Synopsis

• High levels of thermal comfort all year round without the requirement for air conditioning.
• Indoor outdoor living in all seasons.
• Microclimate landscaping as environmental conditioning.
• Rationalised economical construction.
• Low maintenance and stylish materials and finishes.
• LED lighting
• Heated floors
• PV power generation

Client Breif

The key request from the client was for a casual, indoor/outdoor open country lifestyle and for the house to embrace a garden or natural bush in every direction.

This was to be environmentally sustainable and provide comfortable conditions in all seasons as well as providing a safe refuge during extreme weather. Low maintenance and long life materials were essential.

Urban Design & Context

The new very contemporary home was carefully designed to be sympathetic to the historic Heaton Lodge. A rhythm of carefully scaled voids and solid forms was developed to reflect the scales of the adjacent historic building.

The client agreed with her architect’s recommendation to lower the house by one and a half metres of additional excavation so that it related sympathetically to the historic house alongside.

A small palette of natural materials were used that would express a sympathetic composition of textures for both the bush setting and the neighbouring historic residence.

Structure

• Steel portal frames.
• Reinforced concrete slab on ground with deep perimeter beams.
• Deep timber stud framed steel clad walls and roof with massive insulation.
• Colorbond metallic steel sheeting external cladding.
• Feature external cladding to front of house comprising natural timber veneered Prodema panels imported from Spain.
• Hardwood verandahs.
• Floors: Electrically heated.
• Glazing: Veridian Low E tinted glass.
• Rainwater storage: 20,000L
• Renewable power generation: Roof mounted PV panels.
• Bushfire seals to external sliding doors and windows.
• Vortex shedding verandahs and pergolas.
• Airflow design of overall massing for resilience in high wind conditions.

Enviornmentally Responsive Design

• Low embodied energy construction and demand energy design.
• Microclimate gardens and courtyards.
• Natural materials and finishes were also carefully chosen for their stylish quality and for having high performance qualities providing low maintenance as well as resilience to deal with the extreme climatic range of Mudgee.
• The house provides comfortable thermal conditions all year, including during i extreme weather, ranging from the extreme depth of winter to the searing heat of summer, without the need for air conditioning. The home has also been designed with a bushfire resilience capability.
• Natural ventilation is able to be provided in all weather and seasons.
• Steel portal frame construction to provide economic, rationalised construction processes that would deliver the house on budget.
• Conceived as a collection of linked pavilions around courtyards and gardens, the home creates a series of microclimates that contribute to modifying the internal temperature for different seasons and weather conditions.
• The two main pavilions are linked by an enclosed passage that bridges across a large pond, the cooling breezes across which contribute to the cooling of the house. This link has large sliding walls each side that open onto the pond.
• The house incorporates heated concrete floors throughout with the walls and roof being massively insulated.
• Structural steel is painted with a nano technology protective coating that provides a 30year life between repainting periods.
• Other features incorporated into the house are a natural quietness during high winds as well as the strength to withstand extreme cyclonic winds. The home also benefits from having bushfire resilience features imbedded in the design.
• Water tanks containing a 20,000 litre capacity are hidden under the verandahs, both to save space on site as well as keeping the water cool and out of the sun.
• Roof mounted PV panels provide ample power for the electric floor heating as well as the lighting.
• Dimmable LED lighting installed throughout provides comfortable and varied illumination suitable for all spaces and completely devoid of glare.

Context

The project was designed in response to the master plan for Jeddah introduced by the planning authorities to maintain the integrity of the historic city of Jeddah while providing for increasing housing demand through population growth.

Architectural Design Goals

Exploring the design strength and potential of contemporary design, the values of traditional Arabic built forms were expressed through the following design principles:

• Simplicity and elegance providing controlled rhythm for decorative elements.
• Use of natural materials with terracotta cladding system and screens matching the local limestone and colours of Jeddah townscape.
• Decorative opportunities were identified for the detailed design of the terra cotta screens to compliment the balcony gardens attached to each apartment.
• Significant areas of solid massing balanced with sheltered, protected zones for openings providing privacy and shade.
• High levels of amenity for residents through low demand energy design and minimised carbon footprint.
• Close integration of engineering design with architectural design.
• Microclimate design to modify climate impact on residents.

ESD

• High thermal mass reinforced concrete structure and through walls.
• High standard of internal environmental amenity.
• Layered terrace-cotta façade for control of solar load.
• Cooling cycles via night purging and thermal lag of concrete structure being exposed to cool night air.
• Ground coupled air conditioning using water table thermal mass for cooling.
• Services access and installation located in dedicated zones behind layered façade with dedicated and accessible riser zones.

Microclimate Design & Landscaping

• Irrigated (recycled & treated water) landscaping protected by dual terracotta screens.
• Each apartment provided with double height terraces plus for landscaping including vertical planting.
• Solar load shielding with ventilated facades.
• Landscaping shielded by layered terracotta screens creating climate modifying microclimates for all apartments.

Construction System

Conventional reinforced concrete frame (post tensioned slabs), steel sub-frame supporting terracotta claddings and screens.

Services Access

Access for all levels located behind façade claddings with duct riser zones and dedicated service elevator.

Maintenance

• INegligible maintenance. Use of natural full body colour materials, namely terra cotta panels, baguettes and screens.
• Materials selected to withstand long term abrasion from sandstorms.
• Solar load shielding with ventilated facades.