Omega Apartments cuts energy costs for residents and reduces carbon footprint with smart eco design

Omega Apartments rooftop recreational area with solar-powered subtropical garden, gas fire fit and BBQ’s

$77 million Omega Apartments designed top to bottom for high energy rating under Australia’s Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme

Brisbane, Apr 20, 2020 (Issuewire.com) – From a solar-powered rooftop sky garden to a naturally-ventilated car park, Omega Apartments has lowered energy costs for residents by aiming for a high-efficiency rating under Australia’s Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS).

Omega Apartments is a newly constructed residential building with 130 one and two-bedroom apartments in the sought-after suburb of Bowen Hills on Brisbane’s city fringe.

The building was designed to achieve an 8 Star NatHERS rating, which measures a home’s energy efficiency on a scale of 1 to 10 to help new home purchasers make smarter design choices.

Omega Apartments developers HG Developments incorporated a high level of insulation and solar passive design to maintain comfortable temperatures inside the building with minimal energy usage.

External vertical greening of facades and roof walls will also reduce heat and noise levels inside the building as plants grow.

A rooftop solar and battery system powers the pool heating and lights to deliver an energy-neutral rooftop sky garden while feeding the hot water system.

And four levels of car parking have been designed as a podium for natural ventilation instead of an underground car park that would have required a costly mechanical exhaust ventilation system.

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 are responsible for the majority of an 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 and lower energy costs for residents.

“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 number of natural cooling initiatives have been incorporated into the design, with deep balconies, sun-shading, overhangs and high-performance insulation, plus vertical gardens 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 use 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.

“Omega’s 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,” he added.

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, Omega Apartments is just 1km from Brisbane’s CBD and within walking distance of the burgeoning King Street Precinct, Gasworks Precinct and neighbouring 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.

Omega Apartments has three display apartments available for private inspections by appointment only. Virtual tours of the display apartments and private residents’ facilities can be also arranged.

This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.

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