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PROJECT
Airey's Inlet House
DESIGN ARCHITECT
David Seeley
PRINCIPAL GLASS PROVIDER
Viridian
PRINCIPAL GLAZING
Viridian double-glazing:
EnergyTech™ Green tint,
argon and EnergyTech™
Neutral
TEXT, IMAGES & FILM
Peter & Jenny Hyatt
Some people might say, “Well glass can be expensive.”
What price do you put on the quality of life provided
over so many decades?
The original house had conventional, 1500mm wide
windows that were cut outs in a conventional façade.
You couldn’t easily understand what you had outside.
To an extent there are still a series of framed views but
I think, without such an expansive amount of glazing,
it wouldn’t be the same house. It would be much more
internalized. Originally we had provision for external
blinds because there was concern about the extent of
summer sun. But thanks to the use of double-glazed unit
with tinted and Low-E coating, the use of blinds wasn't
mandatory anymore and the clients choose to not
have any. I understand that it works well today. Having
performance glass really allowed the design to succeed.
Putting aside aesthetics, what is it about the glazing’s
function that provided those second and third qualities?
All of the glass is tinted. The external panes are green-
tinted to reduce the glare inside the house. The inside
panel is Low-E coated so its insulation reflects the heat
back into the house in the middle of winter. In summer
it reflects the external heat away from the house. It’s