Blairgowrie Dune House

AWARD: Best Use of Windows and Doors – Residential over $500,000 - Australian Windows Association AWA - 2014

This new home sits on sand dunes in the middle of tea trees on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. It therefore had to be a very environmentally sensitive construction, following the contours of the land.

The clients wanted environmentally responsible timber windows and doors – a renewable resource – to fit with the natural surroundings. FSC® certified timber Manilkara Bidentata (Pacific Jarrah) was the answer which also fit with the bushfire ratings of BAL-40 and BAL-29 respectively. The windows and doors comply with the Australian Standard 3959-2009 for building in bushfire prone areas. Note: this Standard has since been revised and Paarhammer products also comply with the updated AS 3959-2018.

For this project we manufactured and installed windows, lift-slide doors, stacker sliders and corner stacker sliders as well as motorised clerestory windows, fixed glass units and doors. All are double glazed, Low-E and Pyro40 (which includes Low-E as part of bushfire glass) with U-values of 1.7 and 1.8. High performance glazing achieves WERS ratings from 4.5 cooling stars to 7 heating stars with energy savings from 61% to 75%. They reduce heat loss and improve thermal comfort while maximising daylight transmission.

The windows and doors are oiled to show the reddish colour but if the owners decide to let them age to a natural silver grey these products are totally maintenance free.

This building is sensitive to its surroundings and allows for indoor-outdoor living with large sliding doors and stacker sliders including corner stackers. Some of the sliding stacker doors open the indoor spaces to the outside entertainment areas as far as 4m in each direction from the corner without any corner posts.

The tile floor in the north facing living areas is perfect for storing the heat of the sun in winter and there is excellent heat retention through solar efficient glazing and extremely low air infiltration.

Photography: Peter Hyatt

Photos Courtesy of Viridian Glass

Builder: Seaspray Homes