Business South August 2020

84 | Volume 29 | Issue 4 businesssouth P: (03) 445 0305 16 Wolter Cres, Cromwell E: central@designwindows.co.nz W: www.designwindowsgroup.com Proud Supplier for DCD Limited BUILDING - CENTRAL OTAGO » DCD The home is adorned in cedar cladding with schist elements at the great room’s entrance. Stunning home built for thermal efficiency Richard Loader S et against a breathtaking backdrop of moun- tain ranges, the award-winning Queenstown home built by thermal efficiency specialist DCD Ltd is the quintessential alpine retreat. Beautifully designed by Queenstown practice, David Stringer Architects, the 385sqm, single storey family home is built around a ‘great room’—a large central living space that combines kitchen, dining and living spaces on a salt and pepper polished concrete floor. A guest wing, mechanical room, laundry, stairway and loft sit to one side of the great room, while the other side encompasses, master bedroom and ensuite, separate bathroom, childrens’ bedrooms, study nook, large play area and a TV room. The mechanical room is the heartbeat of the home containing balanced ventilation system, underfloor heating controls and power. Outside, the home is adorned in cedar cladding with schist elements at the great room’s entrance, which has a cantilevered roofline to the north, re- ducing solar gain and overheating through glazing. “As builder, our focus was thermal performance, making the home airtight, recommending joinery and some of the detail around thermal bridging and where the steel was located,” says Dennis Dowling, Managing Director of DCD. “All the windows are triple glazed thermally- broken Vistalite aluminium, Low E and argon-filled glazing.” Working with the architect DCD brought the steel exoskeleton supporting the great room from within the framing line into the interior of the room, expos- ing it and bringing it within the thermal envelope. “That meant the steel, which is highly con- ductive of temperature, stayed warm and didn’t compromise thermal performance. If we’d left it in the framing it would have caused a thermal bridge significantly reducing the home’s performance.” Sitting atop the steel exoskeleton, the great room’s cathedral ceiling is lined in New Zealand beech selected by the client. A schist wall within the great room creates space for a TV and inbuilt log burner. Because the house is completely airtight, a me- chanical damper opens electronically allowing fresh air to get the fire going, shutting off after the fire is lit. The purpose of this system is to keep heat loss from occurring in winter when the fire is not in use. Integrated heat pump, underfloor heating and hot water system provide cost efficiency. “We’ve more than doubled the minimum code for wall and ceiling insulation. A house this size that is airtight and built for thermal efficiency consumes far less electricity to keep it warm and to operate it. The client noticed a dramatic decrease in the incidence of cold and sickness. We’ve had that feedback from others we’ve built homes for - both retired couples and families.” Taking 18 months to build and completed in 2017, the home won the Registered Master Build- ers 2018 Gold Reserve Finalist - 2018 Regional Category - and 2018 Gold Award for new Home $1 Million - $2 Million. “It‘s very rewarding completing a project like this and finishing it to the high standard we have. There’s no evidence of compromise in the build and it was a pleasure to be able to do that.” Based in Queenstown, DCD focuses solely on thermally efficient homes and operates in the Queenstown basin. “A house this size that is airtight and built for thermal efficiency consumes far less electricity to keep it warm and to operate it.” P: 03 442 3206 / E: steve@stevesjoinery.co.nz / 22a Margaret Place, Frankton Industrial CUSTOM BESPOKE JOINERY www.stevesjoinery.co.nz Scaffold & Safety Netting Systems Queenstown P: 0800 112 250 W: fallproof.co.nz • Roof Edge Protection • Scaffold • Safety Netting • Shrink Wrap THE FUTUREOFACCESSSYSTEMS HangsTough INTAKS ™ The home is built around a large central living space that combines kitchen, dining and living spaces on a salt and pepper polished concrete floor.