“We want this building to be a symbol of innovation and sustainability of how the built environment can be part of the climate solution,” said architect Pete Kennon. Sourced: Kennon.
A new tower in Melbourne is expected to be built with a “solar skin” that will generate almost all of the building’s electricity.
The eight-storey office building in West Melbourne will be covered by 1,182 solar panels that are as thick as a traditional glass facade.
It is expected to have almost no ongoing power costs and become carbon-neutral after a few years.
The system called Skala is manufactured by German company Avancis and can produce 50 times the energy of the average rooftop photovoltaic solar array used in residential housing, and eliminate 70 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Once completed the system is meant to supply almost enough power to cover the building’s energy needs.
With construction being so reliant on heavy machinery, transport and manufacturing processes powered by fossil fuels, many buildings start with a significant carbon footprint.
Architect Pete Kennon said this building can pay off its carbon debt and be carbon neutral without having to rely on offsets and other accounting measures.
“These things are possible and the fact a building can harness the sunlight from its own skin – it sounds like something you dreamed of, or you saw in a cartoon,” Kennon said.
“In most parts of Australia, the largest consumption of energy occurs in the cooling of buildings, so we designed the facade to face a solid panel north covered in the solar panel and a clear-vision glass panel south optimizing the effect of the solar panel whilst minimizing the heat gain through direct sunlight,” Kennon said.
“This enables a maximum thermal comfort within the building using the solar to run the building with zero carbon emissions.”
Project manager Neoscape said the Spencer Street project is the first building that uses an integrated solar facade system to get approval from the Victorian Building Authority.
Neoscape said the design has been approved by the Building Appeals Board of Victoria after satisfying thorough Australian Standards of Construction in safety.
This includes comprehensive fire testing of the facade system, detailed fire engineering reviews and reports, and an endorsement by Fire Rescue Victoria.
“This will set a new benchmark in ESD (environmentally sustainable design) for commercial office buildings, allowing integrated solar facades on buildings across Victoria,” the company said.
