Use courtyards for example between new and old to allow Northern penetration. What about 'clerestory' window's, these will allow Northern light as well as creating a thermal chimney. There are many options to allow Northern light into a dwelling. It is just a big harder to design. North facing living is easy (to an extent) to achieve when it's situated that direction. Solar Passive is just as much about everything else apart from North facing as you need thermal mass, ventilation, insulation, etc.. to make it work. Every designer now must consider solar, micro climate's, window's, etc. otherwise the dwelling will fail the thermal efficiency requirements. Usually a minimum of 6 Star's is required......

I don't know why people keep referring to these fad-driven green walls as sustainable - they are not. Green walls are completely unsustainable, when you consider what sustainabity really means. They are nothing but a Frenchman's idea that he pushed heavily to the landscaping industry that is now being touted as an environmental solution to housing insulation. They are actually useless in areas of high heat, especially when accompanied by high wind and low humidity. Most cities in Australia are not suitable because buildings are too exposed to the elements. Trees are actually required to increase shade to the buildings and the walls, and to increase evapotranspiration - hence the green walls are entirely useless. Of course they will cause fires when the plants die - they are entirely unnatural and won't last.

Hi T Whit, Firstly, congratulations. How lovely to have 10 acres and a view! Also really glad that you are taking the sensible approach and aren't rushing into anything. Perhaps the best place to start is finding an architect or building designer with whom to work through your ideas and come up with a concept. Whether you engage an architect or building designer really depends on three things: your budget, the size of your project and, probably the most important thing, finding a professional person with whom you feel comfortable working. The whole process will always run more smoothly when a good working relationship is established. Once you have a plan you are happy with, it may also make sense to engage an interior designer to look it over prior to submitting to council or beginning construction, to see whether the flow of the internal design is optimal and where any adjustments might be made. Once you have council approval, it's costly and time-consuming to make significant changes as you'll then need to re-submit the plans. An interior designer can also help with exterior colours and finishes, selection of all the internal finishes, lighting, fixtures & fittings and would be able to provide detailed design of kitchens, bathrooms, built-in joinery etc. which trades will need. There are so many details to consider in any building project, so best to have as much of it as possible worked out before the project gets underway. Having said that, it's also an "organic" process and your ideas and tastes may well change during the design process, so it's good to have people you can trust on board to help with important decision-making and to workshop ideas. Best of luck with your project!

I'd make sure I had probably 3 'zones' or options . It is just crying out for a big industrial style centrepiece on 3 or 4 heavy chains , maybe even with 15 or 20 candles . Just as I'm writing this , I'm even wondering how difficult it would be to get 15 shorter stubbier candles and drill out the middles , and thread a cheap 12 volt LED through each one ? The local electrical supplier charges something like $12 for 10 -- you'd have to wire them , but its low voltage so a soldering iron and heatshrink tubing would do wonders . look way more authentic than those cheesy ones with flickering 240 volt bulbs and fake melted wax on shiny plastic bases ! Anyway , that would be my centrepiece , even if you had to use a transformer etc -- drop it to the ceiling line height . Then I'd do a seperate zone -- probably single LED spotlights ( prob in black ) . at least one each beam , some pointing up , some across to the other 'slope' , but also some pointing downwards , because you'll need to look for dropped coins or handkerchiefs or phone chargers every now and then haha . And the 3rd zone would be wall uplights and downlights , because I can almost guarantee there will be times you want light , but you don't want or need to emphasis the height . If its not too late , I'd have them maybe 1.5mtrs from the floor , and the covers in an aged copper or similar panels , and that would match the style of the centrepiece light too . I'd have the spotlights a completely seperate style though -- more modern and plainer , but not ultra-modern , if that makes sense .