Armadale

Healthy Low Carbon Living

The design was inspired by a memorable experience watching Tasmanian lumberjacks chopping logs with axes.  The façade represents these deep chops  and bladework indentations into the solid billets of cross laminated timber from which the project would be built.   In this case they would be precision machined by CNC and provide privacy, sound buffering and shading for the apartments.  

It applies same structural logic developed for the Clayton Road project. Working with Rob Nestic of STFAB/TGA Engineers, the entire superstructure above the ground floor slab was designed in cross-laminated timber, including the core, stairs and boundary walls. There are no steel columns or beams anywhere in the structure above ground. By stacking panel walls and limiting floor spans, structural efficiency was achieved without transfer elements, maximising internal floor areas and daylight while minimising material use and embodied carbon.

The basement was designed efficiently for a tight site with extensive parking and services requirements. Vehicle stackers, a mezzanine level for storage and bicycles, and a separate services zone were coordinated within the retention structure. Access from the rear laneway required careful resolution with traffic engineers.

The zoning amendment process and the subsequent decision to develop the larger approved scheme required confident design leadership and close collaboration with the client, planning consultant, structural engineer and the full consultant team. Designing the documentation around a planning outcome that had not yet been formally adopted involved real risk management and a detailed understanding of the council process, which the successful outcome validated.

Sustainability and Passive House Performance

As with the Clayton Road project, Passive House Planning Package analysis was undertaken throughout the design process to verify that the envelope, glazing and systems specifications would achieve the performance targets. Thermal bridging calculations were prepared at every structural junction and coordinated with the CLT structural design to eliminate thermal bridging through the building envelope.

The all-CLT superstructure provides continuous insulation, inherent airtightness and a significantly lower embodied carbon profile than an equivalent concrete building. The CLT also performs as the finished interior surface in key areas, providing the warmth and natural material quality that distinguishes timber buildings from conventional apartment construction.

Cross-ventilated apartments with accessible gardens and north-facing aspects for natural light were maintained throughout the design revisions required by planning conditions, ensuring the passive design principles were not compromised by the process of obtaining and satisfying the permit.