Harmony 9

Mirvac's Harmony 9 prototype is an interesting case study in popularising RBV.

The building employs several techniques (see here and here) to achieve a 9.2 star energy rating, including passive solar design, insulation, water and energy saving measures and recycled materials.

RBV construction locates thermal mass to the interior, helps to stabilise temperatures in the building, therefore reducing the energy consumed by active heating and cooling.



I wonder, though, if people are put off RBV because brick is seen as a material to 'show off' and they think RBV will 'hide' it. Brick is relatively expensive, people think of it as an exterior cladding or structural material and are used to using colour (paint) rather than the natural colour and texture of a material when designing interiors.


When I visited, I was struck by the way Harmony 9 makes a feature of the RBV technique: the brickwork is integrated into the design of the building.

The bricks in the bedroom pictured at right were excess bricks left over from a special brick run, reclaimed and used in woven pattern as a feature wall.

The remainder of the wall is finished in plasterboard.







While the bedroom features reclaimed bricks, the livingroom features a wall of recycled bricks, supplied by ecobricks in Clayton.

I love the way a pattern has been created with the painted and different coloured bricks, rather than just using clean or new looking bricks as in the bedroom.



Perhaps making a feature of the interior brickwork, rather than hiding it behind a layer of paint, render or plasterboard, will encourage people to see the aesthetic design potential of RBV, as well as its role in designing a more sustainable building.