Grocon is building Australia’s first double-skin ventilated facade office building project.
Aiming for six-star Green Star accreditation, the 30-storey project will be a landmark building in Australia’s commercial sector and is expected to set a benchmark for commercial projects for many years to come.
Turner Bros has been contracted for the supply, installation and commissioning of the solar control system, which will be manufactured by Horiso. The 1,774 motorized 80 mm venetian blind systems will be integrated within a custom-designed double-skin facade by Arup and manufactured by G James.
Turner Bros and Horiso have worked closely with Arup, G James and Grocon on the design of the blind pelmets, which will allow airflow from the back of the blind to travel over the custom-curved head section. Airflow between the double layers of glass will assist in maintaining a constant average temperature within the building, thus avoiding excessive use of HVAC systems.
The Horiso blinds will operate automatically within the outer and inner cavities of the ventilated facade. They are designed to reduce solar heat gain while maintaining optimal light and views.
To achieve the required energy efficiency, a complete blind and control package was necessary. ESD consultant Cundall specified Horiso’s Dynamic Facade Controller system. This control system enables the motorized venetian blinds to operate using an intelligent motor controller pre-programmed with all the building’s control requirements – including both the geographical location and physical orientation of the building. It will operate in conjunction with sun-tracking software that enables individual blinds to react to the sun angle of incidence at all times of the year.
In addition, the blinds will also react to external light levels. This ensures that the blinds are always at their optimum tilt position to meet the client’s light penetration and glare control requirements.
Horiso’s Dynamic Facade Controller system was chosen for its ability to seamlessly integrate with the BMS system via BACnet protocol. Horiso will provide the building owners Dexus and CBus Property with a complete blind-control package that is constantly communicating and working automatically throughout the course of the day.