could be ten’s of thousands of dollars in extra build costs.

How do you feel about the sectors of the industry who are objecting to the increase to 7 stars, citing industry under preparedness given the last increase in NCC energy efficiency provisions occurred in 2012, essentially giving the industry a decade to prepare?

Having spent most of my working life in the building industry and being on the builder’s side of the fence, I do have some understanding of their view. It’s only because of their lack of understanding and mindset, that the issue becomes all about costs.

We need to change the message, it is not about the cost, it is about the savings.

Once everyone, including the builder and the homeowner, understand the facts, the change will be much easier for everyone. We don’t only want to promote the reason how, but also the reason why.

Once everyone, the builder and the homeowner, understand the facts, the change will be much easier for everyone. We don’t only want to promote the reason how, but also the reason why.

Victoria Walker

Principal Consultant BERA Building Energy Ratings + Advice and a NatHERS Accredited Thermal Performance Assessor

Queensland Proposed move to 7 stars

An interview with Victoria Walker of BERA Building Energy Ratings + Advice, located in Brisbane’s inner city.

What do you see as the greatest challenge in your home state should the increase to 7 stars be adopted in the proposed NCC 2022 Energy Efficiency Provisions?

In Queensland and the Northern Territory, a competent NatHERS Assessor is able to provide advice to enable most dwellings to achieve 7 Stars. The big challenge will be achieving the 7 Stars in a way that doesn’t see a disproportionate increase in construction cost, or a sacrifice of design preferences.

The most common challenge will be the role of glazing, and helping clients (both designers and homeowners), to understand the role that glazing plays in assisting with winter warming and summer ventilation, including the low R-Value that glazing achieves compared to a standard wall. To achieve 7 Stars, there may need to be a trade-off between larger glazing areas with higher performing (more expensive) glazing. Also, there will need to be more thought given to energy efficiency in the design stage so Energy Assessors are involved early in the process to influence required changes. This increased involvement of NatHERS Assessors early on, will also bring a need for a slight rise in the cost of assessments.

Do you think that your state will consider adopting the proposed increase to 7-star energy efficiency provisions? For what reasons?

I suspect Queensland will adopt the proposed increase to 7 Stars, but the bigger question is around the nominal credits allowed, the use of Deemed to Satisfy Assessments, and the reduction in Star Ratings for single occupancy units in Class 2 Buildings.

The Queensland Development Code MP4.1 currently allows for Class 1 dwellings in most of the State to achieve compliance with 4.5 Stars (via utilising 1.5 Stars nominal credits from 1.0kW Solar and a qualifying outdoor living area). Given the aim of the Energy Efficiency legislation is to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions from artificial heating and cooling, these nominal credits actually make sense, although the minimum amount of solar needs to be increased to at least 3.5kW.

Right: Moonrise during blue hour overlooking over Gold Coast, Queensland.

Even with the current 6.0 Stars, Queensland (and the Northern Territory) still also allow 5.0 Star equivalence compliance with the very popular Deemed to Satisfy – Elemental Provisions Assessment (DTS). This was intended as a simple, low-cost compliance for more basic dwellings, but there is nothing stopping it being used for any Class 1 dwelling. Consequently, the DTS Method is used extensively, and sees dwellings that would achieve a 2 Star rating achieving a Pass via the DTS method. This is especially the case with large, open plan dwellings with large amounts of glazing. The QDC exempts floors from assessment in much of the State, so if these dwellings are raised off the ground, the impact is even greater.

For Class 2 buildings, the QDC allows concessions to the 6 Star minimum in recognition of the fact that not all units in a building will have ideal aspect. The units together must achieve a 5 Star average, with a 4 Star minimum per individual unit.

If the NCC introduces the proposed increase to 7 Stars, the question for Queensland is, will the QDC keep up with this change, either with a 1 Star increase to all minimums, or by moving minimums closer to the 7 Stars?

How are you and your business preparing to meet not only any increase in regulatory energy efficiency provisions, but as Australia moves towards the net zero carbon targets in the build environment?

We love helping our clients understand and improve the Energy Efficiency of their homes and projects. While we have many clients who want to achieve compliance with the regulations at minimum cost, we are seeing increasing amounts of clients (both designers and homeowners) who want to understand and maximise the thermal performance of their project.

Working with these more invested clients has given us experience in working to a 7 Star or higher level, and doing that in a way that incorporates good design and smart use of resources.

What would you say you’d consider as “low hanging fruit” in terms of up specking a set of building plans to improve the thermal performance of the building fabric and lowering heating and cooling loads?

I just had a volume builder ask me this question for their designs this morning!

The answer is smart insulation, ventilation, glazing, orientation, and shading:

• Appropriate levels of insulation in walls, under roof and above ceiling, with a simple increase from R 2.5 to R 4.0 above the ceiling.

• Ceiling fans can add up to 2.0 Stars in some homes, so you would be crazy not to have them in all habitable rooms in Queensland.

• Consider small decreases in glazing in bedrooms and living areas if the design can allow for it and still works well.

• If possible, have main living areas with appropriately shaded glazing to the North, and utility and garage to the South or West.

• Ensure West facing windows are appropriately shaded with eaves or external shading devices.

How do you feel about the sectors of the industry who are objecting to the increase to 7 stars, citing industry under preparedness given the last increase in NCC energy efficiency provisions occurred in 2012, essentially giving the industry a decade to prepare?

I understand certain segments of the industry wanting to delay the mandatory adoption of the 7 Star minimum in order to manage costs and client expectations. But from a NatHERS perspective, the increase to 7 Stars is not difficult, and we don’t need a transition period.

It is a significant change in the degree of the level of thermal performance of a dwelling, but it can be achieved. If it involves increased costs, then the question needs to be around expectations of dwelling sizes and people’s overall commitment to Net Zero Carbon emissions.

Giving the industry a transition period will essentially only delay the adoption of the 7 Star target in most circumstances.

Given there probably will be a lengthy transition period, NatHERS Assessors, building designers and architects should use this time to ask the question, “What would it take for this project to achieve 7 Stars?” This will then have industry, and an increasing amount of end-users, well placed to understand the impacts of the 7 Stars on their projects.

ComfortEDGE™ double glazed systems have cleaner sightlines and superior energy performance – minimising exposed aluminium inside to reduce heat transfer. Stylish and affordable.

Navigating R-Codes in Western Australia

Our WA members and guests came together for a face to face event in late April to discuss all things (R-Codes). For our national and international readers, R-Codes is a State Planning Policy that sets out the basis of design and assessment for single houses, grouped dwellings, and multiple dwellings (in areas coded less than R40) in Western Australia.

Donna Shaw presented the bulk of the information on the day, Donna is the Manager of Development & Place at the Town of Bassendean, was a councillor at the City of Armadale for 12 years and is the West Australian Local Government Association trainer for land use and planning courses.

Her knowledge and passion for planning shone through her presentation and members were able to engage in great discussion. Donna’s key presentation points were to address the relevant legislation, policies and schemes involving the R-Codes, as well as the reforms and exemptions. Our members were able to discuss frustrations and solutions when lodging planning applications to local council and they learned great tips to include in their submissions.

The R-codes were reviewed and opened for comment in July 2020 as part of the State’s economic recovery in response to Covid-19. It provided for a wide range of exemptions for smaller residential projects and resulted in changes to open space, setbacks, wall heights and visual privacy. The amendments to the regulations came into effect 1 July 2021, giving power to a range of exemptions. The most notable changes discussed were:

Primary Street Setbacks - Setbacks now up to half the primary street setback for minor incursions - previously up to 1m subject to compensating area and no more than 20% encroachment.

Lot Boundary Setbacks - Nil setbacks for patios, verandahs and equivalent structures where criteria is met.

Boundary Wall Setback - Nil walls to two side boundaries for R30+; averaging removed; abutting boundary walls.

Building Heights - Simpler calculation for different types of roofs. Slight increase in height.

Garage Widths - Simplified assessment. Can be up to 60% of frontage if upper floor balcony is more than half the garage width.

Street Walls & Fences - Pier and panel fencing now deemed-to-comply; clarification on visual permeable areas.

Retaining Walls - Simplified calculation for retaining wall setbacks.

Ancillary Dwellings - Inclusion of appearance requirements. Dwellings on 350m² of land.

Outbuildings - Deemed to comply pathway for small outbuildings.

The hottest topic of the day was the change to landscaping and the introduction of tree planting requirements. Members discussed the importance of landscaping not only to a single development but to the street and suburb and the difficult job local council has in regulating and checking what was on the plans, has really taken place on site. The table below shows the new requirements:

Landscaping of single houses, grouped dwellings and multiple dwellings to include the following: i. the minimum number of trees and associated planting areas in the table below; and ii. landscaping of the street setback area, with not more than 50 per cent of this area to Consist of impervious surfaces.

Dwelling type

Single houses and grouped dwellings (tree per dwelling) 1 tree 2m x 2m

Multiple dwellings (trees per site)

Less than 700m2 2 trees 700-1000m2 3 trees

Greater than 1000m2 4 trees

In keeping with the landscaping theme, we were also fortunate to have Melanie Bradley, a highly experienced urban designer, urban planner and landscape architect with a keen interest in using form based codes in order to ensure good design outcomes for a diverse range of housing.

Melanie has participated in all aspects of urban development in both the US and Australia and offered to share her experience designing a test case for the Cottesloe Village Precinct.

Melanie shared that the conceptual built form outcomes can guide building heights that reflect the desired character of the streets they front. By using the R-AC codes, the land use of the building takes a back seat to the form the building takes. With development controls such as generous 4m+ ground levels and 3.5m for level 1, adaptable built form can be created.

Ensuring the architectural design principles are used, the built form can reflect the existing character and ensure Cottesloe Village is enhanced by new buildings.

The event concluded with a light lunch catered by Growers Lane and a chance for our members to catch up and compare notes.

If you were unable to attend the event and would like to view the recording of the session, search for Navigating R-Codes in the DMN store on the website.

Minimum tree requirement Minimum tree planting area

Lauren Jackson - Basketball Legend

AO, OLY, WNBA Hall of Fame

“I appreciate coming home to a place that’s comfortable, the Ultimate Windows I have had installed really help with that.”

04 Who’s Who

An INTERSECT regular feature, we interview five members from across Australia who share their personal stories about what design and sustainability means to them. We also talk to the next generation of student designers who share their inspirations and hopes for the future.

Five by Five

Name: Michelle Monaghan

Title: Accredited Thermal Performance Assessor Company: LMD Studio

Name: Chloe Overton Title: Building Designer Business: Eclo Designs, Tasmania

Name: Geoff Alexander Title: Principal Designer Company: Alexstar Building Design

Full name: Ingrid Hornung Title: Building Designer Company: Designs for You

Name: Andrea Cochrane

Title: Thermal Performance Assessor Company: Utopia Thermal Assessments

Below: Geoff Alexander rates Marina Bay Sands, Singapore as his favourite international building.

Five by Five

Name: Michelle Monaghan Title: Accredited Thermal Performance Assessor Company: LMD Studio

Michelle has been an Accredited Thermal Performance Assessor for 13 years and mainly works with small to medium volume builders and a number of architects on new builds and renovations.

Why did you join Design Matters National?

I joined Design Matters National for my TPA NatHERS accreditation and to gain access to great CPD sessions and technical support.

To date, what has been your biggest business challenge and how did you overcome it?

The ups and downs of the industry. I have tried to say “yes” to as many opportunities as possible - some of these have opened doors to other opportunities and relationships that have lasted almost 10 years.

Why did you become a thermal performance assessor (TPA)?

My background was actually in Conference and Event Project Management however when my children were small, I developed an interest in sustainability and energy ratings and went on to become a TPA. I now work full time as a TPA.

What are you working on now, and could you share something unique you’re bringing to the project?

I’m working on moving towards Whole of Home and 7 stars. It is a challenging and exciting time for our industry.

What is your favourite software tool?

FirstRate 5 - it has certainly changed a lot over 13 years and keeps getting better with each software update.

How has thermal performance assessments and energy efficiency changed over the years?

When I first started, 5 stars was the industry standard and I became accredited by completing a 3 day course. Now it is rightfully more difficult to become accredited however there is a lot more support and advice available to TPA’s.

Do you have any words of wisdom for students wanting to be part of your profession or those currently working in your profession?

Say yes to as many opportunities as you can, keep learning and growing your knowledge and stay true to your standard of work.

Right: St George’s Cathedral, Perth.

Five by Five

Name: Chloe Overton

Title: Building Designer

Business: Eclo Designs, Tasmania

What are you working on now, and could you share something unique you’re bringing to the project?

I’m currently undergoing one of our own projects which includes restoring a 1930s cottage and building accessible housing behind.

It’s quite unique because we are using the old Haines bricks we took out from the huge chimneys in the renovations and are reusing them on the new builds. We also built a cubby from the recycled materials. I try to be sustainable where possible.

What is/are your favourite project/s you have worked on and why?

I love working on homes of friends and family because I get to help them bring ideas to life and it’s so rewarding visiting after completion to see them enjoying living there. After working on so many other projects it’s very gratifying to design spaces within our own home where I can characterize my personal ideas.

To date, what has been your biggest business/design challenge and how did you overcome it?

Being a working mother, I was juggling running a new business, mentoring a trainee and a hands-on renovation, whilst caring for newborn twins plus a toddler.

Adding a new building grant in an already busy industry during a worldwide pandemic also added to the challenge. I’ve learnt to ask for help and only wear one hat at a time.

Do you have any words of wisdom for a student wanting to work in your profession?

You have to love what you do, find your niche, and run with it.

Why did you join Design Matters National?

I found the content was very informative with a variety of relative topics I’m passionate about, such as sustainability and efficiency. I also love networking and connecting with like-minded professionals and staying up to date with what’s important within the design industry.

In terms of professional development, what do you want to know more about?

Improving building methods and adapting to smarter technology.

What is your favourite finish or feature?

Natural materials in their raw state. I love macrocarpa timber let to weather to grey, paired with rammed earth.

What is your favourite architectural style?

I don’t know if I have a favourite, however I like mid-century modern, and also have a sweet spot for heritage charm.

What is your favourite Australian building?

Waterfall Valley Hut is the first hut along the overland track, which is a popular multi-day bush walk in the center of Tasmania.

Expecting a log hut in such a remote location, I was pleasantly surprised to see a 34-berth hyper insulated, tripled glazed, gable peaked beauty.

What is your favourite international building?

The Statue of Liberty. Technically it’s a sculpture but, I love the natural oxidizations from the raw copper to a beautiful green. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water house is also a favourite.

Which designer currently inspires your work?

I can appreciate the work of other designers but I like to keep my designs authentic, with the clients brief at the forefront of the design inspiration.

When I was young, Mike Clever of Clever Designs in Hobart inspired me in my career when I toured his home and saw the use of thermal mass via these fascinating water tanks used as a balustrade.

Left: The Statue of Liberty, a New York landmark.

Five by Five

Name: Geoff Alexander

Principal Designer

Alexstar Building Design

What are you working on now, and could you share something unique you’re bringing to the project?

I’m currently working on a number of projects, one is a front fence – sounds simple, but matching customer expectations with Council expectations is a complex task. Also I’m working on another project that is a 15-storey building, bringing together the architect’s vision, the engineer’s requirements, and the customer’s expectations. It’s the ability and willingness to work on a diverse range of projects that I think is the most unique aspect of my work.

What is/are your favourite project/s you have worked on and why?

It is hard to pick a favorite project, because they are all so diverse. How do you compare a shed with a swimming pool or a multi-million dollar home with a small addition?

They are all important to the owner, and relative to their budget. But the best ones are where we can work out a solution for the customer, where previously, others have not been able to.

To date, what has been your biggest business/design challenge and how did you overcome it?

The biggest business challenge is finding the time to do the business part, as well as the drawing part.

Finding the right people to join the team is how I plan to overcome it.

Do you have any words of wisdom for a student wanting to work in your profession?

Put down the books, pens and computers, and go and get on the dirty end of a shovel, hammer, paint brush etc.

Whilst designing, learn how your drawing relates to a physical building, the ‘pretty renders’ are useless if the building cannot be built.

Why did you join Design Matters National?

I switched from the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors to Design Matters

National as it is a professional body that relates more to what I am currently doing, and I think it is important to be part of an industry association

In terms of professional development, what do you want to know more about?

In the current building climate, I want to know more about alternative technologies that are affordable and can be locally made.

Also, I would like to see a replacement of some of the traditional construction methods that are in short supply and holding the industry ransom, with long delays and huge price rises

What is your favourite finish or feature?

Natural Light is my favourite feature. It makes everything about a room or space more enjoyable

What is your favourite architectural style?

I’m going to say contemporary modern, because it’s the era we are in and because ‘what is in harmony with its location’ isn’t a style.

A Gothic Mansion is great on a large stately site, but is just not right on a 300m2 allotment in general suburbia

What is your favourite Australian building?

Whilst I’ve not been there, I like MONA Museum in Tasmania, because the building itself is part of the museum experience.

MONA has also been beautifully designed so the building itself and its surroundings are perfectly tied together.

What is your favourite international building?

There’s a difficult question…I’m going to say the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore

Which designer currently inspires your work?

I like the work of Max Pritchard. He ties the building into its surroundings better than most I’ve seen

Top: The Museum of New and Old Art (MONA) located in Hobart, Tasmania.

Above: The Marina Bay Sands located in Singapore.

Five by Five

Full name: Ingrid Hornung Title: DMN President and Building Designer Company: Designs for You

What are you working on now, and could you share something unique you’re bringing to the project?

On most of my current projects we are designing various options; to allow my clients to adapt to any price shocks, in this volatile environment…..

What is/are your favourite project/s you have worked on and why?

Don’t ask me to choose! – It’s like asking a parent who their favourite child is!!

My favourite result is when clients say: ‘I love coming home every day now!’

To date, what has been your biggest business/design challenge and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge has been, matching our capacity to do work with the workload that comes in – and as part of that, learning to say no to work, occasionally!!

Do you have any words of wisdom for a student wanting to work in your profession?

Do this because you love it; and don’t stop learning, EVER!

Why did you join Design Matters National?

I wanted to join a professional organisation that supported me in developing my career, and my business. In Design Matters National, the members respect and support each other; and professional development is valued and promoted; it is a great environment to grow my practice in.

This photo: A view of the open plan kitchen of ‘Kew House’

Below right: Completed rear extension of ‘Thornbury House’

Below left: Designing a space for rest at ‘Alphington House’

Five by Five

Why did you join Design Matters National?

I joined Design Matters National, because I had heard about the support they offer to Performance Assessors, and the good reputation they have as an organization.

The continuous training is also something that I love taking advantage of.

To date, what has been your biggest business challenge and how did you overcome it?

There have been many challenges along the way, the most recent being the new requirements that we are about to face with the introduction of the new NCC 2022, increasing the thermal performance standards. This challenge will require us to work with builders and designers to improve their project performances, perhaps by making changes to what they have been doing in the past, so they can ensure their designs comply with regulations.

To overcome this, I am working with my clients now to help them improve their projects, so that in the near future, when the standards increase, they will be prepared and have an understanding of what they need to do to comply.

Why did you become a thermal performance assessor (TPA)?

I was looking at ways to improve my skills and assist with lowering the costs of living.

I spent a lot of time looking at what options were available when a friend mentioned the idea of thermal performance assessment so I looked further into it.

I love helping people and wanted to be at home with my girls while they were growing up, so this was a fantastic opportunity.

I really care about our environment and people and becoming a TPA gave me the opportunity to do both, help people with their lifestyle by living in comfortable homes and help the environment at the same time. So - Why not?

What are you working on now, and could you share something unique you’re bringing to the project?

I am currently working on a few projects, one is in Rye on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria where I am conducting a NatHERS Assessment for Matthew Hecker of Hekk Design. Matthew designs beautiful homes with style and comfort in our local area, and as I live close by, I can bring an understanding of the local conditions, climate and style of homes in the area.

I pride myself on maintaining clear communication and collaboration as they are key components to a successful project. Matthew and I have a history in training for thermal assessments and I love working with him on his unique projects, as they are beautifully designed because of his understanding of thermal comfort.

What is your favourite software tool?

I have used First Rate 5 and HERO and have found that both of these software tools are great by being designed to calculate very complex numbers. My favourite is HERO, I have used it for over 6 months now, it is user friendly and quicker to perform a rating.

How has thermal performance assessing (Energy Rating) and energy efficiency changed over the years?

The awareness of energy usage has become more important, and a focus, as time has gone by. With the cost of energy increasing and our environment being so affected by using resources, the need has grown to find ways to reduce our usage.

As a TPA, the requirements have increased to achieve a rating that is compliant with regulations as they continue to tighten.

There are more regulations around this area and people in general are becoming more aware and educated about energy usage, keeping the cost of living down and living a sustainable lifestyle. As TPA’s we need to keep on our toes and continue to improve our skills and knowledge so we can assist in this growth of understanding.

Do you have any words of wisdom for students wanting to be part of your profession or those currently working in your profession?

My biggest piece of advice would be to talk to fellow workers in your profession, listen to what they are telling you and take on board any constructive criticism so you can improve.

I believe that if someone tells you that you are doing something wrong, or how you can improve what you’re doing, it is wise to listen, because it stops you from making the same mistakes over and over and helps you become skilled. You’re not going to get better at what you do if you don’t know you’re doing it wrong! Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Right: Projects by Hekk design

Students of Design

Samuel Mollema

Concept designs by Samuel Mollema

Right: 1st year residential model

Below: 1st year residential render

Why did you decide to study building design?

My interest in the Building Design industry stems back to a fascination with Lego as a kid, combined with a passion for skyscrapers. I enjoyed encapsulating a building’s features using the limited Lego pieces I had.

Overtime I also grew fond of model making using card and glue which lead me to creating scale replicas of my favourite buildings, and in addition I built large scale Lego model landscapes of Aussie cities. I wanted to pursue a career creating models and learn more about the design and documentation side within the industry.

What is your most inspirational building in the world and why?

The odd design of the Eureka Tower in Melbourne inspired my passion and brought me to ask more questions which allowed my appetite for research to grow.

What tools and support would be beneficial to you in starting out your career, to become job ready?

Access to a good computer to run the tools needed for studies, i.e.; Photoshop, Revit etc is important - learning as much as you can about these tools goes a long way to efficiently produce quality work.

What trends are you seeing around building design and sustainability?

My mentor, an Architect whom I met at a Lego Exhibition prior to my studies, has been my supporter getting into the industry. Discussions with my peers and teachers have been a tremendous support as well.

We observe topics such as Structural 3D Printing – a new sustainable building practice, and how they could potentially aid developing countries deal with the housing crisis.

Studying Building Design is a brilliant experience as you learn key principles in all aspects of Design. From the research and existing conditions through to concepts, sustainability, documentation and the town planning permit application.

Any last words or advice to those thinking about studying building design?

My advice is to come prepared, stick yourself out there and always be open to learn new things.

Where to now for you on your building design journey?

I am in my final semester looking to work in industry and gain as much experience I can both before and after I graduate.

Learning practical skills using REVIT and AUTOCAD by working on real designs helps students utilise their problem solving to properly prepare them for working in a design firm. Learning about the Australian Building Codes is also crucial to being industry ready.

What trends are you seeing around building design and sustainability?

Particularly in the first year, there is great emphasis on sustainable building design. Students are introduced to ESD principles and materials selection across all building projects.

The course encourages us to challenge the status quo which is highlighted in our final year by designing a multi-storey timber commercial building.

Any last words or advice to those thinking about studying building design?

If you have a real interest in building design and architecture – I say go ahead.

Where to now for you on your building design journey?

I am in my second year of study and am fortunate to commence working part time in an architectural practice introduced by my teachers. This will provide me with invaluable experience to apply what I’m learning in a real life setting.

Left: The Jones house residential project, Cremorne, Victoria

Concept designs by Zanda Lee.

Above: Carlton precinct model

Peter Tsetsonis

Why did you decide to study building design?

I am a current Building Design student in year 2 and have chosen this Advanced Diploma because I have always had a passion for Architecture from a very young age.

What is your most inspirational building in the world and why?

My most inspirational building in the world would be Zaha Hadid’s building, Heydar Aliyev Centre in Azerbaijan because of its intricate design and curves.

What tools and support would be beneficial to you in starting out your career, to become job ready?

Tools and opportunities that would be beneficial to me starting out my career and becoming job ready would be experience in the field, or some recommendations of architectural practices that would employ me as a graduate.

What trends are you seeing around building design and sustainability?

Design is constantly changing in today’s society and designers/architects think about and incorporate sustainability into their designs more than ever in their projects, such as low emission materials, and how nature is more important than ever when designing.

Any last words or advice to those thinking about studying building design?

For anyone of any age that wants to study Building Design give it your best, try your hardest and it is definitely worth it. This Diploma opens a lot to other paths of further study.

Where to now for you on your building design journey?

When I hopefully finish this Advanced Diploma of Building Design at the end of 2022 I plan to gain practical industry experience by working in the field.

Above: Zaha Hadid’s building, Heydar Aliyev Centre in Azerbaijan

Right: Concept designs by Peter Tsetsonis

Sustainability and style meet in one fan to bring you exceptional comfort without the expensive energy bill.