Members of Tasmania’s building and design community descended on Launceston to mark the occasion of the official launch of the state’s first eight-star energy rated InsulLiving® house.

Built by G&T Developments, the home in Hadspen, Launceston, showcases Bondor’s groundbreaking InsulWall®and SolarSpan® thermal building products, to deliver a better insulated home with lower ongoing heating and cooling expenses.

Bondor® General Manager Geoff Marsdon said the InsulLiving® approach had been successful in other states and had significant potential for the Tasmanian residential building sector, for designers and builders through to home owners.

“This is a first for Tasmania and we are excited to bring a new style of sustainable building to its shores,” he said.

“We believe that the thermal efficiency offered by insulated panels, along with their versatility, has been largely untapped, but is emerging as a key element in the future of the built environment.

“The thermal technology used ensures the house stays warm in winter, which is a major advantage in cooler climates like Tasmania.”

Tasmanian builder Steve Graham of G&T Developments was inspired to build an InsulLiving® house after watching a story on Today Tonight last year that featured Bondor’s prototype InsulLiving® house at Burpengary, Queensland.

The Burpengary house earned an ‘as designed energy rating of eight stars and, following a year-long independent study into its energy consumption, achieved a real life energy rating of 9.5 stars.

Mr Graham said he saw the InsulLiving® house as his opportunity to do something different from mainstream building.

“This was something we could put our stamp on, while at the same time help Bondor® introduce this display home to Tasmania,” he said.

I saw the high energy rating as a positive because energy efficiency is a critical part of building.”

Mr Graham said the InsulLiving® product was tough, versatile, energy efficient and could be erected relatively quickly, with the Hadspen house finished in 16 weeks.

Built on a 780sqm block, the Hadspen house boasts four bedrooms, two bathrooms, double drive-through garage with enviro panel lift doors, double glazed windows and stunning Tasmanian oak floors in the living area.

An island bench in the kitchen, large walk-in pantry, Smeg appliances, alfresco dining area and two living areas complete the family-friendly design, geared to modern living.

For more information on the InsulLiving® System, please call 1300 300 099.

Bondor’s InsulLiving® System has won the Queensland Industry Innovation Awards at 2012 HIA-CSR Queensland Housing Awards for its energy efficient home system.

Its designer, Jeff Osman from Osman Designpac Building Designers, won three awards for Brisbane South in the categories of: Sustainable Building; Public Buildings and Special Projects; and Best Use of Colorbond® Steel.

The five-year project, which saw a prototype home completed in Burpengary, Brisbane, was created to be a solution that offers comfortable and affordable 9.5-star energy rated living.

Using insulated panel construction methods, this revolutionary all-Australian product boasts a faster build time, reduced energy costs for the life of the home and a far simpler construction method.

HIA’s Queensland Regional Director Warwick Temby said the HIA awards recognised the achievements, both of companies and individuals in Queensland who lead the way in the professionalism, design, construction, innovation and technology in housing.

To learn more about the future of residential construction in Australia, visit the InsulLiving® page.

Bondor® has revealed the true versatility of their Equitilt® panels in the renovation of AAMI Stadium, the home to the Adelaide Crows.

The architectural appeal of the panels and their ability to interface with existing structures was an immediate attraction of architects at Walter Brooke & Assoc, as was the speed of installation when facing a very tight building schedule.

The $18M budget development consisted of new world class training and rehabilitation facilities, plus new membership function spaces in a striking commercial building.

Bondor’s Equitilt® was able to fulfill requirements for energy efficiency with a high performing insulated core, yet still offer a range of modern styles and finishes.

Bondor® manufactured and supplied 355 panels of Equitilt ranging in a variety of metallic colours and profiles with a 100mm insulated core.

The design incorporated horizontal and vertical panel orientation, adding both unique and sleek lines across all areas of the walling.

Equitilt’s composite technology provides an all-in-one product that favored nominated builder Sarah Constructions, providing them with faster install times, reduced labour, less components, as well as simplifying the entire process to meet project deadlines as planned.

The metallic COLORBOND® finish, along with the insulation quality of Bondor’s Equitilt® panel delivers an exceptional standard of detailing, finish and value for money.

Bondor® General Manager, Geoff Marsdon, says the Bondor® range of lightweight insulated panels truly enables builders and designers to do more with less.

When challenged for building in a climate such as North Queensland, the solution for PBS Building Pty Ltd was found in Bondor’s SolarSpan®.

Bondor®, Australia’s leader in thermal building solutions, was engaged to supply 10,000m2 of SolarSpan® roofing panels for the Airlie Beach Townhouse Development.

This flexible product was selected due to its thermal efficiency and ability to withstand cyclonic weather, while maintaining an aesthetically appealing design for the complex.PBS Building’s Airlie Beach Townhouse Development comprises of 21 block townhouses, with 69 townhouses in total and two three-storey apartment blocks.

The 125mm SolarSpan® roof panels were sloped at varying pitches between three and five degrees for all roofs, including carports and patios.

10,000m2 of SolarSpan® panels were delivered to the Manooka Drive site cut to length ex-factory for easier installation, meaning earlier occupancy.

The SolarSpan® roofing is a composite three-in-one roofing system which combines a standard high tensile COLORBOND® steel for the top skin/roof.

These high strength BlueScope® steel skins are bonded to a slab of non-ozone depleting expanded polystyrene.

For more information on SolarSpan®, please call 1300 300 099.

Current sheet-to-sheet end-laps that are acceptable in other parts of the world have caused frustration and complications throughout Australia’s commercial roofing industry. These complications see leaking roof laps in several shopping complexes around Australia and are often very difficult to rectify. Confusion also exists around material warranties, who covers what and for how long.

SecureLap® is the answer to the “low cost focus”, driven by today’s market realities where a simplistic approach to connecting long panel roof runs over one purlin (rather than two with expansion steps), are required. Bondor/Metecno developed SecureLap® as a unique lapping solution for local conditions. This was achieved through industry wide feedback and consultation, extensive in-house product development and rigorous weather testing to Australian Standards (conducted by CSIRO).

For more information on how SecureLap® can provide watertight security and warranty confidence to your next project, download the brochure or contact your nearest Bondor or Metecno office.

Bondor launch the much anticipated ‘Inspire®’ an innovative insulated architectural façade system offering architects and designers an
inspiring palette of colours, attractive surface profiles and excellent thermal properties. Able to provide expressive modern design and functional construction techniques, Inspire® is an ideal solution for inspired façade or walling designs.

A family of three from Western Australia (WA) has slashed prices on their energy bill with their energy efficient dream home.

The Lim family has set a precedence on how residential architecture can showcase both impressive minimalism design features and energy-saving thermal performance in their 217 square metre home nicknamed as the “Bling Box” for its boxy looking exterior.

The family home located in Ardross, WA, incorporates eco-friendly Bondor products that are paving the way to reduce Australia’s carbon footprint in residential buildings which currently account for 10% of Australia’s total carbon emissions.

Director of Tulloch Construction, Mr Andrew Tulloch collaborated with the Lim family to create a family home with a focus on innovative clutter-free spaces that preserved a compact footprint.

“It is always an exciting opportunity to be involved in projects that are moving the building industry forward in the way of environmentally sustainable practices,” he said.

“We worked closely with the Lim family who placed an importance on creating a space that incorporated materials that demonstrate both space and energy efficiency. Sourcing products with energy efficient functions was therefore vital and incorporating Bondor products to create this well-insulated home significantly contributed to the home energy rating.”

The space efficient family home combines Bondor’s Equitilt® wall panelling and SolarSpan® roof sheeting, that demonstrate high thermal performance that exceeds the Building Code of Australia’s current six-star thermal efficiency requirement.

Homeowners across the country are recognising the significance of constructing insulated homes where a well-insulated roof can save the average Australian family 45% on heating and cooling and a further 20% can be saved with wall insulation.

Installing residential insulation is a simple solution that can drastically reduce the $47 billion figure that Australian households are currently spending on energy, an amount that rivals manufacturing industries.

The Lim family recognised the financial benefits available when selecting Bondor walling and roofing products for their new family home but were surprised by the speed of construction.

Bondor’s Equitilt® wall panelling is a lightweight material that combines prefinished COLORBOND® steel with high performing installation. Allowing for a smoother workflow, which allowed for fast-tracked construction time of their dream home.

“By using Bondor products, we were able to move into our new home just eight months after the start of construction. This was especially important for our family as we have a 20 month old child,” said homeowner Bernard Lim.

Bondor General Manager Geoff Marsdon said the Lim family home showcases what Bondor products can offer in terms of improving residential energy and cost efficiency.

“Bondor is committed to creating products that exceed the building industry and consumer requirements for energy efficient and space saving materials that are fast and easy to construct,” said Mr Marsdon.

“The installation of Bondor products in the Lim family home has allowed the family to live
in a cool and comfortable environment, knowing they are doing their part to reduce Australia’s carbon footprint.”

The two-storey 217 square metre home features excellent access to natural light, open-planned living, dining and kitchen areas, four bedrooms, three bathrooms and two activity zones.

For further information on Tulloch Construction, visit www.tullcon.com.

Bondor Equitilt©architectural panels feature prominently on the newly revealed $29 million National Cricket Centre at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane’s Albion.

TVS Architects chose to showcase Bondor’s Equitilt© in the impressive multi-storey design, to meet the brief for a lightweight cladding system with benefits including low maintenance, durability, high insulation value and cost-efficiency with the required fire ratings.

TVS Architects director Michael Kisluk explained that Equitilt© was selected as it ticked all the boxes in their requirements list for a lightweight cladding system, adding that they would definitely use it again.

Cost reduction was a key objective during the construction of the building, with Bondor Equitilt© playing its part by helping to reduce the amount of framing required. Since the architectural panels are finished on both sides, there is no need to line the inside face.

In addition to offering a wide range of colours, Equitilt© also delivers high thermal efficiency to reduce the running costs for the life of the building.

Bondor General Manager Geoff Marsdon said the National Cricket Centre utilised Australian-made Equitilt© panels in both Flameguard© and Bondor options, in three different external colours: Bushland, Surfmist and the custom shade Mandarin.

The interior of the Centre featured the colour Surfmist to effectively blend with the off-white interior finish. Bondor panels were also utilised for the sun blades on the building.

The self-supporting Bondor insulated panels feature an expanded polystyrene (EPS-FR) core between two layers of Colorbond© steel, providing structural and thermal efficiency combined with a durable and attractive finish.

These architectural walling panels also offer versatility of design, insulation ability and efficiency of installation.

According to Mr Marsdon, the sandwich panel construction delivers high structural stability to the wall, and 25 times more thermal efficiency than pre-cast concrete of the same thickness; the lightweight design additionally reduces load bearing footings and structural supports.

Equitilt© architectural panels come in 50mm to 150mm thicknesses. Standard colours include Surfmist, Classic Cream, Pale Eucalypt and Paperbark; non-standard colours include Axis, Citi, Facade and Skybridge; and finishes include Shadowline, Satinline and Series 600.

The National Cricket Centre was a joint project of the Federal Government, the Queensland Government, Brisbane City Council, Cricket Australia, Queensland Cricket, project managers Johnstaff and builders Watpac.