The retrofitted fibro cottage gets top honours at the recent Solar Decathlon in China.
September 5th, 2013
Not only have the 51-strong team from University of Wollongong, Australia beaten 20 other finalists from around the world to place first in the engineering, solar and architecture categories, they also hold the highest score ever awarded in any Solar Decathlon. A team from South China University of Technology came in second while one from Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology came in third.
The prestigious global competition, also known as the ‘Energy Olympics’, is the largest sustainable building research and innovation competition in the world, which sees teams designing, building and operating net-zero energy, solar-powered houses.
This is the first time that an Australian team has been selected to compete in a Solar Decathlon, which has been held in Datong, China since 2002.
With the Illawarra Flame House project, the students have taken a humble 1950s suburban fibro home – known to be notoriously high in thermal losses – and made it energy neutral.
The retrofitted house has been made more air-tight, and features enlarged windows and verandas, vertical gardens, a photovoltaic thermal air system and a rainwater harvester.
The team has also considered comfort and style in designing the Illawarra Flame House, using sustainable materials such as Instyle’s collection of fabrics on recycled furniture.
Click here to view videos of the project, and visit illawarraflame.com.au for more information.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
Le Coq Wine & Bistro, Taikooli by RooMoo offers a twist on the usual restaurant and bar experience. Visitors to the Shanghai venue can explore the process of wine production through a reinterpreted spatial design.
Bellevue at the Oberoi Amarvilas gives guests the opportunity to enjoy an uninterrupted view of the Taj Mahal along with fine food and refined ambience.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
From the trailblazer of Spanish industrial design comes a new collection of recycled rugs – a powerful exploration of the concept of waste, a keen celebration of imperfection, and a new underfoot symbol of responsible design.
Art, design, architecture and hospitality all combine perfectly at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne by BAR Studio and Cottee Parker.