Kingspan Water & Energy manufactured four round rainwater tanks to fit the new basement of a Victorian heritage house. The home was already using a 2,500-litre tank for watering the vegetable garden and flushing toilets. The round rainwater tanks were fabricated in corrugated steel and supplied with a galvanised finish.
For the contemporary, sustainable living project, S2 Design sought to maximise rainwater storage to fit into the new basement so that the residents achieved (almost) total water independence from the mains supply.
A detailed water study determined that the rainwater storage needed to meet the water requirements of a family of four, a large dog and an Australian-first 'roof farm', a fresh approach to sustainable inner city living and a new interpretation of permaculture.
A visually spectacular design in contemporary architecture, the 2015 project was also significant for its social, functional and environmental considerations.
Kingspan manufactured four made-to-measure round water tanks, each with a capacity of 10,850 litres (2.4m diameter x 2.4m high) to fit precisely within the constraints of the tight basement space. Kingspan’s tanks had a total capacity of almost 45,000 litres of rainwater to supply to the home and garden.
Key features of the rainwater tanks include flat tops on the steel tanks allowing more water storage than alternative tank types with domed or angled tops; and surface finish a perfect complement to the exposed galvanised finish of the building structure.
Prior to occupation, the household’s water needs were estimated at 150,000 litres per annum, plus an additional 30,000 litres for irrigation. Following the installation of Kingspan’s rainwater tanks, the household's current daily use of mains water is only around 6 litres per person solely for drinking and cooking with the four tanks serving all the remaining household water needs throughout the year.
The recently completed roof farm is anticipated to reduce rainwater capture and increase water usage, which will be monitored over the coming years.
