Clyde Mews consists of eight dwellings including six double storey, family-centric townhouses and two units, ranging in size from one to three bedrooms.
This project is the development of two traditional Thornbury housing blocks into medium-density housing. It provides an alternative model to the usual car-centric development of this type. Instead, it delivers a model that prioritises the development of community, shared amenity, sustainability and landscape. The dwellings have also been designed to maximise the site’s orientation to provide energy and water-efficient residences that are sustainable, comfortable and affordable.
SUSTAINABILITY
Water efficiency
The Clyde Mews development is equipped with a 30,000 litre underground rainwater storage tank that collects and stores water from the rooftops. This water is then used to flush toilets, fill washing machines and irrigate the communal gardens.
All dwellings feature water – and energy – efficient appliances, taps, showerheads and toilets.
Native plants are prominent throughout the Clyde Mews common areas and gardens, which are heat resistant and drought tolerant.
Solar power
Each Clyde Mews home is equipped with Canadian Solar photovoltaic solar panels, complete with Fronius solar inverters and monitoring system with a capacity between 1 to 3 kilowatts depending on the dwelling.
Sustainable and Recycled Materials
Clyde Mews is constructed using a variety of refurbished and recycled materials; from the timber board-walk made of recycled railway sleepers, to the communal mailboxes made using reclaimed bricks.
The outdoor timber decking of each dwelling is built using sustainably harvested timber.
Some dwellings also feature a reclaimed timber beam which provides structural support for the staircases and acoustic felt panels made from 60 percent recycled PET plastic, which are both decorative arid functional, absorbing noise and reducing sound reverberation within Clyde Mews.
Passive Heating and Cooling
Clyde Mews incorporates various passive design features, so each dwelling requires minimal energy to achieve optimal living temperatures. Utilising a range of passive heating and cooling techniques, each home features:
- High thermal mass exposed concrete flooring embedded with R2.0 thermal insulation, which absorbs sunlight during the day and releases it slowly at night, ensuring a comfortable living temperature in winter. In summer, the concrete leverages the naturally cooler temperature of the earth to reduce the impact of heatwaves.
- Cross-ventilation encourages natural cooling in summer months by increasing air flow and allowing hot air to escape. This minimises any need for mechanical cooling, reducing energy consumption for residents.
- Pitched roof design, with high sloping ceilings on select dwellings that not only creates a visual point of interest, but helps regulate internal room temperatures during warmer months. Angled ceilings also feature openable roof vents to allow hot air to escape.
- All windows (except louvre windows) are double-glazed, increasing insulation within the dwellings.
- Extensive pergolas and awnings, providing a framework for vines to spread and form a lush canopy, which in the summer provides shade, and in the winter months loses its leaves, allowing the sun to warm each dwelling.
