A mixture of BAL-FZ and BAL-40 windows and doors were custom made for this residential property on the NSW Central Coast. Where the bush meets the sea, the building on a sloping block of land with high wind exposure and high bushfire levels together with being somewhat remote, created a formidable challenge.
Architect Michaela Moore of Moore Design and builder Bob Gaden from RD & MR Gaden Builders worked closely with the owners to achieve their dream home. Bushfire shutters did not fit into the design, and this is where Paarhammer windows and doors came in.
The Bushfire Safe Range of Paarhammer products has been tested, approved and compliant to all relevant Australian Standards: BAL-40 tested to AS1530.8.1-2007, BAL-FZ tested to AS1530.8.2-2007, and both comply with AS3959-2009 and AS3959-2018.
Paarhammer Bushfire products were tested for 30 minutes to 850 degrees Celsius and had to keep their integrity for another 60 minutes without letting fire or even heat through. The testing facility can only test to the limited size of 2400mm by 2400mm; therefore, some of the products used in this residence had to be redesigned and reengineered to comply with the Australian Standards without compromising the architectural design too much.
A big positive surprise for the owners was that these windows and doors are also very energy efficient and provide for comfortable living without much temperature fluctuations between day and night or hot and cold. Not only are they double glazed, but they also seal extremely well and stop draughts.
Some of the double-glazed items are very large and had to be pre-assembled in the manufacturing facility, then dismantled and sent to the site in NSW where they were assembled again and installed into the building.
All Paarhammer products were made to millimetre accuracy and include large lift-slide sliding doors, angled clerestory windows that meet the roofline, tilt & turn windows, fixed panes, and a circular window to highlight the closeness to the ocean.
Manilkara Bidentata is the timber used for the Paarhammer Bushfire Safe Range and it is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. This timber is extremely dense and hardwearing as well as self-extinguishing. When left natural, it has a reddish colour; in this case, the frames were stained with Cutek wood preservative to achieve a fashionable black look.
Project credits
Architect: Michaela Moore - Moore Design
Builder: Bob Gaden - RD & MR Gaden Builders
Photographer: Claudia Gabriel Lim
