Schuco’s environmentally sustainable window and door suites were specified for a stunning new home situated in the beautiful Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales. Schuco’s aluminium door and window systems met the extreme thermal performance requirements as well as the durability expectation in the project brief.
Henry and Kate Lance of Lance Workshop Architecture expanded on Schuco’s key role in achieving several objectives laid out in the brief.
“From the beginning, the owners were concerned about minimising the environmental impact of the residence,” said Henry.
“While they wanted a high level of glazing featured throughout the property to capitalise on those magnificent Snowy Mountains views, these wishes were combined with an overriding need for environmental efficiency. With these competing goals in mind, we began specifying components for an optimal level of thermal performance.”
There were other challenges too for the architects, especially the hard-to-meet conservation challenges laid down by the client.
“The environmental specifications were extremely intensive,” explains Henry. “The clients wanted the home to be entirely off-grid with no external connections to electricity, gas, or water. We went for a passive house with solar power and battery storage to make the property completely off-grid.”
The expansive home featured huge glazed areas; given that the property was located in an extreme climate that went from 35 to minus 15 degrees, thermal performance was a critical requirement.
“The Schuco window suite’s thermal performance is peerless, due to the innovative design including a thermal brake, working in concert with triple-glazed IGUs,” says Henry.
Since passive design was a key requirement for the owners, the Lances needed to make sure the window suites were completely airtight and the glazing specification, accurate.
Client satisfaction with the Schuco products installed in the residence came down to thermal performance and durability. Fortunately, the high-precision Schuco units amply met the extreme performance demands.
Schuco products installed in the home included European-style sliding doors and tilt-and-turn windows. Both products met the function and energy performance requirements sought by the clients.
While there were logistical challenges with installing the windows, they were all overcome. Spider cranes were used to safely lift and install the heavy Schuco units, especially the larger windows securely into place.
The final design outcome is a visually resplendent, zero-emissions home that offers enviable contemporary luxury while meeting the future’s energy demands.
Schuco’s window and door suites are available from Capral Aluminium.
