Smart Design Studio NSW, Environmentally Sustainable Design

Demonstrating what is possible in terms of environmentally sustainable design

Smart Design Studio was conceived with some pretty specific environmental performance goals in mind. With help from Verosol’s SilverScreen range of blinds, the award-winning project has achieved at least one of these – it is able to function throughout the year without airconditioning.

The Building

In operation since 1997, Smart Design Studio (SDS) is a well established architectural practice with a diverse range of work – including everything from private homes, to multi-level residential buildings and public projects – to its name.

An organisation with a long-held commitment to environmentally sustainable design, SDS recently moved to a new studio in Alexandria, a suburb in Sydney’s inner west that combines a solid industrial history with a more recent period of regeneration.

The Requirement

Given that it involved a new home base for the practice, one that is expected to take it through to 2050 or so, this was a signature project for SDS. Beyond that, however, it was also something of a demonstration project. It represented an opportunity to display  what is possible in terms of sustainability.

The Solution

Fans, underfloor hydronic, and blinds…

If conservation and regard for place were the first steps on the path to sustainability for the SDS Studio, the next was ensuring it is carbon neutral. Now fully operational, it has achieved that goal. Its 260 PV panels generate all the electricity that it (and the other buildings on the property) require and it has no air conditioning. Instead, natural ventilation along with ceiling fans, underfloor hydronic system and high-quality performance blinds ensure the space remains cool.

Motorised roller blinds using Verosol’s SilverScreen 205 Performance fabric were used – Manufactured using a unique technique known as “metallisation”, the fabric used in these products features heat and glare reduction capabilities that are un-matched by any alternatives. Specifically, they have been demonstrated to reduce heat gain by 70-75 per cent. Considering the building’s reliance on natural light, these products were a natural choice.

Fully automated SilverScreen 205 Performance roller blinds were used throughout the project; particularly on the east and west facing windows, which receive the most sunlight. In order to fully optimise performance, all blinds and windows were automated, integrated and controlled by a building management system,  which in turn, operates according to predictive weather forecasting, allowing workers to stay comfortable and cool – even on 40-degree days.