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An eco development strikes gold in rural Victoria

By Fiona Negrin

Lilting bird song, stately river red gums and

abundant foliage give the impression that were

far from civilisation. So its a pleasant surprise to

realise that the local shops and train station are

a ten-minute walk away. Gently perched in the

landscape, so modest you dont notice them at

rst, are eight small homes. Welcome to Munro

Court, a sustainable housing development in

the old Victorian gold mining town of

Castlemaine.

The idea was to build very small houses

with a modern feel but rustic aesthetic; homes

settled in Australian bush gardens, says

designer Robyn Gibson of Lifehouse Design,

based in Castlemaine. The development was

initiated by a local couple, Sue Turner and DonWild, whose vision was to build a cluster of

energy-efcient modern houses that harmon-

ised with the landscape. Social sustainability

would be a key criterion, as would the potential

for elderly people to downsize in comfort and

age in place.

Sue and Don teamed up with Robyn

and Paul Hassall of Lifehouse Design, and

Sues son Sam Cox of Sam Cox Landscaping,

to turn the vision into reality.

Although the houses are placed

to each other, they dont have boun

so strategic design was employe

sense of seclusion.

All living areas face onto the s

bathing areas of the neighbou

so nobodys living areas look into

says Robyn. Additionally, there a

earth mounds and plantings betw

to provide privacy.

Robyn and Paul worked close

to harmonise the houses with the

The homes, none of which is larg

square metres (the average ne

Australia is around 240 square me

an unobtrusive colour scheme of stan, and are built with natural mater

and timber, including Cypress

reclaimed from farm windbreaks. R

trees frame the plantings, which

species. Robyn muses, The wh

lled with foliage you look at the g

the houses. Thanks to appropr

choice and generous mulching, the

thrived in a climate of increasingly

and hotter summers.

ALLTOGETHERNOW

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Residents share responsibility for tending theommunal vegie garden, emptying the compost

and feeding the chooks. Sometimes they dineogether. And it happens entirely organically

Living at Munro Court are young families,

ouples and single retirees. One of the latter is

in, who volunteers at the University of the

ird Age and enjoys bushwalking. Win wasnt

pecially looking for an environmentally

stainable home, but she was charmed by the

ouse. I walked into this room and I just

ought, its so beautiful, so full of light. And the

ishes, the colours, so much thought has

one into details and the ttings.

Win also appreciated the houses roomi-

ess. A small space can be well used. Theres

ns of storage. Big windows and high ceilings

ve a sense of spaciousness. Its a small house

ut it feels like a big house because it has the

ght proportions. Within three hours of seeing

e house, shed bought it.

Win has since become a convert to sustain-

ble living. The ecological design isnt some-

ng that I was looking for but Im totally thrilled

th it because it works so well. In winter, the

orning sun pours into her north-facing

ndows and ten minutes later, the living room

is warm. Castlemaine is notorious for its

extreme temperatures. Win says she looked at

old houses but they had no north-facing

windows, and their bi-monthly gas bill was

$600. I didnt want that. This house is efcient

to run. My biggest bi-monthly gas bill in winter

was $80, and I was never cold.

To compensate for Castlemaines frosty

winters, the houses at Munro Court have large,

north-facing double-glazed windows and high

levels of insulation to keep the heat in. Concrete

slab oors help maintain a stable temperature

even on the chilliest nights, and gas heating

boosts warmth when needed. Summers can

be scorchers, but theres no need for active

cooling in the houses because external awnings

and pergolas offer shade, while doors and

windows can be ung open and ceiling fans

operated to move cool air through the house.

Munro Court cheerfully fulls its brief of

social sustainability. Robyn and Win nish each

others sentences as they list the occasions

that bring neighbours together: to have drinks

when a new person moves in; to hold re

management meetings; and to participate in

revegetation working bees. Residents share

responsibility for tending the communal vegie

garden, emptying the compost and feeding the

chooks. Sometimes they dine together. And it

happens entirely organically.

One of the really nice things here is that

theres no formal organisation for any jobs to be

done, says Win. People ask me, who owns

the chooks? Do you have rosters? Do you have

a vegie bed each? but its not organised like

that. People pitch in when they have time and

we all share produce. Elderly neighbours who

cant contribute to the garden still share eggs

and vegetables from the garden. Its very

pleasing and generous.

SamCox Landscape,based

inMelbourne,designed the

gardenswith softborders,

boulders,andlowwateruse

Australiannativeplants.

Adevelopmentlikethiswith

modestbuildingfootprints

releasesmorelandareafor

vegetationandsocial amenity.

Thereponsibilityfor tendingthe

gardenrests withthe community,

whichfosters socialcohesion

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Their vision was to build a cluster of energy-efcientmodern houses that harmonised with the landscape

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52 Sanctuary

Munro CourtDesigner Lifehouse DesignWebsite www.lifehousedesign.com.auBuilder Various (Mike Ruggles, Wild Homes,

Gerard K House, Kym Jermyn)Location Castlemaine, VICProject type Residential developmentCost House & land packages from $235,000 (2003)

to $430,000 (2009)Photography Rachel Pilgrim (Well Earth Studios) & Andrew Lecky

Hot water

Various solar hot water systems including Edwards Beasley 180L

solar hot water system with Rinnai Innity gas boosted units and Quantum

heat-pump systems (www.edwards.com.au)

Renewable energy 5 of the 8 houses have BP grid-interactive photovoltaic systems of

various sizes from 450W to 1.5kW (www.bpsolar.com.au)

3 houses buy GreenPower

Water saving

All houses have Aquaplate corrugated iron tanks by BlueScope Steel

ranging from 4500L 30,000L capacity

1 house has a Wattworks Automatic Grey Water Recycler

(www.wattworks.com.au).

All bathroom and laundry waste lines converge to a single line outside

the houses for possible future connection to greywater systems

Passive heating & cooling

North orientation

Casement-style windows used generally throughout development

for maximum capture of cooling breezes

Active heating & cooling

HunterPacic Typhoon reversible ceiling fans (www.hunterpacic.com.au)

Rinnai Energysaver gas space heaters (www.rinnai.com.au)

1 house has Greenheat solar assisted hydronic heating

(www.greenheat.com.au)

Windows & glazing

Miglas or Valley Window double glazed windows

(www.miglas.com.au; www.valleywindows.com.au)

Lighting

All homes have a mix of low-wattage surface and recessed downlights

Paints, fnishes & oor coverings

Wattyl i.d. or Dulux Eco Choice low-VOC internal paints

Victoria Carpets Heather Point range, 80% wool cut-pile broadloom carpet

Mineral silicate external paints including Keims Granital mineral silicate paint,

and Porters Paints mineral paint

Sustainable Features

North-facing external walls

are protected from the harsh

summer sun by slat eaves

combined with a trellis. The

deciduous vines growing on

the trellis will give shade in

summer, while allowing winter

sun through in colder months.