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Ultra Cool-E: Building 360 – Boola Katitjin, Perth
Murdoch University’s Building 360 – Boola Katitjin combines mass engineered eucalypt timber with high performance soft coat double glazing. Cooling Brothers partnered with ABS Facades to supply UltraCool-E double glazed units as part of the main events area located at the northern end of the national award-winning building.
Led by Lyons, the project is a collaboration with Officer Woods, The Fulcrum Agency, Silver Thomas Hanley and Aspect Studios. Comprising of 16,000m2 over four floors, the scale of the $135m, 180m building is immediately apparent in the oversized gabled roof form, wide linear colonnades, and extensive use of massive, exposed laminated eucalypt timber beams.
The beams are produced from plantation-grown eucalypt to provide a replacement for concrete and steel as traditionally used in commercial construction, and are used extensively together with cross-laminated timber floor panels. The beams within the north end of the building are the largest ever installed in Australia by volume at 7,282 kilograms each, and reach 26 metres in length. The project has made headlines nationally as the first mass engineered timber building in Western Australia.
Situated beneath these beams is the Northern Events Space, a multipurpose outdoor area is designed to host year round, large scale activations such as graduations and events. Abutting the events space is feature glazing façade comprising of raked IGU panels, and glazed with Cooling Brothers Ultra Cool-E high performance soft coat IGUs
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN GOLLINGS
"The combination of smart and informed passive design and high performance building fabric results in Boola Katitjin exceeding NCC Section J 2019 performance requirements by 10% and resulting in a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when modelled under Green Star protocol."
High performance double glazing and passive solar control and contributes to a 6-star rating and As-built v1.3 certification
Building 360 – Boola Katitjin achieves a 6-star Green Star Design and As-built v1.3 certification, representing world leadership in sustainable design, and the first 6-star certified education building in Western Australia.
Careful selection of high-performance glazing, fixed shading devices and operable louvres allow surrounding naturescape views to be enjoyed from almost any area of the building, while minimising solar heat gain and maximising insulation.
The orientation of the building maximises the cooling afternoon sea breeze Perth receives through the summer months, using temperature controlled, motorised louvres to direct outside air through the building. In the right conditions, the building can be naturally ventilated for as much as 40% of the year.
For passive control of solar heat gain in non-operable façade areas, the building relies on a combination of high-performance double glazing, combined with vertical fins to the south facing façade, horizontal fins to the eastern and western facades, and deep eaves to the northern façade.
Utilising UltraCool-E soft coat technology to exceed project U Value requirements
With extensive shading provided by the timber gable, the priority was to maximise U value performance while maintaining the clearest possible glass.
High performance soft coat Low-E products such as UltraCool-E offer significantly lower U values than hard coats, while maximising visible light transmission (VLT), especially important in shaded areas.
Ultra Clear glass provides a cost effective, neutral glass colour without the green tint associated with standard clear glass, and is a standard colour available for all UltraCool-E makeups.
Suez canal blockage highlights the advantage of local partnerships in navigating delays and project complexities
Alex Issitt, Design Manager at ABS Facades nominated Cooling Brothers to deliver the glazing for the north end of the building. ABS has a long standing relationship with Cooling Brothers, with glass being supplied into a projects across the country including the National Library in Canberra, Curtin University and Next DC in Perth.
‘Historically, sourcing high performance glazing locally can be challenging from a cost, performance and quality perspective. With Cooling Brothers Ultra Series soft coats, we can now match, and even exceed performance requirements using a locally supplied product. In regards to quality, it should be no surprise that Cooling Brothers Ultra Series soft coats lead the local market in high performance glazing.’
"Historically, sourcing high performance glazing locally can be challenging from a cost, performance and quality perspective. With the Ultra Series soft coats, we can now match, and even exceed performance and quality requirements using a locally supplied product. Partnering locally also has the huge advantage of flexibility when it comes to unexpected delays and the inevitable changing requirements that occur with complex projects"
ALEX ISSIT
Design Manager, ABS Facades
