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CONTENTS

EDITOR’S LETTER

HIS ISSUE FOCUSES ON MULTI-RESIDENTIAL DESIGN, WHICH IS QUITE FORTUITOUS CONSIDERING THE LATEST DATA RELEASED BY THE ABS.

According to the 2016 census, 42.1 percent of all dwellings in Greater Sydney are now classified as being either medium-or high-density. This includes everything from flats, apartments, townhouses, semi-detached and terrace houses and even villas. That figure is up from 38.6 percent from the 2011 census, and if this trend continues, sometime in the next decade the number of medium-or high-density dwellings will surpass the 50 percent mark. Put further into perspective, Sydney has added 64,300 multiresidential spaces between the two censuses. About 70 percent of all the dwellings constructed last year across Sydney were either medium-or high-density. This trend is hardly new or uniquely Australian. We have seen it in Europe, North America, and of course, it is most commonly associated with Asia. At the same time, as this trend continues, it will add a range of challenges for architects, developers and legislators. It will be architects who will be on the front lines ensuring dwellings are not only designed well, but also that the increasing volume of multi-residential developments maintain the standards of sustainability in the built environment. Looking at sustainability deeper, the next set of standards that the industry will have to face–known as

EDITOR BRANKO MILETIC EDITOR@ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU DEPUTY EDITOR KIRSTY SIER CONTENT PRODUCERS GERALDINE CHUA NATHAN JOHNSON MCKENNA MOROZ JASMINE O’DONOGHUE NICHOLAS RIDER BEN LAWRENCE

the Living World Challenge–come with descriptions like ‘systemic’, ‘meticulous’ and ‘comprehensive’. Much like modern-day engineering standards, the Living World Challenge has been designed as a thorough way of accurately and precisely measuring everything involved in the whole system— including its entire supply chain. As head judge for the 2017 Sustainability Awards, Dick Clarke told me recently, “The Living World Challenge is much more rigorous than the Green Star standards - it’s a bit like Green Star on steroids.”

ON THE COVER: MODULAR AND PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR IN AUSTRALIA. HOWEVER, IN GLOBAL TERMS, AUSTRALIA HAS SOME WAY TO GO IN TERMS OF INDUSTRY UPTAKE OF MODULAR AND/OR PREFABRICATED MULTI-RESIDENTIAL BUILDS. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES ON PAGE 42.

INDUSTRY

The latest news on building product innovations and the profession

10 Deo Prasad from

CRCLCLC on sustainability, new builds and supply chains

14 Caroline Pidcock talks

sustainability, women in architecture and Zaha Hadid

As Clarke says, “Australia has been quite shy to date when it comes to that level of rigour.

10 24

“While it’s going to be a good thing, with the Living World Challenge and passive house, you can’t relax.

The lessons learned from Monash University’s Logan Hall

“It will affect the entire supply chain. For example materials, suppliers will have to supply comprehensive information and thoroughly document all their suppliers, processes and products,” he says. As the multi-residential sector continues to expand, it will be interesting to watch how vertical design and sustainability interact, and how the introduction of new standards will change the industry.

BRANKO MILETIC

SPECIFY

and energy management

DETAIL

16 Inspiration from a major redesign at Moore Theological College

DESIGNERS JULIA GEE TRACEY HEIN CAMILLE MALLOCH

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ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN LEVEL 1, 50 MARSHALL STREET, SURRY HILLS NSW 2010 PHONE: +61 (0)2 9368 0150 WWW.ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU © Copyright Architecture & Design 2016. All rights reserved. No part of the publication can be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Utmost care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the editorial matter. Product specifications and claims are those of the manufacturers.

Opinions and viewpoints expressed by interviewees, writers and columnists in Infolink BPN do not necessarily represent those of the editor, staff or publisher of the magazine. 23,071 CAB AUDITED DISTRIBUTION MARCH 2016

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32 Acoustic design solutions 42 Intelligent buildings & technology 45 Efficient floorplans 48 Electrical components

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Last chance! Extended entries close 18th August. Building a better future through design excellence www.sustainablebuildingawards.com.au Thank you to our 2017 Sustainability Awards Event Sponsors

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Achievement of Merit

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Commercial

Innovation

Interior Architecture

Landscape & Urban Design

Multiple Dwelling

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INDUSTRY

SYDNEY SCIENCE PARK ONE STEP CLOSER TO REALITY

VICTORIA TO UPGRADE BALLARAT RAIL LINE

A 287-hectare site near Penrith is set to become an international epicentre for food, energy and health research.

The Victorian state government has announced it is upgrading the rail line between Deer Park and Ballarat. The $518-million project will ensure the reliability of services between Melbourne’s outer west and the regional centre of Ballarat.

Initial plans for the $5-billion Baiada building propose 10,200 square metres of tenancy space, to be divided between offices, communal spaces, and a meeting and presentation facility that would support a number of scientific disciplines. The technological nature of the Baiada building is reflected in the material choices that have been revealed in draft designs. The boomerang-shaped building – which tapers at both ends to form twin triangular points – features a glazed aluminium curtain wall façade and a frameless, glass box entry. Horizontal aluminium sunshades will be fixed to vertical mullions between the first three “phases” of the building. The Sydney Science Park development has already been several years in the making. The release of this masterplan – designed by Celestino in conjunction with Urbis and FJMT Architects – is the first significant indication of what Sydney Science Park will look like.

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Lendlease, Coleman Rail and SMEC are currently the preferred bidders for the Ballarat line renewal. The Victorian government has said some of the immediate benefits of the upgrade include paving for the future electrification of the Melton line, the building of passing loops to allow trains to pass each other more quickly, the removal of level crossings and more peak hour commuter train services.

“We must drive down emissions to prevent further coral bleaching events like the ones we’ve seen recently. This is vital for the future of the Reef.” Deputy premier Jackie Trad recently released the Queensland Climate Transition and Adaptation Strategies. These lay out the plans for drastically reducing carbon pollution and readying communities for the impacts of a warmer climate. “Setting a target of zero net emissions by 2050 sends a clear message that Queensland will be a leader in the low carbon economy,” Trad says. “This will attract new investment and industries to our state, ensuring sustainable jobs for Queenslanders into the future. “

QUEENSLAND SET TO GO TO ZERO CARBON BY 2050

RESEARCH FINDS THAT BETTER SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT EQUALS BETTER SUSTAINABILITY

Queensland’s minister for environment and heritage protection and minister for national parks and the Great Barrier Reef, Steven Miles, has set an interim target for at least a 50 percent reduction in emissions on 2005 levels by 2030 – a target he says is critical to Queensland’s future.

The latest research from the Supply Chain Sustainability School has found that greater sustainability knowledge in construction and infrastructure supply chains can help to minimise risk. It also provides higher quality outcomes – all at no additional cost.

“The world is watching what we do to protect our Great Barrier Reef,” Miles says.

The research found that 52 percent of survey participants believed that sustainability

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has become more important to their business in the last year. Furthermore, 49 percent of those surveyed say they have begun to engage their suppliers earlier.

the end of this year. According to reports, the successful tender between Tesla and French green energy company, Neoen, will be built at the Hornsdale Wind Farm in the north of the state.

72 percent of surveyed companies claim they now have a sustainability program or plan in place.

While South Australia leads the country in renewable energy usage, this development will make it a global leader in green energy output.

THE LATEST RESEARCH FROM THE SUPPLY CHAIN SUSTAINABILITY SCHOOL HAS FOUND THAT GREATER SUSTAINABILITY KNOWLEDGE IN CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPLY CHAINS CAN HELP TO MINIMISE RISK WHILE ALSO PROVIDING HIGHER QUALITY OUTCOMES.

The new battery will have a capacity of up to 129MW, with 70 percent of its output being reserved for government use. The remaining 30 percent will be released into the market. The completion date for the project is the start of the upcoming Australian summer.

HORIZONTAL ELEVATORS SOON TO BECOME A REALITY German engineering company thyssenkrupp has redesigned the traditional lift by inventing a horizontal elevator that dispenses with the old steel ropes and replaces them with electric motors. Known as the ‘Multi’, the technology uses a range of linear electric motors and guiding

equipment, similar to what is used in monorail and magnetic train technology. This enables the lift to make 90 degree turns. With the Multi system, multiple cabins can travel safely up one shaft and down another in a single continuous loop, much like a circular train system on a vertical plane. Not only quicker and more efficient due to its ligter chains, the Multi system allows multiple lift cabins to be used on fewer shafts at any given time. Eliminating the ropes and counterweights of conventional elevators decreases the overall mass of the elevator system. All this adds up to lowering the elevator’s environmental footprint by up to 50 percent, according to thyssenkrupp. Other advantages of the new system include the elevator being able to be set up in a shuttle system, thereby allowing greater capacity, and optimising people movement. n

To combat this growth in supply chain generated greenhouse gases, a number of companies such as John Holland, have begun working closely with their supply chain to raise sustainability knowledge. This is intended to improve resource efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the life of assets.

FOSTER + PARTNERS REVEAL DESIGNS FOR SYDNEY’S TALLEST OFFICE TOWER British-based architecture firm Foster + Partners have revealed designs for what is to be Sydney’s tallest office tower. Circular Quay Tower, as the name suggests, will tower over Circular Quay from its home at 180 George Street. Lendlease tapped Foster + Partners to design the new $1.5-billion office tower. Although it will be but one of a number of office towers set to reshape the city’s skyline in coming years, Circular Quay Tower will be Sydney’s tallest at the time of completion. Foster + Partners’ designs for Circular Quay Tower will feature a roof structure up to 263 metres high, a public plaza that fronts onto George Street, and a secondary plaza on Rugby Place.

TESLA TO BUILD WORLD’S BIGGEST LITHIUM BATTERY FACILITY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA Tesla will build the world’s largest lithium storage facility at a wind farm in South Australia by

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INDUSTRY

DESIGNING FOR A LOW-CARBON FUTURE: INTERVIEW WITH DEO PRASAD FROM CRCLCL

PIC: Â© IMAGE COURTESY OF BUSINESS EVENTS SYDNEY; PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES HORAN

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HE CRC FOR LOW-CARBON LIVING (CRCLCL) SEEKS TO ENABLE A GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE LOW-CARBON BUILT ENVIRONMENT SECTOR, SUPPORTED BY THE COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTRES (CRC) PROGRAM. BRANKO MILETIC SPEAKS TO CEO PROFESSOR DEO PRASAD AO ON OUR ABILITY TO LOWER THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF BUILDINGS AND THE ROLE OF GOOD DESIGN IN SUSTAINABILITY.

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industry

Can designing for a low-carbon footprint work on a mass scale and, if so, why is this concept not yet being promoted more actively? Lowering the carbon footprint of buildings and cities is totally feasible on any scale. The knowledge, technologies, tools, design and planning approaches for doing this are known and available, though they are more accessible in some professions than in others. Many initiatives also offer very good rates of return, from presenting no real additional costs to having short payback periods. Authors such as Ross Garnaut have highlighted the issue of market failure in the built environment sector, where we have seen slow uptake at all scales. Policy and regulation can play a transitional role in driving faster change, where the case for it is well-established. What about sustainable building practices, sustainable supply chains and the entire lifecycle of the building itself? Do these areas need more attention when we talk about sustainability? A lifecycle approach is most important, and the boundary for consideration should also be much wider. We should not just be thinking about the building site itself, but also the sourcing of materials and the associated impacts. The embedded carbon and other impacts related to materials, transportation and site works can be significant, as can the post-occupancy life of the built structure. There are tools that allow these factors to be considered but the uptake of this thinking has been extremely slow. Again, we need industry groups and governments asking for a lifecycle approach to their built environment projects to lead the change. In your experience, what sustainable design strategy has the highest rate of return for both money spent and positive impact on the environment? There are lots of examples of ‘low-hanging fruit’, as they say. The famous McInsey Diagram shows that buildings account for most of the low-hanging fruits when it comes to carbon reductions. In many cases, it is possible to achieve energy efficiency through clever passive design at no additional cost. Then there are efficiency gains to be made in equipment selection, and opportunities presented by photovoltaic (PV) technology, which now has a very good rate of payback. In fact, PV electricity and grid supply costs are now at parity.

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The CRCLCL has three research programs, which talk about three pivotal ‘bridges’ that must be crossed to deliver a low-carbon built environment. Can you briefly explain what these are and what it means for architects now and in the future? Our programs are designed around three scales of intervention: building scale, precinct-to city-scale, and community scale. The first looks at how we can deliver the highest performance in buildings through new and old technologies, materials, tools, design, systems and integration. In researching these, we aim to ensure Australian industry can be part of the next generation of innovations, and governments have access to best evidence for policy and regulatory interventions. The second area is about the urban scale, filling the gaps in terms of how we make better cities, or make cities better.

Our research is aimed at understanding why people behave the way they do, quantifying the effectiveness of different policy interventions, and providing a basis for developing new community education and resources.

We are researching and developing new tools, urban data and analytics, and design and planning innovations. We are also looking at urban microclimates, decentralised approaches to water and energy generation and storage, and related issues like transport disruptions, air quality, health and wellbeing, and liveability. Again, we are providing quality evidence for policy and practice. Our third program is focused on how to influence people’s behaviour and decisionmaking, and empowering communities to make low-carbon choices and lifestyle changes. Our research is aimed at understanding why people behave the way they do, quantifying the effectiveness of different policy interventions, and providing a basis for developing new community education and resources. What is preventing every building in this country from being partly powered by solar energy? When will this change?

It took us a long while to start adopting innovations in this area but the momentum is building. People have been awaiting cost reductions, and there was a real boost in uptake when feed-in-tariffs were introduced around the country. Now, the market has taken over. With demand increasing, we are among the leaders globally for PV uptake per capita. This will be further enhanced as people look to success stories in South Australia, for example, which is leading this country, on the renewable energy front. The CRCLCL is involved in education at both the TAFE and university levels. What exactly is your focus in this sector, and how can this education and training equip Australia for a low-carbon built future? We have rolled out a once-in-a-generation, high-level capacity building program in the built environment sector with 106 CRCLCL scholarship students enrolled in or having completed doctoral studies in this field. Our industryready graduates will play an important part in driving low carbon innovations in Australia. In the vocational area, the CRCLCL is delivering targeted courses aimed at lowering carbon, including through our project developing training and professional development around promoting the sustainability and ‘liveability’ of real estate at the point of sale or lease. The CRCLCL is also conducting postprofessional training with key peak bodies in Australia, aimed at placing Australian industry at the forefront of the low-carbon challenge in the built environment. When it comes to architects designing low-carbon buildings, in reality just how ‘low’ can a low-carbon building go? Going even further than lowering carbon, regenerative design and planning is aimed at putting amenity back into the system. Carbon-positive buildings and precincts are now evolving and the CRCLCL is developing tools and design and planning innovations to meet this challenge. Zero-carbon energy is now becoming more widespread, driven by initiatives such as the Green Building Council Australia’s Green Star rating system. Mainstream practice is aiming for a 30 to 40 percent improvement in carbon emissions through tools like the NSW Government’s Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) as well as Green Star. n

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ADVERTISING FEATURE – TILLING TIMBER

4 CRITICAL QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN DESIGNING AND SPECIFYING FOR MID-RISE CONSTRUCTION

HE ABCB RECENTLY ANNOUNCED APPROVAL FOR TIMBER CONSTRUCTION TO BE BUILT UP TO 8 STOREYS, UP FROM THE PREVIOUS LIMIT OF 3. BY REMOVING THE PREVIOUSLY REQUIRED COSTLY “ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION” FOR COMPLIANCE PURPOSES, THE POTENTIAL THAT TIMBER HOLDS FOR MID-RISE AND MEDIUM DENSITY SPACES, INCLUDING APARTMENTS, HOTELS AND OFFICE BUILDINGS, IS NOW EVIDENT. This has opened up new avenues of opportunity for mid-rise development, now able to take full advantage of current timber technologies in conjunction with pre-existing materials. These include the modern combination of fabricated timber, new generation Engineered Wood Products (EWPs) such as Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) and I-joists, and hybrid structures in the form of timber cassettes. These solutions all offer the structural, cost and environmental advantages of a lightweight timber structure paired with providing space for services integration. However, there are a number of questions that should be addressed when designing and specifying for mid-rise construction. Often, contrary to the popular closed loop of steel and concrete, this encompasses using a variety of construction materials and methods. Those involved with the design, specification and engineering behind a project should understand the best approaches to take full advantage of the materials utilised so that they may best serve their

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purpose. These questions are concerned with taking advantage of available design support, the economic and structural risks of overdesigning, practicality, and potential external benefits.

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO ENGAGE WITH DESIGN ASSISTANCE AND YOUR STRUCTURAL MATERIAL PROVIDER? Many specifiers often miss the opportunity to take advantage of a manufacturer or distributor’s technical expertise. While specifiers will have some knowledge of the materials in question, manufacturers and distributors will undoubtedly have expertise that they can assist you with. Their advice should complement the work of the existing architect or engineer and is usually tailored to provide information about best practice or how their product fits in holistically with the rest of the project. In practice, it’s never too early to engage with design assistance from your structural material provider.

HAS THE PROJECT BEEN OVERDESIGNED? Operating within the closed loop of steel and concrete can also lead to the question of whether or not the project has been overdesigned, particularly within mid-rise construction. While these materials may perform to a high standard structurally, their weight can be counterproductive in the top few stories. By embracing a variety of materials, such as a combination of LVL, I-joists, CLT, Glulams, light framing or steel, the structural requirements of a project can still be met, whilst also minimising overall weight. Furthermore, this can result in cost reductions from faster construction times, reduced need for skilled labour, using less material overall and shallower footings.

HAVE YOU ENGAGED WITH THE MOST PRACTICAL SOLUTION? How to engage with the most practical solution is another question that emerges when designing and specifying for mid-rise construction. This encompasses the ease of delivery to site and ease of overall project assembly, but also includes factors such as the integration of systems and services such as HVAC, water, electrical and gas. In the same way as the first question, engaging with structural material

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ADVERTISING FEATURE – TILLING TIMBER

providers earlier on can improve the opportunity for a holistic strategy between structure and services, with some structural systems offering embodied strategies for integration.

ARE THERE EVIDENT EXTERNAL BENEFITS? Finally, when choosing structural systems for mid-rise construction, one should consider whether or not there are any evident external benefits. These can range from reducing overall weight and increasing ability to resist seismic activity, the material’s insulation properties and its environmental characteristics, among others. Timber is a better insulator and conducts energy to a lesser degree than steel, which can create thermal bridges between the otherwise sealed interior and the exterior of a building. As a carbon store, lightweight timber structures also have a positive carbon footprint. Choosing to utilise lightweight structural systems, even in conjunction with steel or concrete, can open up new avenues of construction by reducing the load transfer down to the ground. Footing sizes can be reduced, and extra floors can be added onto existing buildings. This process has been embraced to a great extent in Australia and the wider world, with conversions particularly

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popular in Melbourne since the mid 1990s and early 2000s. Disused commercial spaces were built onto and converted into inner-city apartments, reducing costs and speeding up the process of conversion, compared to a complete demolition and redesign. With many Australian cities currently under pressure to increase density in light of growing populations, mid-rise development is a particularly viable option.

TILLING SMARTFRAME Ultimately, products should be specified according to their strengths, not because they are well known or the first solution. Singular approaches might seem to offer the cheapest, most convenient path to the finish; but that does not guarantee embedding the highest value within a finished project. Potential benefits of any structural system, related to efficiency, practicality and external benefits can only be reached by engaging with structural material manufacturers and distributors early on in the design process. Tilling SmartFrame are the largest distributor of EWPs in Australia, including LVL, I-joists and timber cassette systems, and are in a particularly valuable position of insight for those undertaking mid-rise construction projects. Their intelligent engineered timber and hybrid structural members

are also designed with the inherent intent for customisation based on the consumer’s needs, offering penetrations for services integration specific to the project. Tilling SmartFrame understand the need to embrace a range of structural systems in order to maximise the potential and value of a project. Furthermore, they understand that when offering comprehensive design solutions, their role as structural material provider is not to replace architects or engineers but rather complement and support them. Download this free whitepaper to find out more about Tilling SmartFrame and the four critical questions to ask when designing and specifying for mid-rise construction.

Download the full whitepaper here. http://bit.ly/2uHcdkm

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WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE

Do you think it is necessary these days to still say ‘female architects’ or should we be gender-neutral when we are talking about architects, as we are with other professions such as lawyers, accountants and doctors?

[WORDS] BRANKO MILETIC

AROLINE PIDCOCK, DIRECTOR AT PIDCOCK – ARCHITECTURE + SUSTAINABILITY, IS A JUDGE AT THIS YEAR’S SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS. PIDCOCK IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE LIVING FUTURES INSTITUTE AUSTRALIA AND SACRED HEART EDUCATION MINISTRY BOARDS AND AMBASSADOR FOR BOTH THE AL GORE CLIMATE CHANGE AND ONE MILLION WOMEN PROJECTS. IN THIS ISSUE, WE TALK TO PIDCOCK ABOUT WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE, SUSTAINABILITY, CREATIVITY AND THE FIELD OF ARCHITECTURE IN AUSTRALIA.

What is important to note when speaking generally is the profession the person is part of. Neither their gender nor race are relevant in conversations about these matters. In a more detailed discussion about a specific person, these are some of the many factors that impact on our experience and approach to thinking and creativity, and might be worth discussing in a broader context at such a time. In terms of design, we recently passed the 12-month anniversary of the death of Zaha Hadid. Was she an inspiration on the professional and gender levels? Is the access to prominent role models the main difference between male and female architects in a global sense? Zaha Hadid was a very successful architect who worked on a very broad and international stage. She (and her team) created many amazing buildings that inspired lots of people. She is one of the only females to be recognised as an individual star architect, generally a title reserved for men, and breaking such boundaries is always a great thing. In terms of Australia, for young women looking to do their HSC this year and perhaps thinking of going to university to study architecture, what would be the best piece of advice that you could give them? Identify what you are interested in and like doing, and do your best to pursue this. Do not be afraid of the fact that this might change, and your career might take several changes in direction. Architecture is a great degree as it trains you in creative problem solving. This can be used for not only an architectural future, but also many other careers where you need to consider a range of different issues in devising a clever solution.

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Getting back to Zaha Hadid, her work had in some ways an anti-establishment feel about it. Do you think this was a personal trait of hers? This is very much a personal trait. There are many people in the architectural world who follow such routes, but few are as successful in being appointed to big projects where such ideas can be realised. She was unusually capable of bringing this approach into the successful realisation of major projects. Your practice caters to both residential and commercial clients. Which space do you find is more creative and more open to experimentation, and why do you think this is? I think the potential for creativity and experimentation is not so much related to the project type, but the people involved in the team. Also, sometimes there is a confluence of ideas and timing that enables great things to happen. Is it possible to design to both a sustainable goal and one that is culturally rich, or are the two concepts mutually exclusive? I believe that a truly sustainable future is one that is “socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative”. If a project only looks at technical issues and does not address social or cultural issues, I don’t believe it can be assessed as sustainable. In terms of architecture in Australia, what, in your opinion, do we lack in comparison with other countries? On the other hand, what do you think we have in abundance? At the moment, we suffer from a lack strong leadership that understands the importance of sustainability for our future, especially in the state and federal governments. However, we do have an abundance of renewable energy and ingenious, creative people. Together, these are the best ingredients for an abundant living future. n

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21/7/17 9:47 am

Cemintel Website Refresh Cemintel is excited to share its new and refreshed website – now live! cemintel.com.au

The journey continues Like all website refreshes, we had big ideas and wanted it to do everything! We had to contain ourselves and the solution has been to make a clean space that we feel is intuitively easy to find what you’re looking for. It’s been a busy few months – new look, new products, new website. Enjoy

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LOOKING FOR THE HOLY GRAIL OF INNER-CITY DESIGN ARCHITECT: ALLEN JACK + COTTIER PHOTOGRAPHY: TYRONE BRANIGAN WORDS: BRANKO MILETIC

FOUNDED IN 1856, MOORE THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE IS AN IMPORTANT TRAINING SEMINARY OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA. THE REBUILD OF ITS LEARNING AND TRAINING CENTRE WAS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN AJ+C AND GEYER, PROVIDING THE EDUCATION FACILITY INTERIOR DESIGN EXPERTISE.

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THE DESIGN FOR MOORE COLLEGE CHALLENGES TRADITIONAL IDEAS ABOUT CAMPUS STRUCTURE. IT POSITIONS TEACHING AND LEARNING IN A RESIDENTIAL FAITH COMMUNITY THAT VALUES RELATIONSHIPS.

ousing the largest theological library in the Southern Hemisphere, Moore College’s new Learning and Teaching Centre sits at the heart of Australia’s oldest school of its kind on a high-visibility site in Sydney’s inner west, adjacent to the College’s existing buildings.

The design of the college is a challenge to convention as well as to the ability of the designers to achieve the perfect balance between heritage and modern functionality, while also incorporating sustainability. The design challenges traditional ideas about campus structure. It positions teaching and learning in a residential faith community that values relationships. Additionally, Moore College has for many years engaged with a vibrant inner-city precinct via facilities that extend towards Newtown and Camperdown.

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HISTORY MEETS MODERNITY The college embraces benchmark learning paradigms and a more flexible approach to working. The brief called for the creation of a landmark building that used innovative design and technology to appropriately house Australia’s premier collection of books and other resources for the study of religion. In the process, Moore College has strived to create a world-class centre for higher education and research. While serving Moore College’s specific needs, this new design needed to engage with, and be accessible to, the wider community. For the students, the reasoning behind the design was that it needed to function as the college’s new academic, physical, emotional and intellectual nucleus incorporating all teaching

and learning facilities, while at the same time adequately addressing the space required for students to learn, study, interact and grow. Using recent studies of academic libraries, learning and research centres in Australia and the US, the building was designed to incorporate open, transparent and compact spaces to encourage integration, communication and interaction between students, teachers, sand visitors, as well as providing intimate links with the local community.

LET THERE BE LIGHT From the street, first impressions are of a striking double-height sandstone plinth, referencing the predominantly two-storey landscape of King Street, vertically punctuated for light and views to reduce the building’s mass. Above this, the structure rises to form a curtain wall composed of

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glass, metal cladding and aluminium for maximum transparency, views and light. Separating both, there is a deep recess line that creates a clear architectural feature both articulating the building and further reducing its mass. Set back substantially is the uppermost storey, allowing the building to appear as a five storey-, rather than a six-storey from from the street. Internally, a two-storey light-filled atrium at ground level floods the lower-ground main library level with light, providing a transparent and open invitation to the campus itself. New classrooms and larger lecture spaces have been designed with maximum flexibility to be divided or merged as required. For the first time, the 430-seat assembly hall allows the entire student body to gather under one roof while also providing a permanent home for graduation ceremonies.

A TOUCH OF TEAL The teaching and learning environments embrace principles of TEAL (Technology Enabled Active Learning) which is aligned to shifts in the collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teaching methodology, as well as to mainstream shifts towards group learning. The learning landscape also provides a greater degree of choice from high focus and social learning, and a greater degree of permeability

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between areas designed as academic workplaces. In other words, the need for chaplaincy and connection between academics and students is fundamental to learning at Moore College. The traditional austerity of previous years has been replaced with a new vibrancy and enlivened space. The key design element is an abundance of natural light. Dark spaces of the old campus have given way to natural light; small, uninviting study areas replaced by larger, more versatile ones that accommodate more collaborative work. The new library, now capable of holding more than 90,000 titles while also embracing the digital world, has been designed to give students access to more than 30,000 eBooks and a digital repository of more than 5,500 items.

MATERIAL CHOICES The use of traditional materials and the sandstone base also acknowledges the immediate site context of the material used in the historic precinct of the Sydney University and adjoining St Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College. The sunshelf and sunhood provide shading to the north elevation in summer and reflect light onto the internal ceiling to enhance the natural daylight within the space. The perimeter lighting zone automatically powers down when the daylight is sufficient to light the space.

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USING GLASS TO MAXIMISE SPACE Linit glass was chosen for its translucent quality to create an internal separate space that is connected to the external space yet private and enclosing. It is also double channelled, giving it high thermal and acoustic properties. Double-glazed cladding panels are used to improve the overall thermal efficiency of the building. An operable window wall was selected to provide fully flexible connection to the adjoining courtyard. It is used when the larger congregation event requires expansion of the assembly hall for major events and gatherings. For the entrance, a revolving door was selected as it provides a building seal that minimised the loss of conditioned air for the lobby and library space. This revolving door also provides an acoustic seal against traffic noise to the adjacent busy King Street. The inverted roof detail has been designed to provide a seamless, no-step interface between indoor and outdoor spaces.

INTERIOR COMPONENTS Polytec timber laminates (natural oak) were used throughout as a resilient and eco-friendly substitute to timber. Across the auditorium and corridor, cladding was added to create a seamless connection to structural elements. For the flooring, carpet tiles were used for their sustainability, durability

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and vibrancy of colour tone. Their cruciform pattern provides a subtle clerical reference, while also being highly resilient to traffic wear. The new library is part of the wider college facility that also includes on-site residential accommodation, dining and collegiate facilities inlcuding indoor and outdoor breakout spaces for students and staff. Whilst GBCA certification was not required for this project, the design tested options against set environmental criteria guidelines, lifecycle cost benefit analysis and fit for purpose criteria.

ENERGY & WASTE CONSERVATION In terms of energy conservation, the overall build has a 4.5 Star NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) Energy rating. To underline this, the building management system controls the HVAC plant, energy, gas and water consumption data. All fixtures and fittings are in accordance with WELS certification. When it came to general sustainability awareness and indoor environment quality, the idea was to maximise daylight zones with indirect lighting to the atrium. The mechanical design includes CO2 monitoring and control systems capable of adjusting the outside air rates to ensures a high-quality indoor air. With the structure, façade and glazing, JV3 Modelling was employed to optimise the

thermal efficiency of the building envelope. Along with that, external passive solar shading elements as appropriate to the façades’ orientation and internal space usage.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND HERITAGE ISSUES Several transport factors had to be also included in the design due to the college’s location. Bike parking was provided while a bus stop adjoining the site offers direct links to Central railway station and the wider Sydney public transport network. This was crucial as no on-site parking is provided. Building challenges included heritage issues as well as the constrained nature of the site, which is a tight, wedge-shaped block sitting at the apex of King Street and Carillon Avenuesboth major thoroughfares to Newtown and the busy inner-west suburbs of Sydney. In terms of challenges, there were many acoustic issues inherent to a multi-use building that contains both areas for study and socialisation. These were overcome using behavioural space planning, and acoustic treatments like the containment of sound where required. Other challenges encountered in the build were associated with shifts to more flexible ways of working during busy teaching times. These issues, says, the architects, were overcome through continual client engagement and consultation.

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THE COMPONENTS OF THE REDESIGN ROOFING

• Inverted roof membrane terraces with bluestone paving on Poly pads on level 2 and level 5 terraces EXTERNAL WALLS, FAÇADES

• Ground-floor and level-one sandstone cladding to reinforced concrete structure • Off-form concrete finishes to exposed internal and external face on Carillon Avenue and internal feature columns • Sunshelf and shading devices to Carillon Avenue • Upper level uses glazed cladding panels • Western façade features composite Vitracore cladding over masonry • Linit glass feature wall to assembly room and level-one teaching spaces • Renlita operable window wall in general assembly room • Dorma revolving main entry door INTERIOR

• Polytec timber laminates (natural oak timber) • HVG Architectural InRaw Panel — auditorium and corridor cladding • Woven Image EchoPanel ceiling and furniture acoustic dampening • Interface Heuga Carpet tile THE LEARNING LANDSCAPE PROVIDES A GREATER DEGREE OF CHOICE FROM HIGH FOCUS AND SOCIAL LEARNING, AND A GREATER DEGREE OF PERMEABILITY BETWEEN AREAS DESIGNED AS ACADEMIC WORKPLACES

• Bluestone Paving • Vertilux Fabric Screens CEILING SYSTEMS

• Armstrong Ultima • CSR perforated plasterboard • CSR ceilector • Décor timber systems • Maneto ceiling systems

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A LESSON IN REDEFINING MODERNISM: THE LOGAN HALL REDESIGN ARCHITECT: MCBRIDE CHARLES RYAN PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN GOLLINGS WORDS: BRANKO MILETIC

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Monash University’s $25-million Eastern Residential Village Project (logan hall) was delivered under significant program constraints. The time between the appointment of design consultants to when the buildings were completeD was, in some cases, less than 15 months.

o meet this tight timeframe, the Logan Hall project was delivered under one head contractor with the university seeking Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) from the outset.

The effect of this was to reduce the design program, including all necessary approvals from Monash University’s Design Review Panel (DRP), to six weeks. At the completion of this period the design consultants were granted an additional two weeks to compile the principal’s Project Requirement (PPR) documentation to be issued for a Design and Construct (D&C) tender. Logan Hall, on Monash University’s Clayton Campus, comprises 250 student accommodation units over six levels.

corridors as well as providing spots where students can relax, converge and unwind. While three of the façades represent what the architect called “an adherence to a rectangular traditional urbanism”, the modularity of the student units provides a form that recalls the distinct modernist feel that is so evident in this campus.

CLARITY & DEFINITION for a modern UNIVERSITY The work by the Monash University Design Review Panel and Campus Master Planners (MGS Architects) seeks to bring more definition to the Clayton campus.

polished black concrete and acid-etched grey concrete finishes; something that we understand has not previously been found in Australia. The colour for the glazed brick tiling was a custom selection developed by the architect (McBride Charles Ryan) in collaboration with the fabricator (Robertson Building Products).

A PATTERN OF PRECISION & LONGEVITY All the requirements for this building were incorporated into a very precise pattern. The products used on the project were chosen for both their ease of use and longevity.

Their work included steering developments to enhance the environmental quality through more clearly defined precincts, to improve the clarity of the campus landscape walks, and to allow the Monash University site to function as a 24x7 university city.

According to Debbie Ryan from McBride Charles Ryan, it was all about the longevity of the design. “We were conscious of long term maintenance and an ongoing pleasing presence. The exterior façade pattern and composition is intentionally complex.

Common areas of the building, double-height common rooms, games rooms, laundries and lounges are built around the central circulation spaces between the wings of the building.

While three of the buildings’ elevations reflect the rectangular street pattern and traditional urbanism being established by the new pedestrian-focused master plan, on the northern elevation, the modular nature of the student units provides what has been described by the architects as a “distinct modernist lineage”.

This configuration was intentionally chosen to allow student interaction and socialisation, all enhanced by the views to the Dandenong ranges. The stepped façade is also designed to induce a feeling of more openess along the

The monochrome precast concrete façade panels feature a hitherto unprecedented innovation: they comprise multiple concrete mixes and finishes within the one panel. In some cases, single panels feature white off-form concrete,

“We have used honest and time proven products which, although plain in themselves, have come together in a really joyful way. Internally, the stepped panelling of the circulation spaces is finished in hard-wearing coloured and timber laminates with paint finishes to the occupancy unit doors executed in a gradient of increasing colour intensity as the space compresses toward the centre of the corridor,” says Ryan.

The building is oriented to maximise views and natural light; sun shading modulates the sunlight and enlivens the exterior façade. The ground floor (used by retail tenants) has been designed to help to encourage students to lounge on the north-facing lawn alongside the new sports walk.

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“Throughout Logan Hall, colour is used to add drama to what might otherwise have been a predictable outcome.”

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1 The stepped faĂ§ade opens the long corridor spaces, making them feel more generous and providing spots where students can relax, converge and unwind. 2 While three of the buildings elevations reflect the rectangular street pattern and traditional urbanism being established by the new pedestrian-focused masterplan, on the northern elevation, the modular nature of the student units provides what has been described as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;distinct modernist lineageâ&#x20AC;?.

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SUSTAINABILITY AS A FUNCTION OF DESIGN Logan Hall has been designed to represent Monash University’s commitment to sustainable outcomes throughout its developments across all campuses. It also addresses the university’s objectives for it to be energy-and water-efficient, a great space for residents and staff to live and work, and to have a reduced environmental impact. In achieving these sustainability outcomes, Logan Hall has been certified 5 Star Green Star “Design” and “As-Built” under the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) Multi-Unit Residential v1 tool. In addition to the Green Star rating, Logan Hall has been designed to comply with Monash University’s in-house sustainability tool, “Eco Accord”. This is a category-based sustainability tool that prescribes a minimum level of sustainable design across all of Monash University’s developments and building types. Logan Hall has been oriented to locate the majority of student residences on the northern façade, where solar access can best be controlled. Fixed sun shading was modelled and optimised for each façade orientation to minimise solar heat gain in summer and reduce heating loads in winter. These sun shades are integrated into the panelised façade glazing units. Fixed vision panels are flanked by insulated and operable ventilation panels as well as trickle-ventilation grilles. Finally, the student residences are clad in insulated precast concrete panels, while the detailing of the fenestration and junctions of the walls, roofs and soffits focuses on minimising thermal bridging. n

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GENERATION VRV IV-S SYSTEM FIRST LAUNCHED IN JAPAN IN 1982, THE DAIKIN VRV SYSTEM HAS BEEN EMBRACED BY WORLD MARKETS FOR OVER 30 YEARS. The slim compact design offers improved energy savings, comfort and can be connected to a range of domestic indoor units, with outdoor units measuring as low as 990mm in height* for ease of installation. VRV IV-S capacity ranges from 9kW to 24kW to meet an even wider variety of needs.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE – DAIKIN

AIRCONDITIONING MANUFACTURES RESPOND TO HOUSING AFFORDABILITY SQUEEZE

HE AIR CONDITIONING INDUSTRY IS NOT IMMUNE TO AUSTRALIA’S HOUSING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS.

It’s a problem that has reached all areas of Australian life from government policy to business investment decisions, right through to everyday life choices. The average house price in Sydney is above the magic million dollar mark which explains why the Australian home of 2016 is very different to what it was a decade ago. Housing has diversified considerably with a much bigger mix of smaller dwellings such as high rise apartments and townhouses. It’s all about medium density developments with even large homes out in the suburbs being built on much smaller blocks. Evidence of these changes have been reinforced by the latest census figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) which found the number of people living in each dwelling has increased. In fact the number of households with six or more people has increased by 20 per cent since 2011. Housing Industry Association’s principal economist Tim Reardon said there has been a significant increase in the share of the population that is living in a rental property (10 per cent) with a corresponding decline in the number of people that own their own house outright or have a mortgage. At the same time, rental costs have increased by 24 per cent in Sydney and

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17 per cent in Melbourne since the last Census was undertaken five years ago. “These figures show that the housing market in these cities continue to be under supplied and inaccessible to new entrants,” he said. Homeowners are also moving away from single dwellings and making the switch to apartment living. The number of people living in medium and high density housing has increased 32 per cent since 2011. Reardon said this is a consequence of the high cost of land. Obviously all of these trends are influencing air conditioning manufacturers as they adapt to the housing affordability squeeze and try to meet these changing needs.

For apartments and inner city living Daikin’s Compact Series bulkhead indoor units have a depth of 450mm and height of 200mm making them ideal for drop ceilings and wardrobes. “The compact size of the indoor units means they can be discreetly installed above a standard wardrobe whilst delivering air-conditioned comfort to the home owner,” he said. Singh said the housing affordability issue goes beyond the price of a house as there are a host of other factors that need to be taken into account including rising energy costs, home maintenance and noise pollution.

An early adapter and market leader, Daikin Australia, has been focusing on new design features to accommodate these trends.

“As a result of the smaller block sizes, homes are being built very close to each other, so noise is a major consideration. The VRV IV S can be set to operate in a night quiet mode that can reduce the condenser noise levels right down to 43dBA* and minimise the impact to your neighbours.”

Daikin Australia’s national product manager, Raj Singh, said the design features of the VRV IV S range directly corresponds with these trends.

“Lastly, these systems are also designed to deliver superior energy performance and hence lower the operating costs for home owners.”

“Due to the high cost of land, block sizes have been reducing whilst the actual size of the home remains large. This has resulted in a space of less than one metre width on the side of these homes to install the condenser,” he said. Daikin’s VRV IV S, designed in a trunk style casing with a depth of 320mm enables it to be comfortably located in these tight spaces whilst delivering capacities from 9kW right up to 24kW. “Additionally, these systems can also connect up to 14 indoor units in a range of styles to suit the home design requirements.”

*Applies to 11.2kW model, noise levels for other models may vary

For more information http://commercial. daikin.com.au/

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SOUNDING OUT THE BEST ACOUSTICS SOLUTION WORDS: JASMINE O’DONOGHUE

WITH THE INCREASE IN HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIAL LIVING: IF THE ACOUSTIC ELEMENTS OF A BUILD AREN’T PROPERLY CHOSEN, THE RESULTING NOISE POLLUTION CAN TARNISH THE QUALITY OF LIFE.

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THE NOISE PERFORMANCE OF A BUILDING STRUCTURE IS CALLED THE SOUND TRANSMISSION CLASS (STC). THE HIGHER THE STC, THE BETTER THE STRUCTURE IS AT ISOLATING AIRBORNE NOISE.

he acoustics of a space is something that goes beyond comfort. Dozens of academic papers identify a link between even modest levels of sound and increased stress, irritability and loss of sleep. An amplified awareness of the impact of sound on health – in conjunction with a rise in highdensity living – has compounded the importance placed on acoustic design over the past decade. A recent government survey in Victoria found respondents rated noise as the fourth most important out of 14 issues presented by apartment living after daylight, space and natural ventilation. “People in general are becoming more aware of their acoustic environment—just listen to people complaining about restaurants and bars being too noisy to speak to the person next to them,” says Keith Hewett, associate director of consulting group TTM. “As the public becomes more discerning and demands more acoustic amenity, developers and designers will have to react to this demand.”

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UNDERSTANDING SOUND It’s vital to first understand the basics of sound and how it is transmitted to create an acoustic design. Noise is classified into two categories: airborne and impact noise. Airborne noise travels through the air, often through a direct or open path from sources such as voices, TVs and radios. On the other hand, impact noise is generated by vibrations. This type of noise often travels through the structure, thereby creating noise in nearby rooms. Examples of impact noise may include heavy footsteps and vibrations from plumbing systems. The noise performance of a building structure is called the Sound Transmission Class (STC). The higher the STC, the better the structure at isolating airborne noise. An STC rating of 45 means that the sound passing through the building is reduced by 45dB. The BCA specifies the minimum STC wall and floor requirements between adjoining

dwellings, but uses a sound reduction index (Rw), which is directly equivalent to STC. The BCA requires a Rw for floors above dwellings and walls between a bathroom, laundry or kitchen and a habitable room in adjoining dwelling of 50, while other walls require 45. The minimum of Rw45 for adjoining dwellings can be achieved using 90mm calcium silicate brick with adhered 10mm plasterboard both sides, while a 90mm solid concrete block with adhered 10mm plasterboard both sides will achieve Rw50. The potential sound reduction from a highly insulated wall can be compromised by poor window design. Double glazing and laminated glass can effectively reduce noise, provided the windows are closed and frames are well-sealed. A 10.38mm laminated glazed window can reduce voice noise by 29 percent and traffic

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noise by 43 percent, when compared to the noise transmission of 3mm glass. It’s worth noting the BCA only specifies the minimum requirements. The guide was updated in 2005 in response to occupant expectations not being achieved, but it is still only a minimum and should be treated as a starting point for good acoustic design. It is not appropriate for higher quality developments. Acoustic design will achieve its maximum potential – not to mention be the most cost-effective – if it’s considered early in the concept or masterplanning phase. The sooner in the design process an acoustic engineer is engaged, the higher your chances of avoiding costly retrofit solutions. Nicholas Tselios, director of engineering consulting firm Renzo Tonin, says that architects usually make decisions relating to acoustics based on what has worked for previous projects. On the contrary, Tselios emphasises the importance of assessing each project individually for relevant risks. A successful design will consider a project’s acoustic challenges in the context of its broader environment.

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In high-density living, when noise cannot always be reduced at the source, acoustic management comes down to a well-designed building. Effective site planning will examine the sources of noise and ensure that they do not come too close to quiet spaces. Locating bedrooms as far away from noise sources as possible and placing noisy areas in a confined area are two strategies to be considered in terms of footprint design. If possible, install windows away from noise sources and select soundabsorbing types of glass.

THE ABC OF MANAGING SOUND Sound can be managed using the ABC of acoustics: absorb, block and cover. Sound absorption is the ability of a material to absorb the sound energy and convert it into heat. Sound-absorbent products will disrupt the path of noise and reduce its ability to transmit through a surface. Sound blocking involves using dense, often heavy materials to prevent sound from entering

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1 Studco supplies the Resilmount range of isolation mounts constructed using a thermoplastic polymer designed to perform in a range of wall and ceiling assemblies 2 Screenwood offers linear timber systems that combine the aesthetics of natural timber with hidden acoustic backing. Solutions are available in a ceiling tile format, ready to lay into a standard two-way ceiling grid, or in a panel format

or leaving a space. Instead of absorbing it, blocking products will deflect the path of sound.

products that are disguised to blend in with the architectural aesthetic,” says Hewett.

Hewett notes that some of the key problems faced by architects in acoustic design are noise build-up, poor speech intelligibility, and the general discomfort created by our current fascination with minimalist, sleek lines and hard surfaces in contemporary architecture.

Effective acoustic design will incorporate a combination of products with different characteristics to achieve an acoustic goal.

“The problem is compounded by this aesthetic not lending itself to easily integrate acoustic treatment to control reverberation and specular reflections,” Hewett says. The third method for managing sound is covering or masking. This approach adds sound to an environment to disguise the noise left behind. By covering noise, architects can reduce its impact and make it less disturbing to residents. Often, the best way to tackle noise is to use a combination of absorption, blocking, and covering products to achieve the individual acoustic needs of a project. These days, architects are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing acoustic materials. “There has been a proliferation of acoustic products over recent years, with a vast array of shapes and colours, even clear absorptive products to place in front of glazed walls and

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COMMON ACOUSTIC CHALLENGES Floor sound impact performance is the biggest cause of complaint from occupants of apartments. Regupol is just one of many companies that provides acoustic floor underlay products. Its products work to reduce impact noise by isolating floor finishes from the main structure of the building, which in turn reduces the impact energy generated by general footfall. Another product, Unrioll Acoustic Underlay, is used by a number of Australian builders and installers. When acoustic underlay won’t solve the problem, additional treatments – such as battens with acoustic underlay beneath the floor – can be used. Yet another way to reduce impact noise is by breaking up the structure to eliminate vibrations travelling through solid surfaces. Absorbing the vibrations is most commonly achieved by specifying resilient sound isolation mounts and hangers. For optimal results, the best option is to use resilient isolation hangers that have been acoustically tested in complete wall assemblies.

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SOUND SYMPTOMS & SOLUTIONS Transmission through walls: Sound transmission between tenants’ walls can be managed using high-performance insulation. Bradford Acoustigard Partition Rolls are manufactured by spinning molten glass into fine wool-like fibres. They are designed for use in metal-framed internal partitions and walls. Acoustiguard can be used to achieve a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of up to 0.90. Intertenancy walls are commonly constructed with multiple layers of building materials and can incorporate CSR Bradford Acoustigard Insulation, CSR Gyprock and CSR Hebel to achieve the minimum sound transmission performance of Rw + Ctr 50. Pipe noise: Pyrotek’s Soundlag 4525C reduces pipe noise from wastewater between multiple storeys often by 10-50dBA. It provides acoustic decoupling between the pipe’s noise energy and the 5kg/m2 flexible acoustic barrier external wrap. It has been rated as 6 Stars and is suitable for use in luxury apartments. Impact noise: Equipment noise from sources such as washing machines and air-conditioning units is a challenge in all residential environments. Its impact on residents can be reduced using anti-vibration mounts. Embelton has a range of anti-vibration mounts, including rubber and sprint mounts, waffle pads, air mounts, isolation hangers and seismic mounts which can be used to isolate unwanted machine vibration and prevent it from transferring into the structure.

Managing public spaces: The advantages of good

acoustic design are also felt in shared spaces such as lobbies, corridors and gyms. Screenwood offers linear timber systems that combine the aesthetics of natural timber with hidden acoustic backing. Solutions are available in a ceiling tile format, ready to lay into a standard two-way ceiling grid, or in a panel format.

High-wind noise: A trend is emerging within the context of tall apartment towers, with residents complaining of noise disturbance during high wind events. In many cases, the source of this noise is internal cold-formed steel wall structures. Studco Building Systems has developed their Vortex system to specifically address the issue of internal framing noise caused by high-wind events. The system is a steel stud-and-track system that removes tension and deformation from the steel building elements to ensure complete isolation of metalto-metal friction. n

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TIMBER • LAMINATE • VINYL

DURABLE SUSTAINABLE CUSTOMISABLE

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ADVERTISING FEATURE – STUDCO AUSTRALIA

UNDERSTANDING BUILDING TENSION: INTERNAL STEEL FRAMING FOR MODERN CONSTRUCTION

TREND IS APPEARING AMONG SEVERAL TALL APARTMENT TOWERS ROUND THE GLOBE WHERE RESIDENTS ARE COMPLAINING OF NOISE ANNOYANCE EMANATING FROM THE INTERNAL COLD-FORMED STEEL WALL STRUCTURES DURING HIGH WIND EVENTS.

Over the last two years, research partners Deakin University, Multiplex, PKA Acoustics and Studco Building Systems have undertaken a detailed study of several buildings with known problems to establish common attributes among the problematic buildings and to investigate the root cause. Many important factors of skyscraper designs are considered and debated within the research including building shape, wind aspects, wind speeds, vortex shedding, geographical location, structure-borne noise transfer, concrete technology, construction methodologies, curtain wall designs, internal partioning and ceiling systems and traditional acoustic treatments. Conclusive evidence suggests that although skyscraper infrastructure has changed dramatically over the last 50 years, the way we build our internal wall structures has not and it’s to the detriment of the building’s inhabitants. Notably, generally accepted acoustic treatments failed to rectify the noise annoyance in these buildings. The research includes a case study of a recently completed, 250m tall building that experienced significant noise inside the wall cavity and ceiling plenum during high wind events. A variety of remedial treatments were administered to the internal cold-formed steel structures, including demolishing walls and rebuilding them with entirely new, never seen before building innovations. Pioneering in new systems, Studco Building Systems have developed the only system which eliminates the noise-causing tension across the internal wall structure. The STUDCO VORTEX system is a revolutionary steel stud and track system that uses a patented

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design that removes tension and deformation from the steel building elements and ensure complete isolation of metal-to-metal friction. To benchmark the performance of this innovative system, finite element analysis was conducted by Deakin University on wall systems currently available in the market. The stimulation was based on a wall installation fixed to a concrete sofit that had an undulating surface of =/-5mm. Results show extensive elastic deformation on traditional tracks, whereas the newly Developed Studco Vortex System barely changed throughout the testing. By comparison, STUDCO VORTEX wall system when installed on the same substrate displayed 95% less deformation than the conventional system. Plastic deformation only occurred in a controlled manner and was limited to the pre-stressed fixing tabs as intended by the initial design. Additional acoustic testing was conducted on the affected structure and in similar high wind events and was only able to pick up normal ambient noise that one would expect in a high-rise city apartment. Studco Building Systems are honored to be solution partners to the tall building construction and encourage architects, engineers and specifiers to speak with our Technical Team to understand how our systems can greatly improve the comfort and liveability of tall building structures.

2. REBATED PAN

Profile has a rigid beam and maintains straightness, stopping the track from follow undulating surfaces. 3. WIDE RANGE OF APPLICATIONS

The Studco Vortex Wall System is suitable for use in all applications where vertical deflection is present, external walls up to 3.0kPa, fire-rated wall systems and acoustic wall systems. 4. SERVICES CUTAWAYS

No loss of system strength when the track flanges are cut to allow for the passage of services such as pipes and ducts. 5. SUPERIOR WEAR RESISTANCE

High-density, hard-wearing, low-friction polymer construction that is designed to outlast the building. 6. 100% ISOLATION

Stud isolation clip completely disallows metal-tometal friction at the stud to track connection. 7. QUALITY CONTROL

Visible portion of the clip is bright red and protrudes past track flange edge for easy confirmation of installation. 8. ANTI-TENSION KERFS

Where the substrate is extremely uneven, the track may be inclined to follow the substrate surface. The kerfs limit deformation of the flanges and removes the stress concentration transferring to the rest of the track profile.

UNIQUE FEATURES 1. FIXING TAB

Allows 100% positive fixing to substrate on uneven surfaces. Concertina zone is pre-stressed to limit tension and deformation of the track.

for more information download here. http://studcosystems.com.au/

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INTELLIGENT BUILDING TECHNOLOGY, INSIDE AND OUT WORDS: DEBORAH SINGERMAN

WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING MATERIALS, THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS INCREASINGLY REVOLVE AROUND PREFABRICATION AND MODULAR BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES. THIS ALSO INCLUDES THE USE OF INNOVATIVE MATERIALS, UNIQUE CONSTRUCTION METHODS AND THE LATEST IN SUSTAINABLE IDEAS.

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ate Harris, CEO of Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA), says it would be fantastic to have more prefabricated construction that incorporates insulation better than we have done in the past. “We haven’t done insulation well in Australia, whether for hot or cold [temperatures]. Modular construction, which is quick and efficient, needs to also have a longer-term economics around insulation and energy use as a cost associated with that built form,” says Harris. One recent example of insulation in a modular build done right is the 133-metre, 44-level residential La Trobe Tower in Melbourne, completed in November 2016. Designed by Rothelowman and constructed by Hickory Group, it was at the time of writing Australia’s tallest prefabricated building.

“Off-site manufacturing will continue to gain traction in the multi-residential sector, with the quality and time benefits providing immediate gains to both the developer and the public.” Habitech’s manufactured building components are delivered to site in a flat-pack format, which fit together fast and efficiently to get a weathertight and secure house.

Another example is the prefabricated construction system from Unitised Building (UB), a building technology group that applies technology by architect Nonda Katsalidis for low-, medium- and high-rise residential. Steel is used as the basis of this system because it is lightweight and can incorporate recycled materials, and can be recycled itself. There are no set room sizes, module heights or widths. Rather, the system follows project-specific architectural design features, which UB believes is the factor that most differentiates it from other competing modular or pre-fabrication technologies. Delivery is still around half the time of traditional construction methods. While recognising that, like any new technology, this new building system could take a while to catch on, Katsalidis is quietly confident that UB’s approach is “the way of the future”. Chris Barnett, Habitech Systems’ managing director, says it’s a good time to be cautiously upbeat.

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Timber’s structural possibilities continue to grow. Just recently, the University of British Columbia’s Brock Commons student residence was opened in Vancouver—now the world’s tallest wood building at 18 storeys or 53 metres. However, it’s wood’s inherent qualities that continue to fascinate designers and builders alike.

WHEN INSTALLED, ALL WATER FROM THE ROOF RUNS OFF INTO WATER TANKS, RECYCLED MATERIALS ARE PREFERRED, AND SO ARE DOUBLE-GLAZED WINDOWS. NO WASTE IS PRODUCED ON-SITE.

Hickory’s system used an engineered concrete floor, structural steel columns, integrated bathroom pods and a building façade that were all constructed off-site. The manufacturing process and interchangeable componentry lead to a more consistent product with less waste and faster completion times. This additionally sped up the returnon-investment, according to Hickory Group joint managing director, Michael Argyrou.

For example, Sweden’s prefabricated housing market share is 30 percent, while Habitech’s Barnett forecasts a 10 percent share of Australia’s general housing market will occur sometime during the next 10 years.

For instance, professor Achim Menges, an architect and director at the Institute for Computational Design at Stuttgart University, has explored the innate movement of timber veneer through exposure to humidity and moisture. Menges has created a veneer composite system that bends and straightens in response to the surrounding humidity.

Barnett is also confident that the growth of panelised systems in multi-residential construction will improve the thermal performance and reliability of the resulting homes. The modules from another prefabricated housing system manufacturer, Mode, can be transported within standard load restrictions before they fold out on-site to nearly three times that size. When installed, all water from the roof runs off into water tanks, recycled materials are preferred, and so are double-glazed windows. The homes are promoted as being 8-star energy rated, and it’s claimed that no waste is produced on-site. Mode attributes much of its sustainability approach to a collaboration between UNSW and the national research and innovation hub, the CRC for Low Carbon Living. As well as further refining these fold-out homes for different climactic conditions, the CRC is looking at “repeatable and transportable framing solutions”; “improving existing Pod designs”; at “inter/intra‐modular structural connections”. They are also looking at the benefits of cool roofs on the thermal performance of large footprint buildings. In global terms and as a nation, Australia has some ways to go in terms of industry uptake of modular and/or prefabricated modular multi-residential builds.

His projects use western European-sourced maple and pine. Just how much of this research is applicable to Australia is open for debate. UNSW computational design student, Jeremy Coronel, has tested locally-sourced timber veneers – hardwoods Blackbutt, Tasmanian Oak and Spotted Gum, and softwoods Radiata Pine, Hoop Pine and Cypress – at varying moistureintolerant layer thicknesses. The results have shown the possibility of implementing the Menges design process with Australian timber. Nature also comes into its own. Researchers from MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering have proposed the use of organic materials such as bones, shells and sea sponges to bind concrete aggregate. A team from the University of Technology Sydney is developing a prototype algae panel to power buildings, with “the potential to provide biomass and thus biofuel to meet some of the energy needs of buildings,” says team member and associate professor, Sara Wilkinson. At the end of the day, new building materials will over time make their mark in the building industry by making builds quicker and cheaper. With housing affordability such a hot button issue nowadays, it is easy to forget that without these new building materials and technologies, there would be no shelter, regardless of the price some people would be willing to pay. n

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ADVERTISING FEATURE – AUSCO MODULAR

MODULAR CONSTRUCTION – THE WAY FORWARD FOR HEALTHCARE

ITH THE FACE OF CONSTRUCTION IN AUSTRALIA RAPIDLY CHANGING, THERE ARE NOW MORE OPTIONS THAN EVER WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING HOSPITALS, MEDICAL CLINICS AND TREATMENT FACILITIES. TO HAVE YOUR NEXT HEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT DELIVERED FASTER AND WITH LESS INCONVENIENCE, IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING MODULAR BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES. With 55 years experience in Australia’s modular building industry and a proven record in providing efficient building solutions within strict timeframes, Ausco Modular is a true industry leader. Ausco Modular delivers full turnkey modular solutions through a unique 360 Degree Service, guiding clients throughout the entire build from start to finish by providing expert advice in design, build and installation.

“This is a major priority for our clients and we’re proud to help them deliver on their building objectives time after time. “Ausco Modular recently delivered and installed 84 modular units for Canberra Hospital, allowing patients and medical staff to occupy the Hospital well ahead of schedule.”

Not to be confused with outdated demountable buildings, Ausco’s modular buildings are aesthetically pleasing and can be customised for any project.

In September 2015, Ausco’s signature 360 Degree Service and modular building technology were also utilised to construct a brand new medical clinic in Ivanhoe for NSW Health Infrastructure, which replaced the town’s existing aging health facility.

Ausco Modular General Manager – Modular Sale, Ben Knight, said modular building solutions were becoming increasingly popular with healthcare professionals for many reasons.

The now completed 300sqm Ivanhoe HealthOne Clinic includes consult and treatment rooms, dental, podiatry and back of house areas for staff and medical supplies.

“Providing safe and healthy medical facilities is incredibly important to our healthcare clients and we have helped them achieve reduced waiting lists and greater room availability through our services,” he said.

Australian and global research shows that prefabricated and modular buildings can cut the time allocated to project schedules by up to two thirds.

“Reducing the time spent on building new facilities means they can be operational quicker, allowing better medical services to be provided.

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In addition to cutting down on time, the offsite construction process represents a range of further benefits, including avoiding unpredictable weather, minimising onsite waste and dust, and keeping intrusive noise onsite to a minimum.

“As such, healthcare operators are able to run existing areas of hospitals or medical centres with minimal impact on the treatment and care of existing patients and hospital staff,” Knight said. “Neighbouring businesses and residents also experience far fewer inconveniences that come with an in-situ build, because there’s less traffic entering and exiting the site as tradespeople work on the building offsite.” Knight added that the benefits of being constructed in a factory-controlled setting also mean safer conditions for tradespeople. Ausco Modular’s factories have achieved ISO9001, ISO14001 and AS 4801 accreditations through independent regulators for quality, environmental and safety, allowing for maximum productivity through a better quality of build, better finish and the testing of all services prior to installation. With 17 branches across Australia and a longstanding history of providing quality made-to-order modular buildings ahead of schedule, it’s worthwhile considering Ausco Modular for your next healthcare build.

Download the full whitepaper here http://bit.ly/2tkPPJX

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GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR FLOORPLAN

WORDS: NICHOLAS RIDER

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EFFICIENT FLOORPLANS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE TO THE LOOK AND FEEL OF A MULTI-RESIDENTIAL BUILDING. THEY ALSO IMPACT THE PROFITABILITY OF A BUILD, AND HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL ASPECTS OF SUSTAINABILITY. BUT WHAT EXACTLY MAKES A FLOORPLAN EFFICIENT?

ore often than not, common and euphemistic phrases like ‘wellorientated’, ‘access to natural light’, ‘passive solar’, and ‘a connection to the outside world’ will be used to describe a floorplan. Additionally, maximising limited space and creating a space that is flexible will almost certainly come into play. According to a commonly available Australian Government guide on environmentally sustainable homes, “a layout is efficient if it allows functional furniture arrangements and good circulation between rooms while maintaining sound and visual privacy, natural daylight and ventilation.” It is always the tension beween qaulity and quantity. Director at EME Design, Luke Middleton, suggests that certain developers will consider efficiency relating to yield, which is how many apartments can we get on a floorplate. “Whereas, I would say how many good spaces can we get onto a floorplate.”

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ANALYSING YOUR SURROUNDINGS Whether it is a small-, medium-, or large-scale multi-residential development, achieving these good spaces requires a thorough analysis of the project’s surroundings. “That means understanding what existing buildings or landscapes are surrounding you and how that overshadows your particular site – and then building around these constraints, or taking the opportunity within them,” says Middleton. For example, EME Design’s Artisan Apartments (an 8.6-star energy-rated building with 13 dwellings) was primarily designed from an analysis of the sun, shade, wind and the site line. A skewed plan for the project in Melbourne’s Heidelberg provides every apartment with north-facing living. This is also evident with Green Sheep Collective’s Alphington Townhouses, a collection of four townhouses in Melbourne’s inner-city Alphington.

“The whole thing about planning something like [Alphington Townhouses] is considering the site conditions from the outset,” says Shae Parker McCashen, director at Green Sheep Collective. The sub-division of the land, and design of the townhouses, focused on the orientation of the block, to maximise north light to habitable rooms and private open space.

GETTING TO THE CORE OF THE PROBLEM For larger scale multi-residential developments, an understanding of your surroundings helps to determine where the core of the building should be placed. “The core is typically put in the worst spot – the spot that doesn’t get sun; the spot that doesn’t get views,” says Raymond Mah, associate director at DKO Architecture. From here, the number of units and their layouts can be considered.

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1 Floorplan of 8 Phillip Street, Parramatta by Woods Bagot 2 Floorplan of Green Sheep Collective’s Alphington Townhouses 3 Alphington Townhouse kitchen/dining area photography by Emma Cross

“[After locating a core and a corridor], we then work out the optimum amenity, width and depth of the apartment units,” says Jeremy Schluter, associate director at Elenberg Fraser. “We then populate those around the core and around the corridors.” This was the case for Elenberg Fraser’s recently completed Eq. Tower in Melbourne. The 63-storey residential tower (containing 633 apartments), changes shape as it rises to accommodate views. “The lower levels have more built context around them, and have more crowded views from the apartments,” says Schluter. “We’ve angled the eye so the apartments have diagonal views across the site, so views are not directed straight into the building adjacent. “But when we get to the top levels, where there’s less building context, the views are more panoramic. The building shape changes to respond to this.” Additionally, for Eq. Tower’s façade curtain wall, an analysis of weather patterns, sunlight, views and apartment usage was undertaken to ensure no space was underutilised, and natural light could be delivered to all living and bedroom spaces.

“Council regulations say you have to have a certain amount of floor space on a site,” says Oliver Steele, director at architecture and construction firm Steele Associates.

building – as their lifestyle changes, kids move in and out of home,” says McCashen. “The house can actually adapt to those changes, people aren’t forced to move out.”

“But the balconies are not included in the floor-space ratio. So, a well-designed balcony can really increase the use of the living space without going over your floor-space ratio.”

This flexibility also allows occupiers to curate their own spaces and interiors. This creates something unique, rather than generic.

Furthermore, balconies can also increase natural daylighting and can funnel cooling breezes thorugh the inetrior. Another way of maximising the available space is by minimising circulation space. “It’s about ensuring circulation is not just a hallway. Perhaps it doubles as a storage alcove or a study alcove, or a storage display area–or it’s an opportunity to gain extra light and natural ventilation into the building,” says Green Sheep Collective’s McCashen. For instance, in the design of The Fern development by Steele Associates, no circulation space has less than two functions. When complete, the project in Sydney’s Redfern (which contains 11 one-bedroom apartments) will be Australia’s first Passive house multi-residential building.

MAXIMISING LIMITED SPACE

FLEXIBLE & NON-STATIC SPACES

With limited space, it’s important to maximise the space that is available. One useful and common method is the inclusion of a verandah or balcony. These can help reduce internal floor area without loss of amenity or lifestyle in an apartment.

Stemming from maximising available space, is ensuring flexibility in a floorplan.

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“We try to create floorplans that are somewhat flexible. People use spaces in different ways during their time in the

“The trick is always to find a nice hardworking plan that’s functionally super practical. For us, it’s about it not being static. Things can move and change,” says Domenic Alvaro, director at Woods Bagot. For example, Woods Bagot’s Making 537, a complex of 12 apartments in Sydney’s Surry Hills will utilise a flexible layout that allows the occupier to curate their space as they wish. This includes a timber shelf that sits behind the bedhead which allows the occupant to prop up artwork. The media space or study can also be converted to guest accommodation when needed. Flexibility is also incorporated into the design of Wood Bagot’s 55-storey residential tower in Sydney’s Parramatta. 8 Phillip Street will incorporate high-quality joinery, track lighting and innovative windbreak balconies, all designed to provide residents with configurable outdoor living spaces. Creating an efficient floorplan for a multi-residential development is not an easy task, but with limited space it’s important to maximise what you have. n

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SMART METERS FOR A SMARTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE WORDS: BEN LAWRENCE

WHILE UTILITY METERING SEEMS TO BE STUCK IN A BYGONE ERA, IN AUSTRALIA THERE ARE A NUMBER OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES AFOOT THAT ARE DESIGNED TO CHANGE USER BEHAVIOUR. IT’S THIS DRIVE FOR INCREASED USER ACCOUNTABILITY, COMBINED WITH RECENT TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES, THAT IS LEADING TO A CHANGE IN THE WAY WE APPROACH ENERGY MANAGEMENT.

ccording to electricity provider Ausgrid, there are three main types of energy meters available on the Australian market. These meters are the standard accumulation meter, the interval meter, and the much newer smart meter. In the classic accumulation system, occupants of a building are charged a set amount over a pre-determined period of time, usually a month or quarterly. To check the usage, someone from the energy provider must visit the site and read the meter – a relatively expensive and time-consuming task. According to Margrethe Ingemann, marketing manager of SUMS Group (previously known as Watersave Australia), one of the key issues with accumulation systems is the historical nature of the data contained in the bill. In other words, there is nothing a user can do to change their usage after the fact. “The usage has already been done. It’s historical data and you just have to pay your bill, there’s no way to change your behaviour,” Says Ingemann.

innovative interval meter concept by collecting data in (almost) real time. Since they are based on electronic componentry, these smart meters can be programmed to synchronise with a range of other electronic devices, such as phones, tablets, or computers. For the end user, this means a host of accessibility options for gathering energy usage data, including alerts, and apps for energy management.

THE APPEAL OF MODERN METERING Interval meters can help alleviate the issue of incorrect billing to some extent, but they still require direct interaction. Smart meters on the other hand, make it instantly possible to monitor energy usage in a user-friendly and accessible manner. With smart metering, energy management becomes intuitive.

VENTILATION

Accumulation meters led to interval meters, which, as the name suggests, take a reading of the energy usage at regular intervals, usually around every 30 minutes.

Supplying fresh air to the inside of an enclosed space doesn’t sound like a complicated process, and it’s not. Building ventilation is a concept that has been known for many centuries. Buildings are designed to adhere to certain levels of basic ventilation requirements.

This interval meter allows the user to interact with the meter and monitor their energy usage. Different rates are then payable for different usage periods.

The automation of ventilation, however, is relatively new, and something that has only recently started to gain traction in the Australian market.

The latest generation of smart meters is designed to further build upon the

Products such as the Automatic Ventilation Controllers from Arens International and the

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Healthbox 3.0 from Renson are not what you would find in an ‘average’ apartment. However, they are gaining popularity, especially in some higher end multi-residential buildings. As Warwick Jackson from Arens International points out, night cooling is key when it comes to automatic ventilation control. Effective night cooling through a smart ventilation system delays the need for air-conditioning the following day, significantly reducing the carbon footprint and energy bill of a multi-residential structure. Night cooling also forces air change. As we spend more and more of our time indoors—up to 85 percent according to Roel Berlaen from Renson-we become more aware of the importance of a healthy indoor climate. With smart metering, maintaining this climate becomes automated. The systems only ventilate where and when it is necessary, again reducing the impact on both the environment and the wallet.

WATER In terms of water management, a traditional, centralised water heating system keeps water heated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On a multi-residential scale, this means thousands upon thousands of litres of water are being constantly heated. As individuals under a centralised regime, users are penalised for the inefficiency of the system. While most people only use hot

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water a handful of times a day, and a few minutes at a time, they still pay for the bulk of the water to be constantly heated. According to some figures, enough hot water is lost in some centralised systems to heat approximately 113 showers every day.

temperature, these new technologies do make it much easier to monitor individual water usage and manage the water temperature.

“Non-stop water heating just isn’t sustainable,” said Darren Fletcher, national product manager at Stiebel Eltron.

Improved energy management is facilitating a change in human behaviour.

Instant electric water heating systems heat water when you need it, as you need it, and maintain the desired temperature as the hot water is being used. This is unlike some other systems that are constantly heating and re-heating water to maintain the optimal water temperature. The fact that instant electric water heating systems use electronics rather than using gas and rely on mechanical means, allows them to be powered by renewable sources such as solar or wind.

CONVERGENCE OF TECHNOLOGY & HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

Either integrated into your existing system, or on the SUMS portal itself, you can track your water, gas, and electricity data all in one place, with customised alerts for optimal energy management and awareness. At the time of writing, over 700 organisations were making use of the SUMS platform to save money, time and ultimately, natural resources.

There seems to be a consensus among advocates of smart metering, that if you provide the ability for consumers the flexibility to monitor and manage their energy use behaviour, they will make a positive change in that behaviour.

WHERE TO NEXT?

One concept is the SUMS portal, an online platform that enables this behavioural change. The SUMS portal provides water, gas, and electricity time-of-use data right to your fingertips.

The installation of smart metering needs to be done in conjunction with a change in attitude away from short-term savings and toward long-term environmental efficiencies and overall consumer cost impacts. n

Regardless of the type of multi-residential development it is used in, smart metering should never be considered as a standalone solution.

The efficiencies of the instant electric water heating systems are translated into a lower electricity bill, and in this case, a lower energy bill means a lower impact on the environment. Later this year, Stiebel says it will be releasing a new electric water heating product onto the market called the ‘DHE Connect’. The product will feature Bluetooth connectivity and app operability. While it is highly unlikely that the average person will be standing in the shower with their smartphones changing the

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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AIR-CONDITIONING AND NATURAL VENTILATION IS NOT JUST HOT AIR WORDS: GERALDINE CHUA

REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY LIVE IN A SINGLE-FAMILY HOME WITH A BACKYARD, OR A UNIT IN AN APARTMENT TOWER, MOST AUSTRALIANS PLACE A PREMIUM ON ONE RESIDENTIAL FEATURE: AIR-CONDITIONING.

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ith temperatures continuing to creep up each summer and heat waves set to become harsher and more frequent, artificial cooling systems have become part and parcel of multi-residential living.

CAN WE DESIGN AWAY AIR CONDITIONING?

Some architects, however, are doing things counter-culturally. Believing that air-conditioning is a luxury Australians can and should do without, they are instead choosing to focus their efforts – and money – on good passive apartment design to keep homes cool during hot summer days.

“Orientation to winter light, summer shade and ventilation are the key issues.”

Melbourne’s Breathe Architecture is one prime example. Architects at the practice employed a dematerialisation and reduction strategy for The Commons, a mixed-use building in Brunswick, Melbourne that won a host of design and sustainable building awards after completion.

“NATURAL CROSSVENTILATION IS THE MOST PREFERABLE SOLUTION, BUT IT REQUIRES SKILL TO DESIGN AND CANNOT ALWAYS BE ACHIEVED DUE TO SITE CONSTRAINTS OR ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE.”

Rejecting air-conditioning in all 24 of its units, the project proved that multi-residential buildings designed to be more thermally efficient than usual could moderate the internal temperatures of each home, and keep occupants comfortable in the heat. It did so by ramping up insulation, and specifying well-performing windows (double-glazed with thermal breaks). This ethos of reduction, and the belief that homes do not need AC to stay comfortable, is also evident in the Nightingale model. Proposed after The Commons’ success, Nightingale Housing brings together likeminded investors, architects, developers and buyers to build affordable, socially and ecologically sustainable multiresidential homes across the country.

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“It requires careful design of the project,” managing director of Silenceair, Chris Matthews, says.

ACs draw heat out of a home, transferring it to the outside air. This is a central part of most buildings’ HVAC strategy. In addition to temperature, air conditioners can effect changes to the humidity or quality of air in a room or home. Passive ventilation is a low-maintenance natural system that uses external air movement (wind) and pressure differences to cool and ventilate a room, bringing in fresh, clean air. From an ecological perspective passive ventilation, which relies only on natural forces, clearly beats air conditioning. “I think big developments will always have AC,” Integreco’s senior ESD consultant Australasia, Martin Pinson, comments. “Unfortunately, it sells apartments and it is what buyers look for.” Scott Carver architect, Hon Diec, confirms there is a gap between what developers prize, and what designers believe in. “As an architect and from a Scott Carver point of view, we always want to push for sustainability. We believe in natural ventilation and its ability to create comfortable living spaces for occupants,” he says. “We work out the building orientation, and with wind consultants, how the wind works; how to maximise natural ventilation. Of course, the apartment design guidelines also dictate that 50 percent of apartments have to be ventilated.” Unfortunately, buyers tend to look for ACs, and that influences project and design briefs. This point is not lost on advocates for thermally efficient, naturally ventilated homes. The Nightingale Model, for example, is as much designed to be a financial solution to the problems that may come with developer-led projects, as it is a case for environmentally sustainable design.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE – USG BORAL

CHADSTONE SHOPPING CENTRE REDEVELOPMENT

HE CHADSTONE SHOPPING CENTRE IN SOUTH-EAST MELBOURNE IS ONCE MORE THE LARGEST IN AUSTRALIA, WITH THE COMPLETION OF A NEW RETAIL AND FOOD AREA, AS WELL AS A TEN-STOREY OFFICE BUILDING AND HOTEL OPENING IN 2017.

Commenced in 2015, it was imperative to have the new extension to the shopping centre completed by November 2016 to cater for the Christmas shopping season. Another requirement was that the existing parts of the shopping centre must remain open and operational throughout the 15-month redevelopment phase.

Pat Moore, Director of Arc Plastering said, “There was a short time to achieve programs, hampered by probably the wettest winter we had in 100 years. We managed this by two-weekly forecasting. We never doubted our ability to get the job done. Our only issue was whether we could get access to do our job.”

This meant there was little room for storage of materials – so the logistics of supply and delivery were critical success factors.

USG Boral attended daily meetings with Arc, with Andrew Smyth, USG Boral’s Commercial Manager, working closely with Arc and USG Boral’s manufacturing plants to ensure runs of specialised plasterboard to meet building code regulations for fire-safety, acoustics and wet areas were available in sufficient quantities to meet project deadlines.

Probuild subcontracted internal walls and ceilings to Arc Plastering, a national company specialising in large commercial developments. Arc had not used USG Boral products previously, but the critical logistics and supply considerations in the Chadstone project made them open to the supply solutions offered by USG Boral. Not only did USG Boral supply 115,000m² of linings products including FIBEROCK® Aqua-Tough™ multi-performance interior panels and SHEETROCK® lightweight plasterboard, USG Boral’s Technical Support team was also able to help with another major challenge faced in the project’s final stages: rapid turnaround of design solutions.

Says Andrew, “On a project like this in a retail environment, it’s critical that building codes are met for the safety of patrons that come to the centre.” Pat Moore says “USG Boral had the product available whether it was a two-hour or four-hour fire rating, the acoustic DBA levels that we needed – it was there. And it was there on the shelf and onsite pretty much straight away.”

DESIGN, DELIVERY AND SUPPORT

Tenant requirements within the retail and food areas would change, so design specifications had to adapt ‘on the fly’. During the latter part of the project, the team was creating new solutions then producing the designs and specifications within a four-hour window.

”USG Boral helped greatly with design, delivery and support. And as a result we brought the job in on a deadline. It was pretty tight but we got there… I think the planning and the timing was pretty much perfect and the centre opened on time, so the client was happy and the tenants were happy.”

During the last months of the project, when the pressure was on to meet the pre-Christmas shopping deadline, Arc Plastering had up to 130 workers on site at any given time, with shifts working around the clock.

Dave Goss, Project Manager Arc Plastering explained that getting materials in could be difficult. “When we were expecting semi-trailers of plasterboard we’d book crane-lift time. But structural materials like concrete or steel

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took priority over our materials – because you have to build the external structure before you can do the internals. USG Boral was very patient; they always allowed us to keep the trucks onsite. With lack of storage onsite we constantly had to maintain our material levels to keep our employees working. But USG Boral helped us out all the way to the end.” Peter Free, Senior Site Manager, ProBuild concurs.“The relationship that we developed with USG Boral and their representatives that worked with our project was strong. They were always present when we needed them. They came to site to work with us directly as well as Arc. The experience that I had personally with USG Boral onsite was probably second to none with any other company that I’ve dealt with, and I have no hesitation in recommending USG Boral to other contractors.” Disclaimer: © 2017 USG BORAL. All rights reserved. The trademarks USG BORAL and INNOVATION INSPIRED BY YOU are trademarks of USG Boral Building Products or one or more of its affiliates. SHEETROCK, Fiberock and Aqua-tough are trademarks owned by United States Gypsum Company and used under license. *Lightweight claims based on comparison of USG Boral 10mm and 13mm SHEETROCK plasterboard with competitive 10mm and 13mm plasterboard produced in Australia as at 1 September 2016 The opinions expressed by employees of ProBuild and Arc Plastering are the opinions of those third parties and should not be taken to reflect the views or opinions of USG Boral.

Watch the case study video at USGBoral.com/au/Chadstone

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However, Pinson raises some additional points that explain why it may not be feasible for bigger and taller apartment buildings to do away with AC completely. “Smaller boutique developments may get away without AC, especially if they have dual-aspect apartments and a favourable site orientation (with good solar access). In this regard, these smaller developments have the same thermal comfort options as a house,” he says. Matthews notes that “natural cross-ventilation is the most preferable solution, but it requires skill to design and cannot always be achieved due to site constraints or environmental noise. ”With the densification of urban centers, and more apartments now being built in ‘brownfield sites’ – in noise corridors, adjacent to arterial roads, railway lines and even airports – noise can be a significant hurdle preventing clients from relying on passive ventilation. “The building codes limit the amount of noise allowed in habitable rooms, such as bedrooms and living rooms. “The only way lower noise levels can be maintained is by closing windows, but this leads to loss of ventilation.” One case in point is an apartment building in Wolli Creek, NSW, which sits adjacent to a very busy arterial road and is situated very close to Sydney airport. According to Matthews, the DA consent conditions of the project meant operable windows could not be used for ventilation. The project team decided to specify a Silenceair exhaust ventilation system, using AS 1668.2 to satisfy the ventilation requirements. Silenceair’s vents have been engineered to allow fresh air to circulate freely within a home, while keeping out 85 percent of the noise that would otherwise enter through an open window. “The residents can open the windows for purge ventilation when they want, but when the windows are closed, code compliant ventilation is provided by the Silenceair System,” Matthews says. “Some residents installed split air conditioning systems in their apartments, and the Silenceair system provided the required makeup air.”

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STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE While the question about whether apartment buildings in Australia can rely on passive ventilation continues to be fiercely debated, it is important to note that specifying AC units does not mean an architect or even a developer isn’t interested in sustainability gains. In fact, for many projects, good passive design is still at the forefront of a project team’s mind. Sydney’s Wentworth Point Marina Square apartments are an example of ESD working alongside energy-efficient cooling systems.

Some architects, are doing things counterculturally. Believing that air-conditioning is a luxury Australians can do without, they are instead choosing to focus their efforts – and money – on good passive apartment design to keep homes cool during hot summer days.

The “climate-controlled apartments” in the project utilise high-performing, low-e, double-glazed, glass-only windows that achieve U-values below 3.0. Other passive thermal comfort techniques includes R2.5 insulation to external walls; R1.5 or more insulation next to halls, lobbies, lifts, stairwells and plantrooms; R.35 added insulation to external roofs; enclosable winter gardens; flexible shading devices; and large openings for natural ventilation.

“A 3.5-star dwelling (in that climate zone) will have a combined heating and cooling estimate of 104MJ/m2.yr or less.” However, a 6-star dwelling will have less than half this total value, with 51MJ/m2.yr or less. This means that the residents should enjoy up to half the heating and cooling bills of other nearby developments. Likewise, a 6.5-star dwelling will be less than 45MJ/m2.yr and a 7-star dwelling will be less than 39MJ/m2.yr.” Waterfront at Newstead by Mirvac, one of the largest urban renewal projects in southeast Queensland, also utilised a combined passive and artificial cooling strategy for its two Waterfront Pier buildings. Every apartment in the new build is individually serviced by a Daikin ducted VRV split system, and features separate in-ceiling fan coil units in each bedroom along with each living room. Each unit is also fitted with Daikin control units, which paves the way for individual room temperature control.

EDUCATING END USERS Good passive design strategies can go to waste. Building occupants may choose not to, or not know how to, make the most of an energy-efficient home. “One way to look at artificial cooling is that the end user can choose not to use it,” Scott Carver’s Hon Diec points out. “Some people like the convenience of AC, and that kind of mentality is hard to fix. “At the end of the day, we have to look after the end user – the occupants. Designers can only do what they can, but the end result is up to the general public, and how much they understand.

According to Pinson, these strategies allowed the project to achieve a 6 Star average NatHERS rating, with 25 percent of the dwellings scoring 7 stars or better.

“Maybe the message of how a mechanical cooling system works (compared to passive ventilation) has not reached the general public…so education would play a part.”

“To put this into perspective, the BASIX tool can actually allow some Sydney developments to pass with an average as low as 3.5 stars. [The Marina Square] results are well beyond what is required (and what is being built) elsewhere in Sydney,” he explains.

While it’s important to admit that ventilation needs to be considered early in design development - and that architects must always take design with the local climate, orientation and site in mind - perhaps what the industry needs more of is teaching the alternatives. n

21/7/17 12:57 pm

ADVERTISING FEATURE – ZEGO

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USTRALIA’S ACCELERATING CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IS PUTTING THE PRESSURE ON BUILDING PROFESSIONALS TO FIND WAYS TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY, WHILE STILL PRODUCING HIGH-QUALITY, SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS. THE POPULARITY OF INSULATING CONCRETE FORMS (ICF) HAS RISEN DUE TO ITS UNIQUE ABILITY TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.

The Australian building industry is operating in an increasingly competitive environment. In the past five years, the average completion time for new houses and townhouses has declined in five of the country’s States and Territories, compared with the five years prior. The largest decrease has come out of Western Australia, where completion time for new homes and townhouses has contracted by 0.24 and 0.47 of a quarter respectively. The average completion times for flats, units or apartments has remained similar over the past ten years.[1] However, when the trend towards population density and high rise living is taken into account, it suggests more apartments are being packed into each project in a similar amount of time that it used to take to construct a much smaller building. Developers are also facing a rise in the cost of doing business, putting pressure on their bottom line. This is showing no signs of easing, with upwards pressure on labour costs expected to be sustained and nearly a third of businesses anticipating major to moderate rises in the cost of construction materials.This pressure is transferred to architects, who are expected to speed up the construction process, without compromising a building’s quality or impact on the environment, all often on a smaller budget. The construction industry is innovating to deal with the issues it faces. By completing

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projects in less time, costs can be reduced dramatically. Savings can be made on site overheads such as labour and clients can begin generating an income earlier. Less time spent on each project allows for more to be completed each year and a greater utilisation of the small window to do construction each year particularly in high rainfall and Alpine areas. An effective means of speeding up the construction process is by incorporating permanent formwork into a design. Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) are modular units made from polystyrene or polyurethane foam. The units are interlocking blocks or panels, which are filled with block fill concrete using a concrete pump. The method is suitable for residential, commercial, industrial and civil works and for construction of swimming pools, spas, saunas, water tanks, detection tanks, music rooms, retaining walls, cellars, basements, lightweight cladding and more.

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21/7/17 12:13 pm

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CAN BETTER URBAN DESIGN HELP PREVENT TERRORISM? WORDS: BRANKO MILETIC

LONDON, PARIS, STOCKHOLM, BRUSSELS, MANCHESTER AND NICE. THE LIST OF CITIES HIT BY TERRORISM GROWS BY THE MONTH. WHILE THIS HAS SEEN VOLUMES OF PAGE SPACE DEVOTED TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE REASONS BEHIND THE CARNAGE, SCANT ATTENTION HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THE USE OF URBAN DESIGN AS AN ANTI-TERROR WEAPON.

he concept of attenuating public space to improve safety is nothing new. For example, ever since ‘The Troubles’ of the 1970s, the UK has modified and redesigned parts of Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland in a bid to better cope with future IRA attacks. Since September 11, America’s architects have been learning how to balance designing for aesthetics and designing for public safety. Today this scenario has more resonance considering that, over the past decade, more people than ever in human history are residing in urban centres. By 2050, it has been estimated that up to 75 percent of the global population will be classified as urban. This massive increase in urban habitation invariably means an increase in high-density living. The irony is that when it comes to public safety and social cohesion, high-rise and high-density structures rarely make the list of final designs.

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PUBLIC SAFETY DESIGN 101 In New York City, one recent public safety feature has been the addition of bollards to many public spaces. But these are not just any old bollards. In the city’s famed financial district, these bespoke bollards are designed to function as street furniture and aesthetic enhancements. While it’s easier to redesign (or re-engineer) a relatively simple item like a bollard, entire buildings —and for that matter, whole neighbourhoods —are a very different proposition.

EMBEDDING SAFETY INTO SUSTAINABILITY In their 2008 study, ‘Integrating counter-terrorist resilience into sustainability’, in conjunction with Loughborough University, British researchers Jon Coffee and Lee Bosher found there was an opportunity for urban planners and architects to design for both public safety and environmental sustainability.

Considering that the need for safety trumps most other needs, perhaps it’s time to consider combining beauty with safety in an era that bears the burden of the “ugliness of terrorism”.

“The rapid renaissance of central urban areas in the last decade has given ample opportunities to apply such resilient principles to the construction of new buildings or regeneration areas, facilitated by changes in building regulations and the planning system concerned with broader issues of safety and sustainability,” said the researchers.

But it should not be all bland function over form. Last year, the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Ruth Reed, highlighted RIBAs ‘Counter-Terrorism Design Guidelines’ and noted that it was “important to remember that we are an open and inclusive society…” In terms of architectural design, we shouldn’t be “driven by security measures”.

Furthermore, Coffee and Bosher found that a “resilient built environment should be designed, located, built, operated and maintained in a way that maximises the ability of built assets, associated support systems (physical and institutional) to withstand, recover from, and mitigate for the impacts of extreme natural and human-induced hazards.”

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It was, they said, all about ‘embedding’ safety and sustainability into proposed building design. This has been acknowledged in the UK by both government departments and research councils, where policy advances in countering crime and terrorism within the context of environmental sustainability and ‘resilience’ most notably includes the Sustainable and Secure buildings Act (2004). This Act has been described as a way to further the conservation of fuel and power, prevent waste, undue consumption, stop the contamination of water, while at the same time protect the environment, facilitate sustainable development and further the prevention or detection of crime or terrorism. “To date, there has been a far greater focus on the ‘greening’ of buildings than on embracing the requirements of security,” they noted. The researchers concluded that what was needed was a much greater integration of sustainability and security as key underlying principles of the built environment. While they found these goals can sometimes be diametrically opposed, at other times, they might work together. In the end, the researchers said, “Importance should be placed on identifying the barriers that restrict the opportunities to integrate security and energy-efficient measures in the built environment.”

IS DECENTRALISED URBAN DESIGN THE ANSWER? Thomas Fisher, professor of Architecture, director of the Metropolitan Design Centre, and Dayton Hudson chair in Urban Design at the University of Minnesota, wrote architects should approach urban design with a decentralised mindset - a configuration much like the terror groups themselves - in order to defeat them. “Centralised, hierarchical systems may appear stronger, with more power and efficiency on their side. But networked, non-hierarchical ones have much greater capacity to take a hit and to keep functioning, as the sizeable literature on ecosystem resilience has repeatedly shown,” wrote Fisher. “In some ways, the 9/11 terrorists were sending us an unintended message: concentrating the military command in the Pentagon, or financial

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and governmental organizations in the World Trade Centre towers, makes them – and all of us commuting to workplaces–more vulnerable. “We rethink our cities and our buildings so that instead of trying to fortify our architectural bullseyes, we eliminate them with a denser weave of diverse activities across a metropolitan area,” Fisher says.

THIS MASSIVE INCREASE IN URBAN HABITATION INVARIABLY MEANS AN INCREASE IN HIGHDENSITY LIVING. THE IRONY IS THAT WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND SOCIAL COHESION, HIGH-RISE AND HIGHDENSITY STRUCTURES RARELY MAKE THE LIST OF FINAL DESIGNS.

Fisher compared the Western urban landscape with that of the Arab bazaar or ‘souk’. Comprising a network of small shops along covered streets, without any centre or clear boundaries, means souks have multiple ways in and out. So, while souks [or bazaars] might seem more vulnerable to attack, he says, “they are also highly resilient – not just economically because of their diversity of small businesses, but also militarily because of their distributed nature. “Souks may seem far removed from modern life, just as office buildings seem to epitomise it,” writes Fisher. But with the rise of a sharing, collaborative or on-demand economy, we have “already created a kind of digital version of the souk, with service platforms providing people access to experiences as diverse as those encountered by the customers in Arab markets.” Columnist Renee Loth, writing in the Boston Globe went one step further by pointing out that if bad urban design creates the spread of social problems (like terrorism and crime), then good urban design can go some way towards fixing them. “Even the best city plan is a weak bulwark against generations of alienation and despair.

But if urban design can foster lawlessness and resentment, the opposite is also true,” she said. Washington-based architect, urbanist, author and historian Adnan Morshed is even more blunt. He has said that proper urban planning can significantly reduce terrorist threats by building structures “that diffuse or mitigate social inequity, alienation, and eliminate the breeding ground of radical ideologies”. In a critique of Paris and its high-rise banlieues, Morshed found that cities have become the prime targets of terrorist attacks because those found in high-density areas have every opportunity to plan and plot to do us harm. The continuing experience of the French shows that multi-storey residential structures have become breeding grounds for social exclusion. This can become a slippery slope towards extremism. As a case in point, Brussels and its densely-populated Molenbeek neighbourhood has earned the unenviable reputation of producing more foreign fighters for ISIS than anywhere else in Europe. Analogies can be found in the crime-ridden urban housing projects of the US and of course in our own, now much-derided inner-city housing commission towers in both Sydney and Melbourne. Urbanist William H. Whyte’s 1960’s study of human behaviour in New York City found that strangers can be forced into having a sense of community simply as a result of well-designed public spaces. Even the most mundane of details — like the orientation of doorways, the location of public benches and the width of sidewalks — can and do affect human behaviour. Given recent events across Europe as well as here in Australia, Whyte’s insights may prove to be seminal. As Thomas Fisher writes, “We need to think souks, not office buildings.” In the end, as with most complex problems, the solutions will need to be both multi-faceted and varied. However, what remains true is that good design, as with bad design, has a continuing role to play in influencing the course of contemporary events. n

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LINEAR

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ADVERTISING FEATURE – STORMTECH

FORM AND FUNCTION CURRENT TRENDS IN BATHROOM DESIGN

ECENT DESIGN TRENDS IN BATHROOMS HAVE SEEN EQUAL WEIGHTING BEING PLACED UPON FUNCTIONALITY AND AESTHETICS. DESIGN TRENDS TEND TO COME AND GO, ALTHOUGH WITH THE CURRENT FOCUS ON INNOVATING UPON EXISTING KNOWLEDGE, THESE PRODUCTS AND STYLES HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE A MUCH LONGER LASTING IMPACT.

Hygiene and waste management will always be important features of any bathroom, which is where more than half of any average Australian home’s water usage can be found. However, current trends are tackling more than just the minimum practicalities: sustainable design, promotion of health, comfort and personalisation, digital and technological integration, and reducing maintenance are all issues being tackled in one way or another in contemporary bathroom design. Low Flow Fixtures: have a multifaceted appeal, centred on their environmentally sustainable and cost-saving features. Reducing water usage has the potential to also reduce gas or electricity bills, as less energy is required to heat less water. Furthermore, the design of low flow fixtures is such that it does not result in a reduced water flow, relying on higher pressure to keep consistent with what would be familiar. Heat Recovery Systems: are implemented for similar reasons as low flow fixtures. They operate by taking in excess heat, such as what would be present in bathrooms after a shower, and using that to warm vented air and thus supplementing mechanical needs. Not restricted to bathrooms alone, heat recovery systems are put into effect throughout the house as a holistic system.

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Intelligent and Rimless Toilets: look to improve on traditional toilet design in a number of ways. Intelligent toilets can come with heated seats, in-built bidet functions and motion sensors to lift the lid when you approach for increased comfort and hygiene, and some are even able to clean themselves. Rimless toilets on the other hand are a simple upgrade on the toilet’s traditional form, removing a common area for germs to grow and accumulate by changing the way they flush. Large Format Tiles: are being recognised for aesthetic and practical reasons. Tiles themselves are rarely the site of problems within bathrooms, with the grout in between them typically developing mould over time where there is frequent moisture exposure. By removing the need for grout, large format tiles promote cleaner, more health-conscious bathrooms. Standalone and Integrated Bathtubs: may seem like a gratuitous use of space, and bathing may certainly be an activity that few people have the luxury of time for. However, the popularity of bathtubs signifies a shift in mindset, with bathroom spaces no longer simply being the utilitarian spaces for everyday cleaning regimens and instead demonstrating value as private spaces for relaxation.

Linear Drains: represent a more practical choice in drainage. While traditional drains need multi-directional grading to ensure proper shedding of water, linear drains require only a single gradient fall. Simpler installation is paired with more readily accessible shower spaces without the need for a step up, and a seamless ability to blend in with the angles of a space. Far from being innovation for innovation’s sake, these products have all been designed for practical as well as aesthetic purposes. Whether that be for improving health, offering comfort and customisation, intelligent technological integration, reducing maintenance or our impact on the planet more broadly, trends that look to improve quality of life for the end user are here to stay. To find out more about Form and Function: Current Trends in Bathroom Design, download the free whitepaper here.

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Insulated concrete forms

728AX

Sliding, bi-folding, and hinged louvre shutters

Recycled plastic panels

729AX

Custom-made commercial shutters

750AX

Timber and aluminium

730AX

Interior and exterior commercial shutters

751AX

Aluminium composite panel

731AX

Fire rated glazing

732AX

Fire rated shutters

733AX

Australasian Timber Flooring Association

734AX

Heated wood flooring

735AX

736AX

WINDOW FURNISHINGS

FIRE PROTECTION

floors & flooring

heating Infrared outdoor heating

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J U L / AU G 2 0 1 7

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HAFELE MX DRAWER SYSTEM Time and space are two of life’s luxuries; now Häfele have their new MX drawer system that let you make the most of both. The MX drawer system brings life to you through the smooth, elegant movements and wide variety of high-end features. With its soft close drawers and an elegant and smooth runner that keeps the tracks hidden, the MX has several, attractive side options from rails to a variety of cutlery inserts making your ordinary drawers look extraordinary. When designing the MX drawer system, Häfele has kept every design stage in mind from the Designer to the Installer and, finally, to your Customer, making a streamlined system to design with and install. Premium German engineering provides the signature sleek movement and is the perfect solution to any storage situation. www.ideasforliving.com.au Darren Palmer Interior Designer, TV Presenter & Author

744AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

MONIER TILES DELIVER OUTSTANDING GLOSS RETENTION C-LOC™ Colour Lock Technology is our latest generation in coating. Exclusive to Monier, it retains its gloss for even longer than any other concrete or metal product so your roof maintains its appearance for longer. Monier are committed to best in class product quality and testing. After 2,000 hours of independent accelerated weathering testing, results showed standard COLORBOND® steel loses 98% of its gloss – meaning your metal roof will lose its sheen and visibly change sooner. This colour change results from gradual surface degradation caused by exposure to the harsh Australian sun. C-LOC™ coated concrete tiles: • 8x better gloss retention than COLORBOND® Steel • Won’t rust or corrode • Concrete tiles get stronger with age • Environmentally friendly low VOC coating • Provides thermal insulation Monier C-LOC™ Technology is available on our Atura, Horizon and Colour Through Concrete tiles; ensuring your home looks better for longer. Learn more..

723AX

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ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

21/7/17 9:21 am

J U L / AU G 2 0 1 7

I N FO L I N K - B P N

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ALU SELEKTA: CLAD WITH SKY-HIGH CONFIDENCE Urbanline’s new Alu Selekta cladding combines timber’s natural beauty with a solid aluminium extruded profile that complies with the NCC and the Australian Standard AS1530. It doesn’t burn or contribute to the spread of fire – and comes with lowmaintenance durability, built for Australian climates. A truly realistic timber alternative, each panel boasts a random computer-generated pattern, ensuring a unique, natural appearance. Add the safety and strength of aluminium and you have the perfect choice for urban high rises and buildings in bushfire rated areas. For cost-effective smarts, it’s also designed to pair with Urbanline’s popular timber composite, Euro Selekta. Match the colours of Dark Cedar, African Ebony or Silver Oak to their Euro Selekta counterpart for a seamless monochromatic style, or mix and match for eye-catching contrasts and patterns. Lightweight and easy to work with, Alu Selekta is deceptively tough: resistant to fire, wind, hail and rain. Its reflective properties make it a natural energy efficient insulator, keeping buildings warm in winter and cool in summer. It’s a dream for designers, builders, installers, owners and occupiers – all wrapped up in one strong, stylish, safe package. Order your free sample or find out more. Phone 1300 658 638 Email sales@urbanline.com.au urbanline.com.au

730AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

UNIQUE FLUSH PLANK APPEAL OFFERS COMPLETE DESIGN FREEDOM Along with offering simple installation with no mess or fuss, Trespa® Pura provides high impact and weather resistance to withstand the test of time. With no ongoing maintenance, the exciting timber décor and solid range offers a complete exterior solution. Phone 1300 881 712 www.hvgfacades.com.au

727AX

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ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

21/7/17 9:21 am

J U L / AU G 2 0 1 7

I N FO L I N K - B P N

SPECIFY HÄFELE & HIDEAWAY: A STRONG PARTNERSHIP Hideaway Bins available from Häfele are ideal for use as a hidden storage solution within any area of your home - kitchen, bathroom, laundry...anywhere. Three intelligently designed ranges are available, offering a simple and stylish space-saving solution. A Hideaway® Bin is a practical solution that slides away inside the cabinet and is completely hidden from sight until needed. The bins are designed to be mounted at bench height and pull out towards you, allowing easy use without bending into low cabinets. Units are also easy to clean and maintain, providing the customer with an easy solution for disposing of waste and keeping their home organized. Between the three ranges available the customer is sure to find a solution for their home. The HIDEAWAY® SOFT CLOSE RANGE is fitted with soft close runners, allowing a smooth and controlled close. The bin also has a friction-fitted lid to seal in odours, which is treated with an antibacterial powder coating for a hygienic storage solution. The HIDEAWAY® DELUXE RANGE has a friction-fitted lid to seal in odours, which is treated with a ClinikillTM. The units operate with manual open and close ball bearing runners. The HIDEAWAY® COMPACT RANGE is suitable for areas of limited space as well as offering price competitive options. The units operate with high quality, soft close ball bearing runners. For more information visit a Häfele showroom or go online to www.hafele.com.au | 1300 659 728 | info@hafele.com.au

741AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

MAFI TIMBER - ACHIEVING WOOD FLOOR STABILITY ON UNDERFLOOR HEATING Whilst underfloor heating is considered somewhat new in Australia, Mafi have been manufacturing and installing natural wood floors successfully over underfloor heating systems throughout Europe for over 40 years and in Australia for 10 years. To be successfully installed over underfloor heating, wood flooring should be of an exceptionally strong and stable construction and manufactured to the highest wood engineering standards. Mafi floors are guaranteed over underfloor heating - Superior three-layer construction ensures a perfectly balanced plank - Top and bottom layers consist of the same timber species enabling uniform expansion and contraction - Core layer consists of fast growing conifer running across the grain adding strength and minimising any additional stress - No warping or cupping - Glued directly onto the heated slab to maximise heat transfer - 100% chemical free - All-natural oil finish Mafi are a proud partner of the National Asthma Council of Australia’s Sensitive Choice Program.

735AX

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ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

21/7/17 9:21 am

J U L / AU G 2 0 1 7

I N FO L I N K - B P N

SPECIFY WIDE SPAN FIRE SHUTTERS WITH INTEGRATED DOORS FOR EGRESS Fire separation in buildings can often be restrictive to the designers want for open space, light and freedom. Standard fire rated products can often be restrictive in size and function. Greene Fire can provide design solutions with fire rated shutters of any size, integrating standard fire doors into the operable steel shutter. No other company can provide NCC and disabled access compliant fire doors in shutters. Open up space in your building design by removing fire walls and fire doors and making them operable. Designs are available in vertical, horizontal or side operating. We have a solution to solve any design challenge. Greene Fire has been operating in the fire engineered solution market within Australia since 2000, commencing with specialising in delivering fire curtain and smoke curtain solutions which has now evolved to include other specialist fire protective products and solutions. www.greenefire.com.au

733AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

DRAINAGE SYSTEMS AND COMPLIANCE OF REGULATIONS Minimum outlet size requirement is an important element of plumbing regulations as a drain with too small an outlet for wastewater will not be compliant. Load prescriptions are another vital aspect in construction standards related to drainage. For example, a drain with a pedestrian load classification could not be used for a project where the drain will be put under vehicle access – which varies from light to large vehicles. In such cases, even if the product itself is conforming, used in the wrong application, it will be deemed non-compliant and has the potential to jeopardise an entire project. Drainage systems should not only be able to withstand frequently occurring actions, but also ‘a number of extreme, but expected, events’. Access and mobility is also integral to the success of drainage systems. The Australian Standard Design for access and addresses a number of elements such as slip resistance or threshold access. As such, drainage systems can be designed to make areas completely accessible. Stormtech drains are fully compliant with a number of building codes, in particular Plumbing Code AS3500. With 25 years experience in architectural drainage, Stormtech have all products certified by Greentag and Level 2 Watermark to help with GreenStar credits. For more information visit our website www.stormtech.com.au

738AX

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ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

21/7/17 9:21 am

J U L / AU G 2 0 1 7

I N FO L I N K - B P N

SPECIFY

STONECOAT SPRAY LIGHTING THE WAY WITH FLOWING BEAMS Lighting is an important consideration but finding new dynamic ways to integrate it with other architectural elements can prove challenging. SUPAWOOD have adapted both their pre-finished Supaslat MAXI BEAM and ALUCLICK beam systems to include custom integrated LED lighting. Lighting can be applied to beams which morph from horizontal to vertical alignment, twist, curve and turn or joined at 45º. This gives you endless possibilities to create lighting which literally lights the way or illuminates key areas. You also have the option of support spans of up to 5m.

Stonecoat Spray is a pure acrylic bound textured wall coating that is suitable for decoration and protection of all wall surfaces and ceilings. The spray is highly decorative, providing a natural stone finish in 32 natural colours and is suitable for full interior and exterior application. Supplied ready mixed and ready to use, the spray is touch dry in 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on weather conditions, and hard dry in 48 hours. It is applied in a two-coat process through a gravity fed low-pressure spray gun and has excellent adhesion to almost all building surface substrates. The spray is graded to 1-2 mm in pure natural colours and unlike traditional pigmented textured finishes, won’t fade or discolour.

SUPAWOOD beam products are now more adaptable than ever. Stonecoat Spray is a cost-effective wall coating that eliminates the need for primers, sealers, bonding liquids, and colouring agents.

www.supawood.com.au

721AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

722AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

BUILD ON WITH ENDLESS COLOUR EVER ART WOOD® SERIES Beautiful, Japanese made, timber alternative. Covet’s aluminium screens and cladding sets a new benchmark in naturallook timber alternatives. Designed with excellent weather resistance, and performs well to Australian fire standards. Available in a selection of profile sizes, cladding panels, textural surfaces, and unique installation options. +61 3 9398 8128 wecovet.com.au

724AX

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ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

Colour is all around us, providing an infinite palette of inspiration for architects, designers and building owners. With LYSAGHT YOURCOLOR™ custom colour you can turn this inspiration into reality on your next building project. Working with BlueScope, the manufacturer of COLORBOND® steel, Lysaght is now able to supply its range of premium roofing and walling products in an almost limitless spectrum of custom designer colours. These LYSAGHT® steel products are all manufactured from 100% Australia COLORBOND® steel. In addition to a standard range of 22 pre-approved custom colours Lysaght can provide a colour matching service to almost any colour you choose to specify. For information www.lysaght.com

726AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

21/7/17 9:27 am

J U L / AU G 2 0 1 7

I N FO L I N K - B P N

SPECIFY CLINIMIX® PROGRESSIVE THERMOSTATIC MIXERS – THE COMPLETE TAPWARE SOLUTION FOR INFECTION CONTROL The CliniMix® Progressive Thermostatic range has been specifically designed to address current concerns on issues such as infection control, hand hygiene and scald protection.

719AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

RESILMOUNT SOUND ISOLATION SYSTEMS Resilmount Isolation Mounts and Hangers are designed to break the structural path of noise and vibration transmissions between walls and ceiling cavities. Combined with standard wall and ceiling assemblies, they work to attenuate structure-borne and airborne noises.

718AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

AUTOMATIC BOOM GATE RANGE IS SUITABLE FOR ALL COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PREMISES Rotech manufactures the Sentinel Australian made boom gates and supplies a comparable range of imported boom gates to fill the need for special applications. .

740AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

ICONIC COMMERCIAL SHUTTERS FROM OPEN SHUTTERS Suitable for both use in interior and exterior applications, the Iconic Commercial wood shutters available in a range of applications including tracked bi-fold, hinged, hinged with locks, sliding/hinged and hinged/bi-fold.

751AX

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ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

VITRACORE G2: DTS, BCA COMPLIANT, NON-COMBUSTIBLE ALUMINIUM COMPOSITE PANEL Visually, Vitracore G2 is the same as a traditional composite panel; but what makes it different is the technology of the core, which is constructed from a 100 percent aluminium structure rather than combustible material.

731AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

OVER BONNET STORAGE CABINET RANGE FROM STOREBAY Placed at the head of a car space, the Over Bonnet Storage Cabinet range from StoreBay maximises available storage space whilst not impeding your available parking space.

743AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

SOUNDLAG® COMPOSITE ACOUSTIC PIPE LAGGING From Pyrotek, is the reinforced aluminium Soundlag®, Pipe Lagging System. Developed to reduce noise break-out, the product is made from mass loaded flexible vinyl noise barrier bonded to a decoupling layer.

716AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

COASTAL SHUTTERS BY LOUVRETEC Designed to operate in the harshest of conditions, LouvreTec’s Coastal Series of Sliding, Bi-folding, and Hinged Louvre Shutter systems maintain a contemporary aesthetic ideal for any design.

749AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

21/7/17 9:29 am

J U L / AU G 2 0 1 7

I N F O L I N K -B P N

SPECIFY FIRE RATED GLAZING Smoke Control’s Visioneering range of fire rated glazing systems are ideal for all types of buildings including offices, shopping centres, residential apartments, warehouses, hospitals and aged care facilities.

732AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

SCREENWOOD MODULAR ACOUSTIC SYSTEMS FOR NEW AND EXISTING INTERIORS Screenwood Acoustic Systems are the ideal systems for both new and existing interiors to maximise sound absorption. They are designed for use on walls and ceilings where echo reduction is critical to the amenity of the room

717AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

ECO FRIENDLY INFRARED OUTDOOR HEATING SOLUTIONS FROM SOLAMAGIC Solamagic provides a range of Australian made infrared outdoor heaters for a wide variety of domestic and commercial applications. These are available in the Compact Series, Combination Series and All-In-One Series.

736AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

CAPRAL HUB APP Acting as an extension to the Capral Aluminium website, ‘HubApp’ is an online database that pulls together building systems products from Capral’s comprehensive range for professionals on the go.

745AX

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ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

GARAGESAFE OVERBONNET STORAGE The over-bonnet storage unit is large enough to fit recreational and personal items such as golf clubs or surfboards, but expertly designed to not impinge on your car park space.

742AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

BESPOKE FORMWORK SOLUTIONS Since its inception about 20 years ago, Ezytube has become a leader for innovative formwork solutions, creating bespoke formwork for buildings, shopping centres, sporting stadiums, carparks and more.

746AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

SANISPEED GREY WATER PUMP Available from Saniflo, Sanispeed is a small bore grey water pump for use in light commercial situations like an office kitchen sink, small café, or hairdressing salon.

739AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

FAÇADE SERIES COMMERCIAL SHUTTERS For a long-lasting façade solution that improves commercial buildings energy efficiency, Shutterflex offers the façade series commercial shutters. The façades are custom-made to fit any opening and are available in a range of complementary colours.

750AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

21/7/17 9:29 am

J U L / AI G 2 0 1 7

I N FO L I N K - B P N

SPECIFY BUILDA PANELS AND PLASPANEL Plaspanel® are strong yet lightweight flat panels manufactured from 100 percent recycled plastic. The durability of the product makes it perfect for outdoor and high traffic areas and uses.

729AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

BILLI QUADRA: PREMIUM INSTANT FILTERED BOILING AND CHILLED DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS Leading the Billi range, the Quadra boiling and chilled drinking water systems are space saving, efficient and elegant. The functional style is designed for high use and meets green building design principals.

737AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

ATFA – AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER FLOORING ASSOCIATION The Australasian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA), suitable for contractors and manufacturers, suppliers and retailers, is the professional and peak national body for the timber flooring industry. They offer high profile and brand exposure.

734AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

QWICKBUILD® FRAMING SYSTEM FOR DECKING, TILES AND TURF PROJECTS The QwickBuild structural framing system is ideal for commercial and residential exterior installations over concrete slabs, existing tiles or pavers, natural ground or as a floating floor solution over waterproof membranes.

747AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

SMARTJOIST OFFERS THE LONGEST SPANS IN MARKET

DOMESTIC INSULATED CONCRETE HOMEFORMS

SmartJoists are an I-joist with the longest single span rating in Australia. Holes for services and plumbing can be pre-cut from the layout, providing accuracy and peace of mind for the builder.

ZEGO’s domestic insulated concrete forms are available in a variety of sizes and are suitable for applications up to BAL-29, including walls with window and door openings.

748AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

728AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

LUNAWOOD® FOR PROVEN ENDURANCE

NATURAL FROM WEATHERTEX

Founded in 2002, Lunawood is the leading producer of thermowood globally and is considered a leader in the field for manufacturing, sales and quality. Their products can be bought as sawn timber and planed, profiled premium products.

The Weathertex Natural range provides the look of organically textural timber showing all the knots, cracks and grooves. It can be installed without staining, oiling or coating, leaving the product to ‘silver off’ and lighten over time.

720AX

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ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

725AX

ARCHITECTUREANDDESIGN.COM.AU/PRODUCTS

21/7/17 9:21 am

viega.com.au/About-us

1,500,000 SQFT OF PREMIUM WORKING CONDITIONS. Thanks to a fast, safe and easy to install piping system. In the construction of a large-scale project like The Squaire in Frankfurt, you not only count on the highest quality but also the highest efficiency: a combination effortlessly delivered by Viega. Our high-grade piping systems Sanpress Inox for drinking water and Prestabo for heating installations offer maximum reliability and can be installed with minimum effort. Viega. Connected in quality.

The Squaire, Frankfurt, Germany ÂŠ Architects: JSK; Photographer: HG Esch Photography

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13.10.164:03 09:22 19/7/17 pm

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8402 AFS InfoLink, LW RW back page advert.qxp_Layout 1 20/6/17 4:06 pm Page 1

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