Platypus House

Architect

Builder

Interior Designer

Landscape Architect

Overview

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Features

Living Area

Photographer

Budget at time of build

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The Platypus is an energy conscious and environmentally aware exhibition home designed to demonstrate maximum comfort and quality of lifestyle with minimum energy requirements, so that it should not require heating or cooling in the Canberra environment.

The whole Strine team of architects, interior designer, landscape architect and builders work on all stages of the project. The design of the Platypus exhibition home features low energy consumption of water and electricity, high thermal mass construction, orientation and insulation service to cut lifecycle costs and maintain a pleasant internal environment.

The home is orientated with its longside facing North to allow maximum winter sun penetration and keep summer insulation to a minimum. A high level of insulation in the ceiling, external walls and footing cuts energy loss and costs to a minimum. Design features include; the use of Colorbond® corrugated steel not only as a roofing material but also for internal feature walls and ceiling, reverse brick veneer external walls, larger timber frame windows with bagged and painted full brick walls combined in a uniquely Australian manner.

Heavyweight construction of cavity brick walls and a concrete slab floor provide high thermal mass to store solar heat in winter. In summer large timber windows provide cross ventilation cooling.

• Floor: Earth coupled, exposed burnished concrete slab 200mm thick, with 50mm perimeter and edge insulation
• Walls: precast concrete sandwich panels, R3.9
• Roof: timber framed, steel corrugated roofing, plasterboard ceiling
• Glazing: Double glazing, uPVC frames U4.3, SHGC 0.6;
• Insulation: XPS to floor and walls; R6.0 fibreglass for ceiling/roof construction
• Sealing, air tightness: all floor/wall/ceiling joints, windows and doors are mastic sealed, all exhaust fans with auto-baffles: typical 3-5 AC/hr

• Electricity: 6kW 20 panel PV, grid connected
• Gas: LPG to auxiliary gas fireplace heater and gas cooktop
• Sewer: dual black and grey water pipe provision for possible grey water recycling
• Water: regulation 4000L rain water tank
• Hot water: heat pump electric
• HVAC, heating/cooling: ceiling fans to Main Bedroom and Dining Room; in slab electric heating to wet areas, Kitchen and Study; fresh air vent to fridge condenser coil
• Lighting: all LED