163-185 Parramatta Road, Camperdown
2009public housing
As design and project architect for PTW Architects, Lindsay managed a difficult design process from project inception to completion for this public housing development of 28 units plus commercial space on an unforgiving site combining tight boundaries, extreme environmental characteristics and hostile neighbours.
Located on busy Parramatta Road, a main arterial road leading into the central business district of Sydney, this building sees over 70,000 cars per day pass by at close range. The high volume of traffic has the potential to negatively impact the building acoustically and in terms of air quality. The building responds to both of these challenges through the clever use of technology and design.
Ventilation: the building breathes. The difficulty was to provide adequate levels of ventilation while maintaining comfortable acoustic levels. A primarily passive solution was developed that uses buoyancy and thermal stack effects to ventilate the apartments. Air drawn into the apartments from a rear lane exits through a vent located above the balcony doors facing Parramatta Road, and leaves the building through the uniquely designed roof stacks. Each stack has a small fan to assist as conditions require; however, the system operates mostly without the fans as the negative pressure is enough to draw air through the building. This means that tenants can access fresh air without the need to open the street–side balcony doors, which are glazed with a dual leaf system that creates whisper quiet interiors.
This project received special commendation from Pru Goward, Minister for Community Service and Women in 2012.
photograph: Paul Gosney