Smart design features cut energy costs and reduce carbon footprint to achieve an 8 Star NatHERS rating for Omega Apartments in Brisbane’s property hotspot Bowen Hills
The $77 million Omega Apartments in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, has been designed to achieve an 8-star rating under the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) to lower residents’ energy costs and reduce the greenhouse gas impacts.
Omega Apartments features smart eco-design elements from top to bottom, with a rooftop solar and battery system powering pool heating and lights and feeding the hot water system to deliver an energy neutral rooftop sky garden, as well as an environmentally-friendly self-ventilated four-level podium car park instead of a costly mechanical exhaust ventilation system used in underground car parking.
Smart design features also include a high level of insulation and solar passive design, with external vertical greening of building facades and roof walls to reduce Omega Apartments’ heat loading and reduce noise levels inside the building.
The Australian Government scheme is considered a ‘measuring tape’ that can be used to ensure homes are more comfortable for their inhabitants and save on energy bills, while helping new home purchasers make smarter design choices.
NatHERS rates the energy efficiency of a home’s design and give a star rating out of 10 based on an estimate of its potential energy use.
The recently-completed Omega Apartments is a residential building with 130 one and two-bedroom apartments just 1km from Brisbane’s CBD that rates high for energy efficiency.
Omega Apartments developers, HG Developments directors Simon Gundelach and Alistair Harvey, said it was always their vision to ensure Omega Apartments was designed and built in a sustainable way to achieve the highest possible NatHERS rating.
“Buildings with good insulation and solar passive design can reduce the reliance on artificial heating and cooling, so we consulted with architects and designers to make sure Omega Apartments was built with this in mind,” Mr Gundelach said.
“Heating and cooling is responsible for the majority of the average household’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and it’s important to us as developers that we try to reduce the long term carbon footprint of Omega Apartments.
“The building has a number of design features that significantly reduce the building’s energy consumption operating costs per year which means Omega Apartments body corporate, maintenance and operating costs are considerably less.”
A high level of natural cooling initiatives has also been incorporated into the design of Omega Apartments, with deep balconies, sun-shading, overhangs and high-performance insulation, plus external vertical greening of building facades and roof walls to protect apartments from solar heat gain.
Omega Apartments Marketing Manager and TOTAL Property Group Managing Director Adrian Parsons said it was increasingly important for developers to be conscious of the environment and include design elements that minimised long-term energy usage and reduced body corporate fees.
“Astute developers such as HG Developments have realised it’s their responsibility to work within their budgets to find ways of ensuring their developments are as sustainable as possible,” he said.
“It’s impressive to see the developers of Omega Apartments integrating solar power, green spaces and energy efficient design features without compromising on the style or size of the apartments.”
Mr Parsons said 70 per cent of the apartments were sold prior to construction finishing and there had been strong interest in Omega Apartments last remaining one and two-bedroom apartments; priced from $401,000 to $694,000 and ranging in size from 63sqm to 145sqm.
“We envisage the limited remaining stock will be snapped up quickly because the apartments are on average 10 per cent larger than most in the inner-city Brisbane area and ideally located within walking distance of the retail and dining destinations of King Street, James Street and the Gasworks Precinct.”
Omega Apartments is ideally positioned at 61 Brookes Street; in the heart of the trendy RNA showgrounds urban renewal precinct within the high-demand area of Bowen Hills just 1km from Brisbane’s CBD and in walking distance from the burgeoning King Street Precinct, Gasworks Precinct and neighbours Fortitude Valley’s eclectic café and restaurant scene.
Omega Apartments is a 12-minute drive from Brisbane Airport and is well serviced by significant transport infrastructure, including the existing Bowen Hills train station and the new Exhibition train station being built as part of the State Government’s $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project.
Three display apartments are open for inspection by appointment every day except public holidays. For sales information or to book an inspection, phone TOTAL Property Group on 1300 393 855 or go to www.omegabrisbane.com.au.
Originally publish by My Town Magazine HERE.