Product
LowE Plus with Clear for highest clarity and visible light transmittance – while also excellent Insulation performance (low U-Value).
Specification
- Outer: 6mm Clear Toughened
- Spacer: 12mm Warm Edge + Argon Gas
- Inner: 6mm LowE Plus Toughened
Site Address
Brunswick, VIC 3056
Fabricator
Builder
Architect
Photos courtesy of
Challenge
Pooling resources with friends to develop three sustainable homes on a single Brunswick block delivered significant benefits when they resolved site and sustainability challenges.
The collaborators, all built environment professionals, contributed and shared their professional skills in order to realise homes for their own families and bypass Melbourne’s rocketing property prices.
Their design brief was to transform the block into high performance homes for the most accessible cost. A wider goal was to demonstrate that environmentally sustainable, well-designed density enhances the liveability and affordability of inner and middle ring suburbs.
Key challenges for collaborator architect Chris Gilbert, director of Archier architecture, included the project’s rigorous sustainability goals and its location between industrial and residential areas.
Solution
The Davison Collaborative challenges the conventional idea of residential living and replaces it with a design that promotes shared resources, interaction, and sustainable living. It’s a reflection of the group’s ethos, which aligns with the global move towards denser, more sustainable, and community-oriented living.
Their design turned the site’s position between Victorian and post-war brick warehouses and heritage homes to advantage with elements of both explored in the townhouses’ design and materiality.
To realise their sustainability goals, the collaborators integrated solar panels and batteries, insulated glazing and energy recovery ventilation systems. Electric heat pumps for hot water and hydronic heating also helped the homes achieve an 8+ out of 10 star NatHERS rating.
“We biased environmental performance over all else and designed within that framework,” Gilbert says.
A key highlight of the project, instrumental to its success, is its use of the Insulglass LowE Plus® Clear insulated glazing – a material at the forefront of energy efficiency and thermal regulation.
Insulglass LowE Plus® Clear is a top tier, dual sealed, insulated glazing unit (IGU), comprised of a Low Emissivity (LowE) glass and a clear glass separated by a warm edge spacer. Known for its exemplary thermal performance, it is designed to control heat transfer, making buildings more energy efficient, reducing emissions, and ultimately contributing to a lower carbon footprint.
The Davison Collaborative’s usage of this advanced glazing was a conscious choice – a strategic alignment of material innovation and design vision. Its LowE coating reflects the interior heat back into the building while deflecting the exterior heat during warmer months. This reduces the demand on artificial cooling and heating systems, thus leading to significant energy savings.
Beyond the sustainability aspect, the clear insulated glazing delivers on aesthetic and wellbeing levels. Insulglass LowE Plus® Clear’s high light transmission promotes natural daylight and maintains a clear visual connection with the outdoors. The glazing also reduces noise transmission, promoting comfort and tranquillity.
Winner: ArchiTeam Medal / ArchiTeam Awards
Commendation: Residential New / ArchiTeam Awards
Commendation: Residential Architecture/ The Design Files Awards
Commendation: Sustainability / Houses Awards
Shortlisted: New House Under 200m2 / Houses Awards
Longlisted: Dezeen Awards / Housing Project
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