Designed to achieve a 9-star NatHERS energy rating, these low-rise apartments, made of tilt-slab construction and timber cladding, aim for the highest rating as possible – given the constraints of a major thoroughfare and requiring considerable insulation. Comprising 10 apartments over four levels, with a combination of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, these 9-star apartments share a communal first floor garden that’s orientated to the north.
Set with a steel frame with French wire, this external ‘skin’ will eventually be covered with deciduous vines that shed their leaves in winter to allow greater sunlight to permeate.
While the ground level apartments are single-storey, there are two-level apartments on the upper two levels (three and four). Varying in size from 45 square metres for a one-bedroom apartment to up to 120 square metres for the six three-bedroom dwellings, each one benefits from good solar northern light, cross ventilation, well insulated walls and double glazing. Plantation-grown timbers were also selected for this project. Steffen Welsch Architects worked closely with energy specialists, Low Impact Developments (LID) to achieve the desired rating.
Unusual in the scheme is the bike path that cuts a swathe through the property, allowing for direct access to the street beyond. Steffen Welsch Architects was as thoughtful when it came to designing the southern elevation of this development, creating a staggered façade that allows northern light into the neighbouring property, whether it remains as a detached home, or, like this development, is transformed into apartments – a trend that is becoming more widespread along St Georges Road given its proximity to the tramline that leads directly into the city.
Text by Stephen Crafti
