Piccolo futureproofs luxury apartment building

Piccolo Developments, the designer of the luxury apartment building Elwood House (in Victoria), has incorporated green initiatives into the new building to ensure future residents are able to move with technology as it evolves.

The idea began when Piccolo’s founder, Michael Piccolo, test drove a Tesla electric car recently and concluded that electric vehicles will be embraced by Australians within the next 10 years. “This led to the question ‘What can we do to prepare for that?’” he said.

As a result, every car park in the Elwood House basement will feature a 30 A power point, which is designed to accommodate an electric vehicle. Each socket is wired back to the apartment owner’s power meter to ensure that individuals are billed according to their electricity use.

“Setting up the infrastructure for metered electric vehicle capacity required a capital outlay from us, but we believed it was a necessary step towards futureproofing the building for residents,” Piccolo said.

Elwood House will combine weathered concrete, handmade brick and metal to extend the life of the building’s exterior, and greenery draped over balconies for a natural finish. Piccolo stated, “The facade of Elwood House will be brick, concrete, metal and glass, without a painted surface, which will increase its longevity. The only thing you’ll need to do is clean the windows!”

Further futureproofing initiatives for the building include:

• rooftop solar panels that contribute electricity to supplement residents’ gas hot water systems;
• vast double-glazed windows to allow natural light in, as well as provide thermal and acoustic insulation;
• a circular reticulation system that pumps rainwater, collected in tanks in the basement, to planters located on apartment terraces;
• study desks built into cabinets, with a laptop shelf and power point with two electric sockets and a built-in USB charger (these are also installed in each of the bedrooms, and the USB chargers are suitable for tablets);
• the installation of infrastructure for optic fibre;
• the set-up of an NBN box, ready for its arrival in Elwood.

Construction on Elwood House is scheduled to commence in July 2015 and be completed by the end of 2016.

Image caption: A render of Elwood House.