http://www.youtube.com/user/oakwoodozCategory: Blogging
Smart insulation strategy: One of Australian Living’s keys to sustainable success!
by AliceM
28/06/2010 http://krabiagents.multiply.com/
Australian Living is leading the way forward by using smart insulation strategies to assist in achieving an eight star home (equivalent for thermal comfort) as part of the Australian Living Eco-Challenge in Rose Bay NSW.
Cameron Rosen owner of Australian Living explains. “From the outset, insulation was to play a key role in assisting us to design our eight star home (for thermal comfort). Working closely with a thermal comfort assessor, wKrabi Property Agentse determined what insulation strength we required to achieve our sustainable goal. We also determined where we needed to insulate so we decided to insulate under the concrete slab, internal and external walls, under the first floor slab and the roof.”
Cameron continues, “Another goal was to maximise floor space. We then went on a global search to find the best insulation for our needs. We were looking for insulation that, not only met our required R (resistance) Value, was health aware, environmentally friendly and produced by a company who lives and breathes sustainability.”
After conducting a global search and review, Australian Living awarded the insulation contracts to Dynamic Composite Technologies (DCT) and Kingspan Insulated Panels. DCT are a major supplier of Kingspan insulation in Australia and are highly experienced in providing sustainable insulation solutions and were also able to supply Dow Styrofoam for under slab insulation. Kingspan Insulated Panels supplied the insulated roof panel system.
Rav De Silva from DCT comments “The attraction for DCT with the development in Rose Bay was an intension to design with the end in mind, that is, design a sustainable home that used sustainable building materials that assist in maintaining long term R-Values. Cameron challenges traditional building systems and it was important to spend time getting the details correct.”
Rav continues “For DCT it is a great opportunity to work on Australian Living’s development that will deliver energy efficiency without the sick home syndrome, our goals are complimentary with the stakeholders, that is, developing the knowledge to produce a solution.”
The thermal comfort assessment was performed by Graham Hunt working closely with Cameron to optimise the location of the insulation.
“We isolated the crucial living areas, sleeping and living, that need to be kept at optimum temperatures from service areas such as bathrooms that do not need such a high level of thermal comfort,” says Graham Hunt.
“The level of insulation used in this project is 2 to 2½ times that used in most new homes,” Graham observes. “As a result of this, combined with other crucial factors such as thermal mass and careful window design, the house should achieve comfort conditions with minimal additional heating or air conditioning.”
"Kingspan Insulation is very pleased to be associated with Australian Living. Kingspan Kooltherm K10 insulation was installed internally and externally to various wall configurations (concrete and timber frame) to dramatically improve the thermal efficiency of the homes, helping one of the homes achieve its 8 star equivalent thermal comfort rating. Australian Living are innovators in the home building industry and it's great to see a company thinking outside the box and developing true energy efficient homes.” says Steven Huxham, Kingspan Insulation.
To construct a home using these insulation solutions for a comparable cost to that of a traditional build, the key is to design and combine building material solutions that balance the scales for cost.
Cameron concludes, “We are using a Kingspan Composite Roof Panel which is more expensive than traditional roof sheeting and insulation. The benefits of a combined roof sheet and insulation panel, that spans great lengths, means that there are a lot less roof structural members giving us the ability to construct quicker and cheaper thus balancing the scales. You also gain more ceiling space which is an added bonus.”
About Australian Living
Australian Living is a Sustainable Building Management and Consultancy helping to promote and challenge the sustainable building industry.
Australian Living was incorporated by Cameron Rosen (B.Building UNSW) in 2008. Cameron has been building and renovating residential, retail and corporate premises since 1992.
Cameron has created a unique development called the Australian Living Eco-Challenge to challenge home owners and architects to design sustainable homes. The Australian Living Eco-Challenge also challenges suppliers to raise the bar when designing sustainable products and services. Situated in Rose Bay NSW, this pioneering development is comprised of four individually designed highly rated sustainable homes on one block of land. Each home is individually owned and each is designed by a different architect.
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/krabiagents/blog?page=2#ixzz0xa8tP9Jo
No comments:
Post a Comment