Lysaght products were used in the design of the Desert Rose house – a sustainable, solar-powered cost-effective housing project located in Wollongong, NSW. The project was designed by the students of the University of Wollongong (UOW) in partnership with students from TAFE Illawarra.
Speaking of the experience, Lysaght's Account Manager for Commercial and Industrial projects, Richard Barnes, said, “When I arrived at the initial information evening, I was surprised to see that Marketing students had created all the flyers, banners and so forth, and that Hospitality students were handling catering for the evening. That was the first thing that impressed me about the effort. The fact that it drew in students from so many fields and gave them hands-on experience in a real-life project.”
Lysaght’s involvement in the project centred around the donation of Lysaght steel building products. These included the 0.55 mm custom flashing, cold formed sections (CFLC06425Z6), and handy cleats. The Lysaght Zed and Cee purlins – which can be used as eave purlins, or for detailing purposes in compact sections – and the Lysaght Topspan 22 and Lysaght Topspan 40 – which can be used as ceiling battens for internal fixing of ceiling or wall liner – were also donated.
In addition to the materials, Barnes guided students through practical techniques such as hole punching, questions about maximum cut lengths and so forth. He also offered exposure to technical information to provide them with more of a real-world experience.
According to Barnes, practical projects like Desert Rose prepare students in ways that books, study and exams simply can’t. "Just getting the opportunity to talk to a supplier – and realising the importance of being prepared and having all the information at hand before you make that call is invaluable," he said.
Although it has a sustainable design, Desert Rose focuses on more than sustainability. By acknowledging the fact that higher life expectancy combined with declining fertility rates are contributing to aging populations around the world, its design caters to the needs of residents with access requirements and so forth. The house won second place at the 2018 Solar Decathlon Middle East, a competition that challenges students from around the world to design and construct solar powered houses that are sustainable, stylish and cost effective.
