Eco Living
Sustainable Homes
Eco-Conscious Australian Homeowners Open Their Doors
Here are just five of the must-visit, earth-friendly homes open to the public on Sustainable House Day 2015, Sunday, September 13
This Sunday (September 13), 150 exciting, environmentally-sustainable homes around the country will be opening their doors to the public in an initiative designed to inspire more Australians to embrace renewable energy, recycling and other practices in order to lessen our impact on the environment.
Sustainable House Day, now in its 15th year, is a free event, jointly run in 2015 by the not-for profit Alternative Technology Association (ATA) with EnviroShop. From 4-10pm, members of the public will be able to step inside home builds and renovations that push the boundaries in the sustainable stakes, and learn more about everything from green roofs to food farms, to thermal mass walls and innovative hot water systems.
Find a home near you here, and in the meantime, here’s a taste of the homes in store…
Sustainable House Day, now in its 15th year, is a free event, jointly run in 2015 by the not-for profit Alternative Technology Association (ATA) with EnviroShop. From 4-10pm, members of the public will be able to step inside home builds and renovations that push the boundaries in the sustainable stakes, and learn more about everything from green roofs to food farms, to thermal mass walls and innovative hot water systems.
Find a home near you here, and in the meantime, here’s a taste of the homes in store…
With both elderly parents and a young family to cater for, the brief for this new build was to provide an energy- and water-efficient family home for multi-generational living. “The two elderly grandparents, one of whom is dependant on a wheelchair, live on the ground floor; their son and daughter-in-law live upstairs with their two pre-teen kids,” says Builder and Director of Positive Footprints, Jeremy Spencer, who worked to incorporate features that bring the whole family together and improve accessibility. “The house is modern, and surfaces are made for easy access and easy maintenance. For example, the kitchen and pantry are ergonomically designed with flowing spaces, so that the wheelchair user can be in the thick of things at all times; we also added wider-than-average doors and built ramps into the house, raising garden beds beyond to make access easy for all.”
One of the greatest challenges for the design team was how to get northern sunlight into the majority of the rooms of the south-facing block, but at the same time prevent summer overheating on the upper floor. To solve this, the design team planned a tiered design with raised central clerestory to bring northern light to most rooms and deep into the belly of the house. In order to stabilise temperatures upstairs, they introduced reverse recycled brick veneer walls, “and where walls did not have structural support, lightweight ‘Phase Change’ sheets were employed to effectively cap upstairs temperatures,” says Spencer.
One of the greatest challenges for the design team was how to get northern sunlight into the majority of the rooms of the south-facing block, but at the same time prevent summer overheating on the upper floor. To solve this, the design team planned a tiered design with raised central clerestory to bring northern light to most rooms and deep into the belly of the house. In order to stabilise temperatures upstairs, they introduced reverse recycled brick veneer walls, “and where walls did not have structural support, lightweight ‘Phase Change’ sheets were employed to effectively cap upstairs temperatures,” says Spencer.
The polished recycled glass and concrete slab, that’s made from recycled materials and seeded with recycled glass, is another interesting and highly-efficient feature. “It is durable, low in VOCs and absorbs sunlight that falls on it throughout the day in winter to warm the house at night. It is a pleasure, both to walk on and feel, and to look at – the sun highlights different colours in the glass as it moves throughout the sky,” says Spencer.
THE HERITAGE HOME
Project name: Millers Point Residence
Location: Millers Point, NSW
Designer: Caroline Pidcock of PIDCOCK - Architecture + Sustainability
Builder: Darryn Parkinson of Your Abode
Size: 173.31 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Sustainable features include: Rooftop solar panels and high-performance insulation; very efficient hot water heat pump; carefully selected energy-efficient appliances, fixtures and lights; no VOC paints and finishes; recycled materials; and a restorative, food-producing garden.
Project name: Millers Point Residence
Location: Millers Point, NSW
Designer: Caroline Pidcock of PIDCOCK - Architecture + Sustainability
Builder: Darryn Parkinson of Your Abode
Size: 173.31 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Sustainable features include: Rooftop solar panels and high-performance insulation; very efficient hot water heat pump; carefully selected energy-efficient appliances, fixtures and lights; no VOC paints and finishes; recycled materials; and a restorative, food-producing garden.
Designer Caroline Pidcock put forward-thinking, sustainable design ideas to the test when renovating her 130-year-old home. “The most interesting issue we explored was around energy. What to heat the house with, how to make hot water, what power source to use for cooking and what to put on the roof,” she says. “As we are actively exploring how to move away from fossil fuels at the moment, we decided to not use gas for cooking or hot water. After much research and deliberation, we decide to opt for a Sanden heat pump for the hot water, leaving all available roof space for PVs.”
The brief was to enrich the heritage qualities of the state-listed property while creating a more comfortable place to live. “A lot of the ideas did not conflict at all with the heritage issues – in fact they were mutually supportive,” says Pidcock, “For example, keeping as much of the original building fabric and interiors is good for minimising embodied energy and reducing waste, plus using oils on the floor and no VOC paints throughout allows the building to breathe.”
The brief was to enrich the heritage qualities of the state-listed property while creating a more comfortable place to live. “A lot of the ideas did not conflict at all with the heritage issues – in fact they were mutually supportive,” says Pidcock, “For example, keeping as much of the original building fabric and interiors is good for minimising embodied energy and reducing waste, plus using oils on the floor and no VOC paints throughout allows the building to breathe.”
What worked in her favour was the good passive design features already present – the home faces north, for example, and is only two rooms deep. However, the home had been very cold during the previous winters due to uninsulated thermal mass, leaks and poor-performing windows and doors. “We could not solve the thermal mass issue, but we were able to seal up the building as much as possible and improve the windows and doors performance by adding secondary glazing (Magnetite). It was good to be creative about how to solve the problems while realising the benefits of its history,” says Pidcock.
THE HOUSE IN THE TREES
Project name : Tree House
Location: North Narrabeen, NSW
Designer: Envirotecture
Builder: Owner built
Size: 200 square metres; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Sustainable features include: Fresh water pool for zero chlorine and off-gassing; 72-kilolitre rainwater storage and reuse; solar hydronic heating, high-performance insulation and thermally broken
double-glazed windows; low and zero VOC products; and energy-efficient materials.
With a steeply sloping site and established trees to contend with, this new build was always going to be a challenge. In addition to this, the budget was tight and the home needed to cater to a growing family, as well as their regular overseas visitors, and create easy access for all to the main living areas.
The design team at Envirotecture brought along many solutions to fulfil the brief that would create an eco-friendly and efficient home at the same time. To minimise the root disturbance to the trees, they built the lowest level on isolated bored pier foundations and suspended beams. This low level also provided the guest accommodation the owners were after, with an external entrance as well as an internal one that connects it to the main stairwell. They also built in a separate garden flat at the rear.
Project name : Tree House
Location: North Narrabeen, NSW
Designer: Envirotecture
Builder: Owner built
Size: 200 square metres; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Sustainable features include: Fresh water pool for zero chlorine and off-gassing; 72-kilolitre rainwater storage and reuse; solar hydronic heating, high-performance insulation and thermally broken
double-glazed windows; low and zero VOC products; and energy-efficient materials.
With a steeply sloping site and established trees to contend with, this new build was always going to be a challenge. In addition to this, the budget was tight and the home needed to cater to a growing family, as well as their regular overseas visitors, and create easy access for all to the main living areas.
The design team at Envirotecture brought along many solutions to fulfil the brief that would create an eco-friendly and efficient home at the same time. To minimise the root disturbance to the trees, they built the lowest level on isolated bored pier foundations and suspended beams. This low level also provided the guest accommodation the owners were after, with an external entrance as well as an internal one that connects it to the main stairwell. They also built in a separate garden flat at the rear.
Lightweight construction was employed to reduce costs and passive solar principles were put into practice through orientation, some thermal mass, insulation, shading and ventilation. “This was all incorporated by excellent glazing,” says Founding Director of Envirotecture, Dick Clarke.
Under the garage, four 18,000-litre rainwater tanks harvest the roof water used for the whole of the house. A 2.5-kilowatt PV system fulfils the house’s electricity needs and a solar hot water system with gas boost provides hot water and occasionally the suspended pool.
Under the garage, four 18,000-litre rainwater tanks harvest the roof water used for the whole of the house. A 2.5-kilowatt PV system fulfils the house’s electricity needs and a solar hot water system with gas boost provides hot water and occasionally the suspended pool.
THE COMMUNITY PROJECT
Project name: Green Swing Development Unit 2
Location: Lathlain, WA
Builder: Right Homes
Architect/Designer: Solar Dwellings
Size: 120 square metres (over two storeys); 1 bedroom, 2 bathrooms
Sustainable features include: Straw bale and reverse brick veneer construction; passive solar principles; electric boosted solar hot water system; recycled materials; and community garden.
Project name: Green Swing Development Unit 2
Location: Lathlain, WA
Builder: Right Homes
Architect/Designer: Solar Dwellings
Size: 120 square metres (over two storeys); 1 bedroom, 2 bathrooms
Sustainable features include: Straw bale and reverse brick veneer construction; passive solar principles; electric boosted solar hot water system; recycled materials; and community garden.
Winner of the HIA WA GreenSmart Home of the Year 2014, this home is part of The Green Swing project, a townhouse development in Perth’s inner suburb of Lathlain that has set a precedent for sustainable urban design in the area.
The home is built with a combination of straw bale and reverse brick veneer construction. “Utilising low carbon products in the construction provides excellent energy efficiency, the bonus being that these materials can be recycled at the end of their lifespan,” says Builder and Owner of Right Homes, Gary Wright. In fact, Unit 2 uses more recycled materials than any other home in the development (bricks, pavers, doors, insulation and laminated pine beams), and one of the biggest challenges for them was incorporating it into the property. Another challenge was working with four different forms of construction (the home also includes single brick and stud walls) at the same time. “Boundaries were pushed to achieve an outstanding sustainable result,” says Wright.
The use of recycled construction materials was combined with passive solar design principles to achieve a nine-star energy rating and a comfortable home. Other features include a 4,500-litre rainwater tank, which through winter allows the owners to disconnect from mains water, and a food-producing community garden the owners share with other residents.
The home is built with a combination of straw bale and reverse brick veneer construction. “Utilising low carbon products in the construction provides excellent energy efficiency, the bonus being that these materials can be recycled at the end of their lifespan,” says Builder and Owner of Right Homes, Gary Wright. In fact, Unit 2 uses more recycled materials than any other home in the development (bricks, pavers, doors, insulation and laminated pine beams), and one of the biggest challenges for them was incorporating it into the property. Another challenge was working with four different forms of construction (the home also includes single brick and stud walls) at the same time. “Boundaries were pushed to achieve an outstanding sustainable result,” says Wright.
The use of recycled construction materials was combined with passive solar design principles to achieve a nine-star energy rating and a comfortable home. Other features include a 4,500-litre rainwater tank, which through winter allows the owners to disconnect from mains water, and a food-producing community garden the owners share with other residents.
THE RECYCLED RESIDENCE
Project name: Scruburban House
Location: Port Adelaide, SA
Builder: Salt E-House P/L
Designer: Salt Studio Architecture
Size: 120 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Sustainable features include: Green roof garden; use of MgO board and bio phase change material; smart wiring; cold leg water diverter; large recycled content; rainbank system; photovoltaics.
Project name: Scruburban House
Location: Port Adelaide, SA
Builder: Salt E-House P/L
Designer: Salt Studio Architecture
Size: 120 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Sustainable features include: Green roof garden; use of MgO board and bio phase change material; smart wiring; cold leg water diverter; large recycled content; rainbank system; photovoltaics.
This small-scale, sustainable urban renewal project is an example of a home that looks to a greener future, with respect to the past. The original property, built around 1900, had to be demolished, but during the process several artefacts in the form of bottles and ceramics were uncovered, along with original Baltic pine flooring, hardwood joists, doors and architectural fittings – and all were reused in the new building that rose from its ashes. “We feel the project is important in contributing to the ongoing history of the port,” says Principal Architect at Salt Studio, Libby Warwick. “We considered this from the onset; evoking pre-European settlement by covering the building with indigenous plants. The new house provides distinct textural and material links with the past through its re-use of materials and a contextual aesthetic – the large front verandah and post and wire fencing, for example.”
A full-cover green roof, walls made out of natural wax and saw dust and motion sensor power points are just some of the other highlights of this ‘Scruburban’ house. The green roof was, by far, the most complex to install, according to Warwick, with everything from waterproofing and ‘buildability’ to sourcing the correct indigenous plants presenting their own challenges. The result is a home that shows us how to bring home design into the future. “The response to the house so far demonstrates that it has struck a chord with Adelaide’s expectations for responsible redevelopment,” says Warwick.
Register now at sustainablehouseday.com to see the addresses of homes open in your area and to learn more about the event.
MORE
Houzz Tour: Settling Into Peregian Beach’s ‘Green Street’
The (Sustainable) Case for Renovating Instead of Building
Students’ Award-Winning Home Leaves Small Footprint
Register now at sustainablehouseday.com to see the addresses of homes open in your area and to learn more about the event.
MORE
Houzz Tour: Settling Into Peregian Beach’s ‘Green Street’
The (Sustainable) Case for Renovating Instead of Building
Students’ Award-Winning Home Leaves Small Footprint
Project name: Solar Sollew
Location: Seaholme, Victoria
Designer/Builder: Positive Footprints
Size: 260 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Sustainable features include: Food production with seedling-raising greenhouse; water collection and re-use; earth tube cooling and greywater irrigation; phase change thermal mass; low embodied energy construction materials; and an environmental building control management system.