Glass that keeps its cool

Floor-to-ceiling glass can bake the rooms behind it by mid-afternoon. On the Riverside block every window sits under the balcony of the flat above, and each balcony projects far enough to shade the glass below it when the summer sun is high.

Each balcony is the sunshade for the window below it.

In winter the sun is low enough to reach under the balconies and warm the floors. The balustrades are glass so the view is not lost, and the timber strip marks the stair core that runs up the middle of the building.

The result is a building that looks almost entirely glazed and stays at a steady temperature through August without the air conditioning working overtime.