CH2 has been designed to reflect the planet’s ecology, which is an immensely complex system of inter-related components.
The first focus of the design process for CH2 was to gain an understanding of Melbourne’s climate and weather patterns. An ecosystem responds to its environment, and its ability to adapt to take advantage of changing weather conditions contributes greatly to the success of the system.
The design team found that responding to the site’s climactic conditions highlighted a range of opportunities for energy efficiency, and in doing so gave rise to some of CH2’s most innovative features.
Melbourne is well known for its ‘four seasons in one day’. This variability could be viewed as a problem, but in the case of CH2, it was viewed as an opportunity to design the building around the concept of cold energy storage. The building therefore operates in two seasonal modes (winter and summer), as well as day mode and night mode.
CH2’s many parts work together to heat, cool, power and water the building, creating a harmonious environment. More detail about how the building works as an ecosystem is contained within the below document:
CH2 – How it works (PDF, 2.5Mb) 