Montana Apartments

The heritage-listed Montana building, ca 1920, was designed by acclaimed Sydney architects John Burcham Clamp and Walter Burley Griffin. A total revamp required custom-made timber windows and doors that had to meet heritage overlay, high wind loading, and fire rating to complement the heritage building.

The architects and builders were very keen to use an Australian company that could custom-make windows and doors that were tested to N5 and N6 wind load, but at the same time also satisfying the heritage overlay. Custom manufacturing allowed for copying the aesthetic of the original windows and incorporating this look into our Passive House system.

The site was quite difficult because of its high exposure to wind due to being situated right on Sydney Harbour. It also required 60-minute fire windows on one elevation, again having to look authentic to the heritage overlay of the building and match the original windows. The engineers were surprised and commented favourably on our products as these satisfied all that was required and more, and are tested, approved and comply with AS1288:2021, AS2047:2014, and AS1530.4:2014.

While the energy efficiency of the windows was not a requirement, the structural and water ingress performance was essential for the project, hence, well-sealing windows - which is a feature of our Passive House system - are the perfect solution that also provided energy efficiency as a bonus.

The glazing used was Viridian double glazed IGU’s on two elevations, the fire rated glass was made by AGG (Australian Glass Group), who incorporated Schott Pyranova® glass into double glazed IGU’s. On the fire-rated elevation, sashes can be individually operated with motor drives but will also close automatically in case of fire.

All timber frame surfaces were finished with Adler 3-coat water-based solid paint, which is low-VOC, and has low maintenance requirements. This paint has to satisfy the weathering challenges of the primarily westerly aspect of the façade, and high salt-laden winds coming from the waters of Sydney Harbour.

The building is oriented to capture the cinematic vista of the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and skyline through the apartment windows.

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Architects: Welsh + Major

Builder: Renfay Projects