Advaita Way House designed by Paul Robertson Architect received the House of the Year Award at the Australian Institute of Architects 2012 Gold Coast and Northern Rivers Regional Architecture Awards.
Designed using sustainability principles and natural low maintenance materials, the brief was to create a minimalist home that would sit unimposingly within the landscape. Internal spaces were to be kept at an ambient temperature using passive climate control, and kept isolated from insects using protective screening.
To achieve this, the home was built in two layers; an inner glass skin to create a comfortable living space that makes use of the magnificent views, and an outer skin of Crimsafe stainless steel mesh security screening to provide a layer of separation between the inside and the flora and fauna outdoors.
The unique characteristics of Crimsafe Tensile-Tuff® mesh offers outstanding passive climate control, inhibiting radiant heat transfer by up to 53% – keeping the interior cooler during warmer weather and minimising heat loss during cooler months.
The special weave and aperture of the mesh (1.5mm x 1.5mm) both inhibits entry of flies and mosquitos, and assists the architectural design elements that control the prevailing breezes and promote cross ventilation in the interior.
Design Challenges
The size of exterior panels exceeded the normal size range of the Crimsafe screens and mesh. By incorporating a mid-rail and creating an unobtrusive section above the natural line of vision, greater strength was achieved while the expansive view was preserved.
