RHODES CENTRAL HELIOSTAT

This heliostat system is the second of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, redirecting sunlight from the top of Rhodes Central, a 39-storey development in Sydney, Australia, down into the overshadowed Town Square below. The heliostat system, which sits atop one of the development’s two towers, is made up of 49 large, motorised mirrors that move to track the sun. The sunlight is bounced from these mirrors up to a system of reflectors that can be angled to direct the light down, addressing the issue of buildings overshadowing public space below and creating dark, gloomy spaces.

Inhabit provided complete façade consulting services for the heliostat cladding, and the tower glazing systems. The team in Inhabit’s Shenyang office also completed quality control checking in China.

“Inhabit’s Sustainable Design team promoted sustainable and comfortable occupant outcomes for this development. Beyond energy efficiency and building performance services, Inhabit provided CFD modelling for thermal comfort and wind driven rain. Inhabit also designed the mirror system for the striking rooftop heliostat, authoring a custom mirror control script to accurately model the heliostat system performance and provide assurance around it’s daylighting outcomes for public spaces.”
Jason Gaekwad, Regional Manager | Building Physics and Sustainability

The Wann-gal people are the Traditional Custodians of the Country where this project stands.