Apartment Interior
What are the ceiling heights?
As the bulk of services are located in the 'spine', all apartment ceiling heights are, for the most part, consistent and flat throughout, with no bulkheads. From level 6 to level 23 they are 2700mm high, and from 24 to 29 they are a generous 2900mm high.
What is the spine?
The 'spine' is essentially a vertical services chamber that runs right through the building from top to bottom. There are a series of these throughout the tower that provide the services to each apartment. With the advent of the joinery 'spine', we are able to consolidate mechanical, waste, ventilation ducts, exhaust and return air within these chambers. This means that floor plans can be very flexible, apartments are quiet, exhaust is expelled vertically, and ceiling heights are not compromised by bulkheads.
What are the bathrooms like?
All master ensuites are five point, including two basins, separate shower, bath and toilet. They are spacious and feature plenty of storage space. Secondary bathrooms act as dual powder room / bathroom with a shower, vanity and toilet.
Is their ample storage throughout the apartment?
We recognise that having ample storage space is vital to being able to live comfortably, and this was a priority. Each bedroom has at least 1800mm lineal of wardrobe space. Linen, coat store, and miscellaneous store are also available. Maximum vanity storage above and below is provided in the bathrooms.
What are the kitchens like?
All kitchens are by Poliform and are 5 point minimum, including an option for an integrated fridge, full height pantry, double sink and cooking appliances. Larger apartments feature a scullery kitchen (or butler's kitchen) which can be closed separately to the show kitchen. The scullery houses a refrigerator, full height pantry, appliance zone, a basin, dishwasher and set down. The show kitchen houses the cooking equipment and sink. All kitchens will have a ducted range hood. Range hood exhaust is ducted to the outside of the building via the 'spine'.
Can I hear my neighbours?
Acoustic insulation levels attract a star rating depending on the amount of dampening achieved by construction of the wall. The party walls, and the perimeter walls and glazing facing into the atrium are 5 star rated to achieve maximum sound insulation. This is well above the minimum set by the Building Code of Australia.
Is there natural light available from the atrium spaces?
The atrium light is utilized to great benefit via a translucent skin on the atrium facing bedrooms. The architectural form has been designed to allow maximum light from the facade to each apartment. With the addition of sheer blinds, the dweller can allow light transparencies whilst reducing UV impact to the interior.
What are the laundries like?
All apartments have dedicated rooms for laundries, linen store and drying areas. A Miele condenser dryer is part of each apartment's standard equipment and this is connected to the building's exhaust system.
Common Areas
What is a Vertical Village?
Each three levels of living within Triptych are grouped in to a cluster, or 'village'. Each village has a privileged space known as a 'village space' exclusively for the residents in that cluster. These spaces extend across a 9 metre void in the building, central to the 3 levels of apartments it affords. Each village space feature a stunning internal garden via a living green wall that grows through the building, filtering light and air as it extends upwards. Reminiscent of European living, these welcoming open spaces have the ability to introduce a collaborative environment and sense of community rarely seen in inner city living. You enter the village from the lifts each time you go to your apartment. Each village has a 9m picture window with views over the bay and denotes that you have arrived home with a spectacular view.
How will the village spaces be heated and cooled?
The Villages have been conceived as a transition space between the exterior space and the fully air conditioned spaces of the apartments. Triptych has an environmental focus and will provide natural ventilation and radiant panel heating to the common areas.
Cooling will achieved through the use of a sophisticated automated building management system that controls opening and closing windows that maximize cross flow ventilation opportunities for a natural alternative to mechanical air conditioning.
Hydronic heating will be employed in the common areas providing an even radiant heat for maximum comfort. The hot water needed for the heating is produced on site along with electricity, the two products generated by the co-generation plant.
The pattern from the carpark facade is repeated throughout the building, why is that?
The pattern has been created by Robert Owen, the artist who has collaborated with the design team for the exterior of the project. It will also be found on the entry gate for each individual apartment. It is a direct interpretation of natures' structure - a leaf's cellulose pattern. Robert has developed software which reinterprets images mathematically into an abstract of the original. This means that each individual gate will be unique Robert Owen artwork.
Is there a pool and gymnasium facilities?
Triptych features a beautiful indoor 25m lap pool on level 6 that extends out over Kavanagh Street. In addition there is a fully equipped gymnasium, yoga deck and sculptured gardens exclusively for the residents.
Sustainable Building Characteristics
How is this building different to other apartment buildings?
One of Triptych's priorities is to ensure that impact on the environment is kept to a minimum, from choice of building materials through to generating electricity, building an environmentally sustainable building has always been paramount. The most significant initiatives are co-generation, water harvesting, using cross flow ventilation cooling techniques, and using flooring products that do NOT rely on old growth rain forests or tropical forest timbers.
What is cogeneration?
Cogeneration is a technique for efficient hot water and power generation. The cogeneration plant is a small gas fired engine that generates electricity and recycles the waste product - heat - for heating the building. The overall objective of the cogeneration strategy is to reduce body corporate costs. The electricity generated contributes to the base building electricity supply for lifts, common area lighting and ventilation and the recycled heat contributes to the pool heating, atrium heating and the domestic hot water supply. The cogeneration strategy is an energy efficient way to generate electricity and heating for the building considerably reducing the associated carbon emissions.
What is rain water harvesting?
Rainwater is collected from the roof level and the level 6 podium and stored in two large rainwater storage tanks. Also all waste water that usually goes down the drains when the sprinklers are tested weekly is stored in the rainwater tanks. This recycled water contributes to the irrigation system and the swimming pool top up.
Other water conservation strategies include high water efficiency taps, shower heads, toilets and dishwashers throughout.
What is cross flow ventilation?
Cross flow ventilation uses passive engineering techniques to provide extra fresh air to the building. The atrium spaces within the Triptych development have been designed to introduce high levels of fresh air and daylight deep into the centre of the building. These atrium spaces have been designed to work passively to provide what we have named - a tempered environment- which is warmer than the outside in winter and cooler than the outside in summer but does not require expensive air conditioning generating high body corporate costs.
Openings in the facade of the atrium and at the adjacent end of the corridor are automatically controlled by a series of smart, yet simple, control systems that sample the temperature and wind speeds internally and externally and then open a series of louvers automatically. If the climatic conditions outside are pleasant then the louvers are fully open. If the conditions outside are extremely hot then they close and the thermal mass of the space absorbs the heat and if the conditions outside are very cold then the louvers close and an efficiency radiant heating system heats the space supplied by the recycled heat from the cogeneration system.
The atrium also provides a source of cool fresh air to the rear of the apartments improving air quality.
What is Bamboo Flooring?
We are using strand woven bamboo flooring. This flooring has twice the hardness of jarrah timber and comes in a range of natural and "stained" finishes. It is the only strand woven bamboo flooring product to have been awarded Green Business Council's certification. This covers not only the use of bamboo but also occupational health and safety practices, and all aspects of its manufacturing. This product is equivalent to the best quality hardwood flooring products available without the adverse environmental damages.
Facade design
What is the philosophy behind the facade design/colours?
The facade is described by the collaborating artist, Robert Owen, as being like a large plane which responds in ever changing ways to the character of Triptych's environment. This is most evident on the east facade for instance, where an overlay principle of 'digital showers' is portrayed- 'its as if rain drops have deposited a colour on each line of windows, running down to meet the garden, then dispersing as coloured puddles (cellulose pattern in carpark), swelling like water in a balloon as it is drawn towards the earth.
It's like the raindrops have left behind a poetic memory of their cyclical journey. The integrated artwork 'Digital Showers' is symbolic of - The cycle of nature - a poetic memory and a connection to an artwork by the artist in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.
The aluminium laser cut facade to the lower carpark levels represents the garden Roberts refers to above. This abstracted pattern is similar in concept to that of the Entry Portico. Note how the digital showers (coloured glass vertical treatment on the apartment levels above) disperses as it meets the garden (the aluminium facade) thereby creating a series of coloured infills in the laser cut outs not unlike a stained glass window. One might interpret that the whole of the glass facade is analogous to living within a contemporary stained glass sculpture.
How does the 'vertical garden' work?
The idea behind the vertical garden is to communicate the unique environment of the Pool and surrounding gardens. The overflowing garden growing 'out of the wall' performs a familiar welcoming gesture to Triptych dwellers and their visitors as they approach the building. The garden is constructed of a series of modular panels within which the various plants grow, each of them drip fed from it's own irrigation system.
What is the concept behind the building?
The whole building has been conceived as a fully integrated art environment respecting the immediacy of the Triptych location within the epicentre of the Melbourne arts precinct. The building is, in effect a visual backdrop to the National Gallery of Victoria and while not located within the NGV sculpture courtyard, the collaboration of one of Melbourne's and Australia's most pre-eminent artists with the architectural team has aimed to contribute to that space and to the surrounding built environment in a positive and respectful manner. In effect, the building is a sculpture that people occupy. It is also conceived as a performance art work - where occupiers can contribute to as participators through the use of their own space - for instance by lighting their space, the use of their window coverings and through the activation of their awning windows. The response of the participants in the Triptych village as communities will definitely alter the way the building is perceived as an artwork.
How do the Village Spaces contribute to the concept and how are they intended to be used?
They are an important part of a fully integrated art solution. They act as an extension of the ground floor foyer, and as such are designed as gallery like spaces where contemporary artworks can be displayed. As such they are designed to be enjoyed communally, like those many great art and sculpture gardens in New York or Europe - except that you can live right by them and stroll through or sit and contemplate within them - on your own or with others in your 'village'. Just as great galleries such as MOMA in New York or the Guggenheim in Venice boast 'great art in a garden environment', Triptych aspires to a similar if more humble environment in its Village Spaces. One of the three sides of the Village is entirely glazed for its three floors. Much of that wall contains a vertical garden with evergreen conveying an intimacy appropriate to a residential community, while also providing privacy beyond the building. Everyone arriving at their Village Space will be greeted by a wall of planting, dappled light through the day and dramatic spot lit art installations by night!
Services
Is there a concierge?
Yes there is a 18/24 hour concierge service with a cool and dry room to store deliveries in your absence and receive guests. The concierge is also part of the active security provided to residents.
Do we need to maintain air conditioning and other services?
Maintenance is an integral part of the buildings requirement to function under the legislative laws, the organisation of this will be undertaken by the body corporate, you should report any concerns with your body corporate representative.
How do we get access into the building?
Secure access will be provided in the form of a key fob, this will provide access to front main door, carpark entry and lift access.
Will the lights in general areas be on all of the time?
No, for reason of building code compliance and energy efficiency motion detectors will control the switching of lighting to common areas. BUT these lights are part of the buildings Co-generation system so it can have better levels of lighting and still save operating costs for the body corporate.
Will I have to ability to connect to any electrical retailer?
You may choose to connect to any electricity retailer that services the area.
Will I have to ability to connect to any telecommunications retailer?
You may choose to connect to any providor that services the area.
What happens when one of my light globes fails?
Generally the replacement of globes is the owner's responsibility. If you are unsure, you may make contact with the body corporate who will be able to guide you to the nominated supplier.