Airwaves Quarterly Newsletter Edition 3

Project Showcase

Hastings Residence: The Steamy Details

In winter, the temptations of a long hot shower and the chance to heat ourselves through is a delicious distraction. We cherish the comforts of a luxurious soak and the relaxation it brings.

As we loiter a little longer in the colder months, it pays to keep a weather eye on the impact excess moisture can have in our bathrooms, and in our homes, more broadly.

Australian interior designer, Heather Schwarz knows this challenge all too well, and tackles it head on in the recent renovation of her own family bathroom.

Design projects often have multiple priorities, and the Hastings Residence is no exception. Aesthetics, function and creating a low-maintenance space all come into play. And underpinning this project is Schwarz’s primary concern to provide a comfortable, functional bathroom to support her son, Joshua’s special needs. Joshua lives with balance issues and his comfort and safety require thoughtful, stream-lined design and plenty of room to move freely.

The success of the project lies in Schwarz’s flair for nuanced design and the ability to intertwine stylish contemporary finishes with important functional elements. With a strong understanding of smart supportive spaces and Joshua’s individual needs, Schwarz set about creating a bathroom which would ‘wow’ as well as work.

The Project

While the existing bathroom needed functional modification, Schwarz’s interior design background means capturing a fresh contemporary aesthetic is always front of mind. The Hastings Residence Project achieves its lofty design goals as well as delivering a positive user experience for Schwarz’s son.

Client requirements

• • Spacious layout to accommodate son and carer (or wheelchair if required)
  • Need to avoid glass in favour of more robust structures
  • Removal of any hazardous sharp edges and corners
  • Open floor plan with no obstructions
  • Healthy, well-ventilated space

Design preferences

• • Soothing tonal colour palette
  • Contemporary styling
  • Clean lines and streamlined forms
  • Sleek floor-to-ceiling finishes

Ventilation solution

• • Large window for cross-ventilation, natural breezes
  • Fanco Hybrid 250 Round Ceiling Exhaust Fan (white)

On the practical side, Schwarz recognised the need to remove excess moisture from the space to deter mould growth and achieve a healthy, low-maintenance bathroom environment. After extensive research, she selected the whisper-quiet Fanco Hydrid exhaust fan with its sleek modern styling, combined with generous cross-ventilation to protect this stunning bathroom upgrade for years to come.

Heather is adamant that supportive spaces for special needs do not require a soulless clinical feel. She resolved the bathroom design with care and elegance, to meet her son’s individual needs and achieve a stylish renovation the whole family can enjoy.

The last word

If you’re designing for your own family, or a client who requires accessibility support, there’s a lot to consider.

For more insights into how this project came together, watch our Interview with Heather Schwarz.

Photography: Jarrod Barnes

 An eye on the future.

Fanning the Pathway to NatHERS Success

Soaring energy bills and a growing interest in sustainability have fueled demand for cost-effective, low-energy homes in our communities.

And recent upgrades to the National Construction Code (NCC) in 2022 mean a comfortable, energy-efficient new home is not only in demand, it’s now law.

As a result of these changes, the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is commonly applied to ensure new houses and apartments achieve a minimum 7-star energy efficiency rating.

From 1 May this year, new homes should be:

• • Cheaper to heat and cool
  • More comfortable, and
  • More resilient in extreme weather

And the higher the star rating, the more affordable it is to maintain a comfortable living environment in your home.

So, what is the 7-star efficiency rating? And how do you achieve it?

The NatHERS assessment looks at your home design as a whole and uses a point system to assess the overall cost to keep your house or apartment comfortable year-round. A 7-star NatHERS rating can be reached by meeting a range of efficiency requirements.

The assessment considers significant elements such as siting your home, insulation, high performance windows and solar power.

But there are simple, cost-effective ways to ace the NatHERS requirements too, one of which is the addition of ceiling fans in each room. In fact, an article from Australian Building Codes Board, by NatHERS expert Dave Rochford highly recommends adding ceiling fans for NatHERS brownie points.

Here’s some more tips direct from the source.

Top Tips from NatHERS

Body: When planning for your new home’s 7-star energy rating, the following handy hints make it easy:

• • Perfect Placement and Zoned Living

Smart placement can make a world of difference. Position your home on your block to catch sun (if you live in a cool climate) or maximise shade (if you live in the tropics). Create zoned living areas in your home so heating and cooling stays where it’s needed. Doors at the end of corridors and stairs can be a valuable addition.

• • Better Glazing and Snug Insulation

Consider double or triple glazing. Also, window size, position and placement should suit your local climate. Customised glazing (versus standard models) can achieve a higher rating. Increase the R value of your floor, wall and ceiling insulation to score a higher energy efficiency rating. And make your home more comfortable.

• • Breeze Please and Smart Colours

Install ceiling fans in all living areas and bedrooms. This is a simple, yet affordable and significant way to reach 7-stars. It also improves homeowners’ comfort by circulating a gentle breeze, while keeping your cooling and heating costs down. Be cool with colours and unless you’re in an alpine region (NCC climate zone), select lighter colours for your roofing and external walls to score a higher rating.

Want to know more? Check out the full NatHERS advice sheet here.

Choosing ceiling fans for your 7-star plan?

Both AC and DC fans are super-efficient and cost as little as $10 per year to run with 24-hour operation on low speed. Plus, each Fanco model has a helpful energy calculator to see how much you can save.

Building for the future

Looking ahead, improved building regulations are great for us all. Better for the planet. Better for our communities. And better for your family.

Fanco is proud to be part of this refreshing change.

A world of design.

Sharing the airwaves love around, each edition, we’ll shine the spotlight on a design project deserving your attention. Projects making big moves. Gaining respect globally. Leading the way in innovation and sustainability.

This month, our team’s pick is Savonnerie Heymans Public Housing (Brussels, BELGIUM).

Soap Turned Social: Passive Housing and Urban Renewal

Savonnerie Heymans is a significant social housing project from MDW Architecture, savoring the history and complexity of its inner-city location, just a stone’s throw from Brussels’ spectacular central square, the Grand-Place.

Situated on a reclaimed soap factory site, this award-winning public housing development embraces renovation and renewal, delivering 42 low-energy residential units in a variety of sizes. The project embraces location, convenience and innovative approaches to energy efficiency and sustainability – as well as a respect for past land use and existing structures, which punctuate the design.

Notably, a soaring 40m industrial chimney stack provides a significant focal point and doubles as a ventilation shaft for underground carparking. A 19th century house and a postal relay are also woven into the overall plan.

What we love about this project

Delivering both lifestyle and sustainability, MDW Architecture incorporates glass-enclosed loggias throughout the project – essentially, fully enclosed indoor/outdoor areas retaining a patio feel with comfortable climate protection from bi-folding glass screens.

This distinctive feature throughout the development embodies bioclimatic design, reduces energy needs, and provides an acoustic buffer against inner-city noise.

It’s worth noting, the Loft building with advanced insulative properties has also attained passive status – an admirable achievement for a public housing project.

Where the project shines

• • Uses existing industrial structures
  • Loft building achieves passive status (< 15kW / m2 / year to heat)
  • Low-energy use throughout, collective heating (cogeneration)
  • Weather-tight spaces – interior and ‘exterior’ living areas
  • Natural insulation (hemp, cork)
  • Solar hot water, rainwater harvesting for toilets

Savonnerie Heymans blends natural materials and historic structures with new technology and cutting-edge design to create a comfortable inner-city residential precinct for a diverse mix of social housing candidates.

A new lease of life for this disused industrial site delivers a promising future for some of Brussels’ most vulnerable residents.

Find out more about Savonnerie Heymans Public Housing

(For the Francophiles among us, feel free to flex your French reading muscles on the MDW Architecture website here)

Need simple ways to reach the NatHERS 7-Star Energy Rating for your next project? Our expert ventilation team can help.

Get in touch

Thanks for reading! We hope you’ll join us for Issue 4 in November.

Airwaves is an exciting industry collaboration from Universal Fans X Fanco. A membership publication for Universal Fans industry partners, this unique resource is released quarterly, and showcases real-life projects demonstrating innovative approaches to air movement in residential and commercial spaces, cutting edge technology and inspirational design.

Our team are hard at work behind the scenes, collating and curating the best of the best from within Australia and around the globe.

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