I-SMART Building

High performing building with low running costs

hen a building designer designs their own residence they are free of all client constraints and requirements and can thus design the type of house they want, rather than W be bound by the requirements of someone else.

This was very much the case for Luke Kellett, Director of Kellett Design Group, when designing his own residence in Clarkside Court, Wanneroo.

THE TEAM

Phone: 6113 1988 www.ismart-bg.com.au

Phone: 9446 8860 www.kellettdesigngroup.com.au

“The main influence for me was the fact that I’ve lived in brick homes most of my life, and they are cold in winter hot in summer and pretty uncomfortable to live in year round,” Mr Kellett explained. “I wanted a high performing dwelling with low running costs we wanted to avoid high energy bills that are associated with common brick homes. “Also, we wanted to live in an allergy-free home (my partner suffers from bad hay fever), and this is achieved through the heat recovery ventilation unit which has pollen filters.” The main objective was to design a high performing dwelling on a modest budget, one which would perform to a high standard thermally but also be comfortable for occupants all year round. Low running costs were essential and the dwelling was required to fit into its surrounds and look like a traditional brick dwelling from the front elevation.

Park and lake views maximised One of the design challenges for Mr Kellett was to maximise the advantages of the beautiful views of a nearby park and lake, however in doing this it was critical to avoid any performance losses in the form of heat gains in summer.

This was achieved through high performance glazing, adequately designed shading and other small design changes that arose from the results of a PPHPP (Passive House Energy Assessment). This project is a fully certified Passive House Plus and is one of only two currently in Western Australia. Passive House, or Passiv Haus, is a voluntary code of construction that has the major objective of

providing a healthy and highly efficient living environment while drastically reducing the building’s ecological footprint. Mr Kellett also wanted to ensure the property could be subdivided in the future if required and so the dwelling was located to the north of the property with a driveway that can also serve to access any future subdivision. It was also important to take advantage of views of the garden to the south from the master bedroom, and the unusual shape of the block lent itself to achieving this.

Thermal imaging and air tightness testing I-SMART Building (trading under Emerald Building Solutions PTY LTD) group was the registered builder for this project. As this was a certified passive home I-SMART also carried out thermal imaging and air tightness testing regularly throughout the build process. They also gathered all relevant information and documentation prior to, during and after the completion of the project to facilitate the certification process.

The residence consists of three bedrooms, open plan kitchen, living and dining, two bathrooms, generous laundry, a theatre room and a double car garage. It is also carbon positive, currently producing around six times the energy it consumes.

I-SMART director, Brian Guinan, said this innovative project is the second of only two certified Passive House Plus homes built in Western Australia.

“It is a leading example of how architectural innovation combined with Passiv Haus Plus performance delivers efficient beauty amongst the metropolitan vanilla we have become all too familiar with,” he said.

“The home is modest in footprint but its high performance delivers a healthy, whisper quiet environment, comfortable indoor ambient temperatures, and extremely low pollutant indoor air quality, all delivered at extremely low running costs. “Built in under four and a half months and costing under $2,000sq/m, this home is a benchmark for Passive House affordability.”

Benefits of design and build process The many benefits of the house were achieved through utilising a number of attributes in the design and build process: ■ High performance bulk insulation to roof walls and floor ■ Thermally broken high performance double glazed windows ■ Pre-manufactured timber framed construction with no steel members, thereby eliminating thermal bridging ■ High performance Pro-Clima weather resistant barrier, with vapour permeable air barrier systems ensuring a healthy airtight structure ■ Inclusion of a Stiebel Eltron Heat Recovery Ventilation system ensuring 24-hour controlled and tempered air exchange ■ Detailed design process ensuring orientation optimisation, materials selection, structural value engineering and PHPP review (by KDG), and continuous improvement ensuring optimal performance within optimal cost efficiencies

Mr Guinan said there were not many challenges on this project as I-SMART have been building passive houses for over five years and are quite confident in their systems and processes.

“However if I were to indicate a challenge it would have to be the airtightness. The engineering requirement for additional tie downs throughout due to an N3 wind rating increased the challenges associated with air tightness.

“These were met through prior planning and a review process of the 3D imaging of the home which ensured this challenge was reviewed and risk managed. Solutions implemented on site went quite well resulting in a fantastic and compliant air tightness test result.”

Passive house experience Kellett Design Group is a multi-disciplinary practice that specialises in sustainable architectural designs and Passiv Haus designs. Director Luke Kellett holds a BSc in Architectural Design and a MSc in CAD and Construction. Mr Kellett is also a certified passive house designer. There are only two passive house plus residences in Western Australia and Kellett design group have designed both.

I-SMART Building Group are Perth’s premium Passive House builder. After much research and development they have designed a highly efficient pre-manufactured timber framed panel system, which is in line with AS 1684, facilitating maximum industry adoption potential with minimal risk potential. I-SMART have built four of the six certified Passive Homes in Western Australia, two of which are Passive House Plus. They pride themselves in providing a full Design and Build Solution for Passive House ensuring delivery of the most efficient homes available in the world in the most cost effective way in all of Australia.