Clifton Hill Terraces is a dual townhouse development occupying the site of two previous dilapidated townhouses in the dense inner-city suburb of Clifton Hill. The dwellings sit side by side on two narrow blocks and offer beautiful sweeping views of Melbourne and the CBD.
The clients, a couple in their 60s who are passionate environmentalists and both have a professional and personal history of work in sustainable industries and activism, approached us in 2014 seeking a young Architecture practice to help realise their dreams of building two highly-sustainable, “eco-townhouses” one for themselves in retirement, the other for close friends and family.
The result are these two, 3-storey dwellings that have well exceeded the brief and expectations of the client, and are, for the most part, completely off-grid; a rarity for projects of this scale and this location.
Brief:
The project is located across two long, narrow blocks that run along a north - south axis and has a significant fall from the street side north frontage across the site. Uniquely, the clients owned both the two Victorian townhouses that previously occupied the project site, along with the house next door in which they had also lived in for many years.
Key to the brief was the aspiration for a new dwelling that they could both live in for the remainder of their lives that was light-filled, comfortable, powered almost completely off-grid and inherently social. The clients who had a very close-knit circle of friends and family who had lived in the area for a long time, and it was critical that the design of the house allowed for a strong sense of social connectivity, and the ability to entertain large groups.
Further to this, the clients had a sentimental attachment to the two Victorian dwellings that had been within the families for a long time. Due to significant movement on the site and the overall structural condition of the existing dwellings, they were beyond saving, but there was a clear brief to re-use as much as possible in the new design.
The critical drivers of the overall design for the project were:
- Maximising north solar access to all living spaces
- Stable, steady temperatures throughout the year without reliance on mechanical supply
- Recycled materials used as much as possible
- Locally sourced, low-embodied energy materials and fittings where not recycled
- Natural, cross flow ventilation to all major living spaces with careful consideration of window placement and openings
- Central, well designed living areas with good connectivity to the external
- Maximised views towards city
ESD Achievements:
- The self-sufficiency of the homes provides the opportunity to consume next to no resources from the grid. The dwellings are powered purely by electricity (no gas). Solar panels with 13.68KW battery for full supply of both dwellings (60% goes back to the grid)
- Recycled greywater system; 8 x 2000L rainwater tanks located below deck, along with 280 square metres of catchment area
- Passive design layout which maximised northern solar access, including the use of centralised courtyards which flow from the meals areas of both dwellings.
- South to north natural ventilation throughout all living spaces for night time purging. Careful consideration of wind patterns to maximise airflow throughout building.
- Cross flow ventilation throughout roof cavities with extractors.
- Generous eaves to north, east and west windows providing appropriate shading throughout the warmer months, whilst allowing sun at appropriate angles during winter.
- Reverse brick veneer construction throughout for thermal mass, steady temperature control throughout the year.
- Suspended, insulated concrete slabs throughout to Lower Ground and Ground floors.
- Tight building fabric, highly insulated to all internal and external walls and floors
- Low-E double glazing
- Timber window frames to north facing windows, Rylock, thermally broken window frames to south facing (upper floors)
- Recycled bricks from previously occupied dwellings of the site (used in the reverse brick veneer)
- Recycled timber flooring, and external timber cladding
- High WELS rating to all tapware
- Low energy LED lighting throughout
- Low VOC paints throughout
- Energy efficient appliances and Sanden Heat Pumps for hot water supply
- Luxaflex Duette honeycomb blinds to all windows provide additional insulation to the already tightly sealed double glazing throughout.
- Use of Weathertex cladding, a reconstituted timber cladding sourced from PEFC certified state forests or private hardwoods from controlled sources. The forest logs were chipped, pulped and pressed with 3% natural wax to make Australian natural timber products with no chemical additives.
- 80-90% of construction waste was diverted from landfill to recycling depots
