The Darling Quarter precinct consists of two eight-storey buildings with around 55,000 square metres of office space designed in a campus-style formation to reactivate the precinct as a public space and encourage pedestrian flow into the area. The interior features a dramatic triple-height atrium as one of the central design elements of the project.

Horiso installed three solar control systems, integrated with motorised operation to effectively manage the buildings’ requirements. Horiso speciality timber blinds were selected for the western facade and installed internally. A unique tension blind system was developed for the atrium skylight ceilings and roller blinds were designed for the central atrium perimeter areas.

In total, 25,000 linear metres of timber venetian blinds were installed on the western side of the two building facades. The blind sections are synchronised and automatically tilt in response to the exact position of the sun throughout the day.

This Horiso control system is based on an intelligent motor controller pre-programmed with other building control requirements – including both the geographical location and physical orientation of the building’s curved design. It operates in conjunction with sun-tracking software that enables individual blinds to react to the variations of the sun’s angle throughout the year.

Case Study Download

Project details

Project: Darling Quarter

Owner: APPF Commercial

Architect: Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT)

Products: Speciality Venetian Blinds, Roller Shades, Shading Tension Systems

Location: Sydney, NSW

Awards:

  • 6 Star Green Star Office as Built version 3 rating
  • 6 Star Green Star - V2 Office Design certified rating
  • 5 Star NABERS Energy and Water Rating
  • Winner of the 2012 Urban Land Institute Awards
  • Asia Pacific Property Awards 2012