Sustaining Our Future is one of Ascham’s key strategic priorities. We seek to manage the School’s resources with an ethos of sustainability and sound risk mitigation. Plans are progressing for our new Boarding accommodation at 19 Darling Point Rd, with multiple sustainable features included in the design.
The School has lodged a development application with Woollahra Municipal Council to turn the block of six apartments at 19 Darling Point Rd into new Boarding accommodation. The proposal includes retention of all internal and external detail and character where practicable. In addition, the building will be brought up to current sustainability best practice.
Hannah Tribe of Tribe Studio Architects, the firm designing this transformation, outlines some sustainable aspects of the new space:
‘Deciding what we can adaptively reuse and what we can not build is the most powerful first step in sustainable construction. Retaining old buildings and doing the minimum amount of work to make them suitable for the purpose—that is the best thing we can do! We are banking the carbon already invested in the building, reducing waste in demolition and construction, and reducing the pollution that comes from the manufacture of new materials and work on site. Building specifications and materials will be selected for low-embodied carbon, low maintenance and long life.
‘The building will feature best passive solar and thermal design, including orientation to promote passive cooling. We are replacing all the end-of-life windows with new double-glazed windows for high thermal performance and shading them externally for control of solar heat gain. We will use the new roof extension to harness the maximum possible solar energy through a rooftop photovoltaic array.
‘Airconditioning will be low refrigerant; timers and automation will ensure no wasted power use. Similarly, lighting will be low energy usage and on automated timers and sensors to prevent energy waste.
‘The roof water will be harvested for reuse, and all fittings and fixtures will be specified for low water use. Plant species in the landscaped gardens will be endemic to this area and require minimal watering.’
As our Blueprint plans progress, embedding sustainable features across the Ascham campus remains front and centre. We look forward to keeping everyone updated as our Blueprint continues to take shape.
