WAN AWARDS 15 Sustainable Buildings

This project is predominately a specialist care facility for aged homeless and co-located with specialist accommodation for younger people with intellectual disability.

Design principles:
1. Cradle to cradle concept for the choice of materials
2. Long life loose fit
3. Adaptable building.
4. Re-use

Some projects simply do not have the budgets to devote to even simple active systems.
When material choices for the building are simply the cheapest available even with the arguments of payback periods do not work when there is no additional money.
Regulation determine the minimum room and circulation spaces , door widths , safe work practices.
The most must be made out of minimum materials and working at the interface between climate and habitation.

Planning for Climate Change

Climate Change in the Melbourne region is predicted to have:
o Increased average summer temperatures and longer dry spells
o Reduced total rainfall
o Increased rainfall during storm events
o More extreme weather events
o More dry days

Our approach here is to choose large roof areas for shade area and rainwater harvesting delivered large capacity storage tanks. Roof areas were designed to retro fit solar panels if funding became available. Spaces above ceiling and below floor allows for access to adapt services.

Central to the planning in this project is the concept of no internal circulation. It is a radical departure from the normal and we have been using it successfully over the last 25 years. It was introduced to provide the resident a more healthy physical and social environment.

In addition saves in construction costs and provides greater access to light and ventilation over a typical double loaded plan. Further reducing the amount of internal conditioned space saving approximately 10% pa of the energy bills.

Material Selection
Timber (renewable / carbon sink) was chosen for the major construction material, minimum concrete was used sheet steel roofing and polycarbonate selected for its effect and cost effectiveness.
Bricks were reused from demolition and useful buildings retained.

Expression
This type of resident needs familiar and supportive environments to create an enabling environment. Rather than try and create the archetypical home we endeavoured to create a familiar place stripping back to key familiar and recognisable features with familiar material. In a minimalism that could be more akin to Cubism or Expressionism with the less important elements forming the rough canvas of the back ground.