BDA Winners: Penultimate Award

Congratulations Kirk 

Kirk Gleeson, from Barnson Pty Ltd of Dubbo NSW, received the Paul Dass Memorial Award for the SAIF Accommodation project at the BDA National Design Awards held on the 23^rd October. 

Kirk, here on the left, collecting this prestigious award from Ian Bassett, Immediate Past President of BDA.  

With a budget of $2.2 million, the SAIF Housing Project utilised Barnsons multidisciplinary services throughout the design and construction process to deliver accommodation for five Aboriginal people with a severe or profound disability, requiring long term supported accommodation.

Through consultation with relevant parties and aboriginal community leaders, the design incorporated three residential villas oriented in a cluster allowing for separation and independence but also shared use of innovative outdoor areas for culturally sensitive social interaction, communal facilities and separate office and sleeping accommodation for staff to ensure 24 hour support for those needing it to be provided, as least intrusively as possible.

Each villa was designed to offer interior living spaces configured to be easily adapted to the changing needs of current and future residents, with accessible features incorporated into the design without interfering with the sense of space and enabling each tenant to exercise choice in terms of their lifestyle/s and maximise opportunities for individualised support services to be designed and delivered.

External concrete verandahs and pathways allow for disabled access throughout the built up area and common meeting areas incorporating naturally flowing curves which were deemed as important to a sense of cultural heritage.

To view all the BDA Winners:

BDA 2014 Design Awards: Overall Winner

Congratulations Chris!

The Overall Winner of the BDA 2014 Design Awards was Chris Knierim from the Designer Constructions Group seen here collecting his award from BDA’s National President Theresa Hatton.

The winning project call Forest Lodge ECO House came out of a brief to create a sustainable eco home that was not an eyesore to its surrounding heritage listed neighbours. They had to utilize every centimeter of the modest footprint available and create the illusion of space internally, while including modern luxuries where virtually the entire house can be operated via any android device.

All built with a budget of $750,000.00.

Wedged between its 140 year old neighbors it was essential that the design of the house considered many aspects including passive solar design to create a dwelling that was able to perform at its highest level. 

Eco-design principals were used to create intelligent innovative design. Many of the systems were custom designed and built specifically for this house, providing innovation not seen in Australia. Including the Australian first solar fed heat core storage cell, solar slab heating; solar hot water; evaporative cooling; custom natural air ventilation system; Low E Argon filled double glazing, LED lighting throughout; underground water storage tank; gas fuel appliances.

Natural light flow is controlled by solar operated skylights and the use of opaque glass inserts in all internal doors allows for further light penetration. 

The roof top garden, insulates the home and attracts flora and fauna. The vertical gardens act as noise and reflective heat insulators.

Chris and his team have produced a fabulous outcome against the original brief and have been recognised not only by BDA but has gained numerous environmental sustainability awards both within Australia and internationally and has the distinction of being the first Building Designer project on Grand Designs Australia.