SMALL SMART inFiLL · 2013-01-08 · the Australian Government Solar Credit program. (13) Prize includes the supply and installation of a Conergy 1.5 kW solar power system, including

90+ green building & renovating tips; greener apartments; ask our experts; reducing building site rubbish; building orientation; 30 pages of sustainable homes profiled

15

WinA Conergy solar system worth $9957

iSSUE 15 • AUD$11.95 • nZ$10.95 SAnCTUARYMAGAZinE.ORG.AU

Your house plans workshopped for free!

SMALL SMART inFiLLLiVinG WELL WiTH LESS

Beginner’s guide: solar water heatersCo-housing: the movement grows

12

smallgesturesDespite its small size, this Canberra house provides a rich living environment, thanks to the gentle touch of architects Joanna Nelson and Nino Bellantonio.

22

tallowwoodtreehouseSmall and smart: another new home at the Currumbin Ecovillage showcases best practice ESD.

32

shedBuiltMaking the most of existing space to increase density and utility in urban areas is well underway in Seattle.

40

incaseoffireThis new home on a bush block north-west of Melbourne meets new requirements for building in bushfire prone areas, without sacrificing sustainability or liveability.

52

co-housingThe co-housing movement is growing rapidly, particularly in Europe and America.

houses

contents12

22

32

40

60

retrospective:communityBydesignOne of Australia’s first eco developments, Christie Walk, was built in Adelaide in 2003. Sanctuary revisits the project to see if a community built from scratch can live up to expectations.

66

greenerapartmentsDespite the numerous hurdles, it is possible to make apartment buildings more environmentally friendly.

76

cleaner,greenerhotwaterClose coupled or split system? Gas or electric booster? Solar hot water presents some intriguing choices.

82

Builditup,recycleitdown“Deconstruction” – it’s the new word for a growing industry reusing building materials.

infocus regulars

20 Western Red Cedar30 On-site wastewater system

& irrigation field48 Tilt-panel concrete48 Nanokote self-cleaning window

treatment

51 Subscribe to Sanctuary 90 Products93 Marketplace 96 Ask Our Experts

inBrief

86

orientationWhat’s all the fuss about? Dick Clarke considers the importance of northern orientation in sustainable house design.

88

compactfloorplansArchitect Marie Wallin takes a look at the spatial ergonomics of house design to ensure every square metre of a compact home is fully utilised.

designmatters

contents

70

letthesunshineinSanctuary readers Toby and Melina are planning a renovation to their dark weatherboard house in Melbourne’s inner west, to let in more sun and better connect it to their back garden. Jeremy Spencer, from sustainable design and build company Positive Footprints, gives them some pointers on their design.

70

66

60

new!designworkshop

SANCTUARY8

PublisherAlternativeTechnologyAssociation(ATA)

EditorVerityCampbell

Editorial AssistantAnnaCumming

Sub editors SashaShtargot,LanceTurner

ContributorsRachaelBernstone,TimBlyth,JaneCanaway,DickClarke,AngelaCrocombe,MichaelGreen,SarahRobertson,SashaShtargot,JeremySpencer,MarieWallin

PhotographyNinoBellantonio,BenBenschneider,AussieKanck,JaneManifold,YvonneQumi,DiannaSnape,TimThomas,JanalynYanover

Cover Image BenBenschneider,Seattle,US

DesignSouthSouthWest

PrintingGEONPrinting

Advertising enquiries [email protected]

DistributionGordon&Gotch

Published by AlternativeTechnologyAssociationABN57533056318

ATANot-for-profitorganisationpromotingrenewableenergy,waterconservationandsustainablebuildingsince1980

Level1,39LittleCollinsStMelbourneVIC3000Ph:(03)96391500sanctuary@ata.org.auwww.sanctuarymagazine.org.auwww.ata.org.au

ISSN1833-1416$11.95(Aus)$10.95(NZ)RecommendedRetailPriceCopyright©AlternativeTechnologyAssociation,June2011.

Allrightsarereserved.Nopartofthismagazinemaybereproducedwithoutthewrittenpermissionofthepublisher.ThepublishersofSanctuarytakegreatcareinselectingandverifyingallmaterialthatappearsinthemagazine,butdonotnecessarilysharetheopinionsexpressedinarticles,nordotheyacceptresponsibilityfortheaccuracyofstatementsmadebycontributorsandadvertisers.Alldesignsandplansinthispublicationarecopyrightandarethepropertyofthearchitectsanddesignersconcerned.

Cert no. SCS-COC-001164

ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION PUBLISHER OF SANCTUARY AND RENEW MAGAZINES

Benefits of membership– Free subscription to Sanctuary and/or ReNew magazines– Free pdf back issues of Sanctuary and/or ReNew magazines– Join forums and exchange information with other members– Free Advice Service with the ATA’s experienced environmental

product and design advisors– Receive discounts from the ATA Shop on a range of environmental products– Support ATA’s local and international projects

Individual membership costs from $75 to $100. Join today! Call ATA on (03) 9639 1500 or sign up online at www.ata.org.au

ATA – Alternative Technology AssociationLevel 1, 39 Little Collins St Melbourne 3000ABN : 57533056318

Australia’s leading authority on practical sustainability for 30 years. Join over 6000 members Australia-wide who are taking practical environmental action in their own homes.

Alison, Boyd & Brownie – Redfern NSW

Duncan Hall – VIC Cheryl – Tandur QLD

Chris Baker – Williamstown VIC

SANCTUARY 9

This issue we’re thrilled to be introducing a new regular feature to the magazine, Design Workshop (p70). It’s an opportunity for a Sanctuary reader to have a “date” with a green architect or building designer, to receive free, constructive “fresh eyes” feedback on their planned renovation or building project. Melina and Toby are our inaugural design workshoppers. Their plans for an inner urban Melbourne renovation are workshopped by Jeremy from sustainable design and build company Positive Footprints. If you’d like your project featured in a future issue of Sanctuary’s Design Workshop, please send in a brief outline of your plans to [email protected]. In other features this issue, Dick Clarke from Envirotecture (p86) looks at how to orient your home to optimise its passive heating and cooling performance, while Marie Wallin from Planet Architecture uses furniture as a starting point for design to ensure you create spaces only as big as they need to be (p88). In our house profiles, we visit a 1960s home in Canberra (p12), whose owner resisted the usual knock-down-and-start-again approach and instead sensitively recalibrated the floorplan to improve amenity and light. In Seattle we profile an award-winning small-space design, in which a dilapidated garage is transformed into a very lovely studio apartment (p32) bringing rental income to the family and much-needed smaller urban infill housing into the city. And we profile another new house in Queensland’s Currumbin Ecovillage, with its pioneering fauna-friendly “dark sky policy” (p22). For those of you not building or renovating we suggest ways to keep warm over these chilly months with product ideas: blow-in insulation, gap sealers that work on imperfect Victorian-era doors, and thermal blinds (pp90–92). We also take a look at solar water heaters, including available rebates (p76). But of course sustainability is about a lot more than just buildings. This issue we profile a range of collaborative housing projects, designed to foster resilient, inclusive and adaptive communities. We look at the international and local co-housing movement – what’s happening and where (p52). In our “Retrospective” feature this issue we revisit the pioneering eco-housing development Christie Walk in Adelaide (p60). It was the home of South Australia’s first intensive green roof and building-integrated semi-transparent photovoltaic systems. We also take a look at some of the innovations occurring in apartment blocks around the country, looking at how tenants and owners’ corporations are collectively making their buildings greener (p66). We hope you enjoy Sanctuary 15.

Verity Campbell, Editor [email protected]

Sanctuary is published by the Alternative Technology Association (ATA), a not-for- profit environmental organisation promoting renewable energy, sustainable building and water conservation since 1980.

ATA’s advisory service, policy team and publications aid over 6000 members Australia-wide.

www.ata.org.au www.sanctuarymagazine.org.au

Sanctuary— Winner TreeHugger.com’s 2010 Best Shelter Magazine award

Verity Campbell

Letter from the Editor

hurry, last chance

subscribe or resubscribe to sanctuary before

1 june 2011 and you could win a conergy photovoltaic system valued at over $9,000

Terms and Conditions(1) The competition is open to anyone in Australia who subscribes to ReNew or Sanctuary or joins the Alternative Technology Association (ATA) during the competition period, including existing subscribers and ATA members who renew their subscription or membership during the competition period. (2) The prize is not redeemable for cash. Price includes GST. (3) Conergy reserves the right to change specifications without notice. (4) Paid ATA staff, members of the ATA Board and members of their immediate families are ineligible to enter. (5) The competition runs from 2 December 2010 to 5pm on 1 June 2011, and subscrip-tions/memberships must be received by this time and date. (6) The competition will be drawn at 11am on Tuesday 7 June 2011 at the Alternative Technology Association, Level 1, 39 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000. (7) The winner will be contacted by phone and will be notified in writing. The winner’s name will be announced in Sanctuary 16 and ReNew 117, out in August and September respectively. (8) The competition is open to individuals aged 18 years and older only. Corporate entities, collectives and organisations are ineligible. (9) To be eligible you must be a current member of the Alternative Technology Association or sub-scriber to ReNew or Sanctuary magazine. (10) The competition is only open to Australian entries and includes delivery and installation within 100 kilometres of Australian capital cities. Installations outside this area will incur additional freight and installation costs of up to $1000.00. (11) The winner agrees to assign any Renewable Energy Certificates created by this system to Conergy. (12) The winner must be eligible for the Australian Government Solar Credit program. (13) Prize includes the supply and installation of a Conergy 1.5 kW solar power system, including a solar inverter, mounting frames, meter, wiring and components, valued at $9,956.93. (14) Connection to the grid and its associated costs are the responsibility of the winner. This includes but is not limited to: i) any meter change or upgrade; ii) Energy retailers costs for connec-tion to grid. (15) Authorised under Vic Permit No. 10/4082.

win!A fully installed Conergy 1.5Kw photovoltaic system in the Sanctuary subscriber competition. Australian entries only. See the conditions below, and get your subscription or renewal in today.

prize includes:– eight Conergy photovoltaic panels (valued at $5,760)

– solar inverter (valued at $1,300)

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– 25 year performance warranty on panels

total prize value au$9,957

Subscribe and WIN

For subscription options, please turn to page 51 or visit www.sanctuarymagazine.org.au

The Sanctuary/Conergy subscriber competition is proudly sponsored by Conergy Pty Ltd. 1300 551 303; www.conergy.com.au

SANCTUARY12 SANCTUARY 13

hoUSe pRofile iNNeR URbAN CANbeRRA

Small geStureS

Words Rachael BeRnstonePhotograPhy Dianna snape, tim thomas & nino Bellantonio

Gnew kitchen cabinets mark the line of the original porch, which now serves as a small library.photo by Dianna snape

DeSpiTe iTS SmAll Size, ThiS CANbeRRA hoUSe pRoviDeS A RiCh liviNg eNviRoNmeNT, ThANkS To The geNTle ToUCh of ARChiTeCTS JoANNA NelSoN AND NiNo bellANToNio

SANCTUARY14


SANCTUARY 15


having moved from melbourne’s inner city to Canberra, architect Joanna Nelson missed the hustle and bustle of the bigger city, but loved the immediate connection to landscape and greenery of the national capital. She and her family fell in love with a small house built in 1959, from a plan purchased from The Australian Women’s Weekly Home Planning Centre. “When we lived in Melbourne, our house was on the corner with public space on two sides, so we found Canberra – where houses are separated by large backyards and set back from the road – quite confronting,” Nelson explains. “When we found this house, with its two courtyards and laneway spaces between the house and various outbuildings, we felt very comfortable here. “It some ways, the house felt like a little town, because you move through it and experience it differently from a rectangular house set in a large garden,” she adds. “It had an urban quality that was really attractive, but it also boasted Canberra’s easy connection to landscape, with the large brittle gum tree at the front, the O’Connor Ridge Nature Reserve up the road, and distant views to the Brindabella Ranges.” Even though they loved the house, Joanna and her family realised that it was too small for their needs. “We have two teenage girls and they were pretty intensely involved in contributing to our brief – they both wanted bigger bedrooms for a start – so it was a tough job to reconcile all of our ideas,” Joanna says. Instead of choosing to knock down and rebuild, Nelson elected to preserve the house and update its interiors, making two small additions: a first floor studio and a plunge pool. “We agreed on a compromise: that we wouldn’t change the layout of ground floor but we could add more room upstairs and make the courtyards more enjoyable spaces to spend time in,” Joanna explains.

For several reasons, she sought the assistance of a local architect to help her with the project. “I was working full-time in a demanding job, and, having worked in sole practice in Melbourne, I was enjoying the process of working collaboratively in teams,” she says. “And because I didn’t know Canberra, and its planning system, or any builders, I decided to team up with Nino Bellantonio after seeing one of his houses in a magazine.” The partnership was a good fit – Joanna and Nino shared similar design philosophies, and he was already familiar with the house. “Nino knew a previous owner so he’d been there to visit, and he’d almost bought it before we did, so it was a serendipitous situation because he loved the house too,” Nelson says. By today’s standards, this is a modest dwelling – the 170 square metre footprint contains three bedrooms, combined living and dining spaces with a separate kitchen, upstairs studio, one bathroom, and laundry with a second toilet – with many positive attributes, such as big windows that overlook the established garden, parquetry floors and timber panelling in the entry hall. “This is a very flexible house and every room could be adapted to modern living, 50 years after it was built, without any fuss,” Nelson says. “It works as well today as it did when it was built. Because it’s very compact, we don’t have any unused spaces, and the layout – with bedrooms at one end and the living spaces at the other – makes it very functional.” The H-shaped plan means that every room receives abundant natural light, and the layering of windows creates transparency and connection between rooms and from inside to outside. The narrow pavilions make it easy to open up to cooling breezes that flow across the hilltop site in summer, while winter sun penetrates deep into the rooms for natural warmth.

“In Canberra, there is a tendency to knock down and rebuild these 60s houses, many of which have great qualities, or to undertake a makeover that obliterates what was there.”

Dthe living room remains unchanged. the feature wall has a "crazy paving" pattern marked into the render, which matches the exterior rendered base walls.photo by Dianna snape

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Without changing the layout at all, Nelson and Bellantonio updated the working spaces – kitchen, bathroom and laundry – with new joinery, appliances and fittings. They also turned the previously converted back porch into a library and upgraded insulation, wiring and the gas boiler for hydronic heating. Also during the renovation, the slate paving in the courtyards was repaired and the parquetry floors were repolished. The major architectural addition – a new first floor studio accessed via a spiral staircase from the main courtyard – provides additional flexible space upstairs, and the inclusion of plumbing means that a bathroom can be added later. So far, the studio has been used as Joanna’s architecture office when she resumed private practice, a drum rehearsal space for one of her teenage daughters, and to accommodate guests. By positioning the studio above the cross-bar of the H, Joanna and Nino introduced some much needed shade to both courtyards. The new plunge pool in the former garage also helps to mediate Canberra’s hot summers. Having experienced the pleasure of bathing in Budapest, Joanna decided to remove the garage roof so the pool is partially enclosed yet open to the sky, a move that negated the need for a pool fence and preserved the large back garden with its fruit trees and vegetable patch. For Joanna and her family, the reworked house is the perfect backdrop to family life in the capital. “In Canberra, there is a tendency

to knock down and rebuild these 60s houses, many of which have great qualities, or to undertake a makeover that obliterates what was there,” Nelson says. “Both Nino and I are more interested in renovations that emphasise the richness of older houses. “Canberra tends to be good at the big gestures like Parliament House and wide boulevards, but it lacks the qualities that people like about Melbourne: the fine grain that you experience while walking along busy streets,” she adds. In this case, Joanna and Nino’s light touch has created a “little house with a great big character,” and it didn’t go unnoticed. The home was awarded the AIA Award for Small Project Architecture (ACT) and the ACT Chapter Medallion in 2010. “We’ve learned to live with the tiny bedrooms, because it’s a great house for a lot of people to enjoy,” Nelson adds. “You can all find a quiet spot or congregate in the central courtyard, and the upstairs room is a fantastic retreat, especially for our teenage girls: it’s like a treehouse.” The house provides rich sensory experiences too, whether it’s the crunch of gravel on the entry path or the coolness of the rainwater tank at the front door. “I especially love the way the sun slides in during winter at a low angle – it gets to the most amazing places – and in summer there’s always a shady spot to relax in,” Nelson says. “It’s very well balanced with the seasons.”

Lthe overhang of the new first floor studio provides a covered area at the front door in the entry courtyard. a new rainwater tank sits under the original aluminium pergola frame. photo by Dianna snape

the entry hall remains unchanged. the walls are plywood panelling, marked with a circular pattern.photo by Dianna snape

DFreestanding Kaldewei bath with vitrified mosaic tiles. the pattern of 600 x 300mm porcelain wall tiles on the hobless shower echo the pattern of the feature wall in the living room.photo by Dianna snape

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SANCTUARY 19


2

1

3

gRoUND flooR plAN

54

9

10

fiRST flooR plAN

1213

14

15

168

7

6

11

gRoUND flooR plAN1 pool in original garage2 Bedroom3 Bedroom4 Bedroom5 Bathroom6 central entry hall7 entry courtyard8 main courtyard9 living room10 Kitchen11 Dining12 library13 laundry

fiRST flooR plAN14 studio15 Balcony16 spiral staircase to main courtyard

Gthe front of the house faces northwest and is sheltered by a large brittle gum. photo by tim thomas

Gthe roof to the new balcony is polycarbonate sheet over timber battens and shades the glass doors to the studio. photo by nino Bellantonio

Da steel spiral staircase in the main courtyard leads to the first floor balcony and studio. photo by tim thomas

SANCTUARY20


sustainable featuresRenewable energy

Heliocol solar heating for salt water pool

www.heliocol.com.au

Hot water

5 star Rinnai Infinity 26 instantaneous hot water

service www.rinnai.com.au

Water saving

– 2,500L corrugated steel rainwater tank to garden

– Gravity fed bath greywater diverter

Passive heating & cooling

– upgraded insulation to existing roof, fibreglass batts

to new walls and roof

– shade over balcony: Corrugated Laserlite, Platinum,

with western red cedar battens under

Active heating & cooling

Futura ceiling fan

Windows & glazing

6.38mm laminated glazing

Lighting

– External wall lights: Envirolux Pilot & Sentinel

– Internal wall lights: Envirolux Obelisk

www.beaconlighting.com.au

Building materials

– Slate and bricks reused from demolished structure

– Timber benchtops from Thor’s Hammer

www.thors.com.au

Paints, finishes & floor coverings

Resealing of all parquetry flooring: Polycure Naturoil

3120 Tung Oil sealer www.polycure.com.au

Other

– Retention and adaptation of most of existing

structure

– Shade planting with fruit trees

– Excellent cross ventilation

sustainable ProduCtsWestern Red Cedar

Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) is an increasingly

popular timber choice for external joinery for its

natural resistance to decay, pleasant aroma and straight

grain. It’s a common tree in north-west US and Canada,

and seems to have spread around the globe. According

to Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s Good Wood Guide, the

timber is classed as “amber = second choice” meaning

the “timber species should only be used after checking

the source carefully.” Choosing Forest Stewardship

Council (FSC) cedar would ensure the wood is

harvested in line with the “10 Principles for Forest

Stewardship” and would increase the Good Wood Guide

listing to “green = good wood” – best practice.

www.goodwoodguide.org.au

www.fscaustralia.org

designerJoanna Nelson Architect

(joanna@joannanelsonarchitect.

com.au) in collaboration with

Nino Bellantonio, AiL Studio

([email protected])

—

builderMifsud Constructions Pty Ltd

—

ProjeCt tyPeRenovation

—

ProjeCt loCation O’ Connor, Canberra, ACT

—

Cost$400,000 including professional

fees & GST. This includes

extensive upgrading of many of

the original components of the

house such as hydronic heating,

roofing, insulation and wiring,

slate paving repair and resealing

of parquetry flooring. It also

includes the pool built within the

original garage walls.

—

sizeHouse size 170 sqm, courtyards 45

sqm, pool 20 sqm; land size 750

sqm

o'CoNNoR ReSiDeNCe

Dthe elevated pool surround allows you to look down into the courtyard or up to the first floor balcony and studio. photo by Dianna snape


hoUSe pRofile SoUTh-eAST qUeeNSlANd

SmAll ANd SmART: ANoTheR New home AT The CURRUmbiN eCovillAge ShowCASeS beST pRACTiCe eSd

Tallo

wwoo

d Tr

eehou

se

Words Tim BlyTh and angela CroComBePhotograPhy Janalyn yanover

DThe sensitive ecosystem on the site dictated a slim compact footprint to avoid the need for felling of trees.

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“something small and classy, but cosy,” was the original brief from owner Heike Hamann for this stunning home in the Currumbin hinterland, south-east Queensland. She was previously living near Bright in north-east Victoria, but a craving for warmer weather and a strong interest in sustainability and community led her to build a low impact home in The Ecovillage at Currumbin. The Ecovillage is a rural development with architectural and landscaping codes founded in best practice sustainable design and building processes. The steep site offered both opportunities and constraints. It contained two clearings and a diverse range of flora and fauna including a mature tallowwood tree, the house’s namesake. A small clearing near the centre of the lot was chosen as the site for the dwelling. To avoid losing any trees, the location dictated that the dwelling would require a compact footprint (only one small sapling eventually required felling). Heike commissioned architect Rob Norman of Symbiosphere to design her new home. Interior designer Sally Stent ensured that materials used throughout the home were recycled, sourced locally, and had minimal environmental impact. The one problematic aspect of the project was with the builder,

who had a basic understanding of sustainable construction but lacked the necessary experience for this project. Heike’s advice for others going down this path is: “Pick a builder who is experienced and knowledgeable in using recycled materials because they can be challenging to work with.” Integral to the design was the positioning of the service infrastructure to avoid tree root zones. This consisted of two 22,500 litre rainwater tanks and a 10,000 litre tank for fire fighting, on-site wastewater system and irrigation field. To address Heike’s concerns regarding maintaining the purity of the groundwater, the anaerobic on-site wastewater treatment system chosen does not use chlorine. Heike’s previous house was a mere 65 square metre cottage and she was hoping to keep the new house between 80 and 90 square metres. The upstairs area was completed at 89 square metres. The small downstairs area currently used as a workshop will eventually become a spare bedroom and office. The two-bedroom house is light and airy, with a long, thin layout to make the most of the site. Alignment of windows and doors provide at least two views of the landscape

Dopening the glazed doors onto the upstairs deck creates a large airy space and connection with the landscape. recycled hardwood was used for the decking.Due to the clever placement

of windows encouraging cross ventilation, there is no need for air conditioning, which, along with electric and wood fired heating, is not allowed in The Ecovillage.

SANCTUARY26


SANCTUARY 27


from any point in the house. The northern facade includes large windows to maximise winter sun, and smaller windows to southern and western facades ensure privacy from the street and future dwellings. A large open-plan kitchen/dining/living area opens out to a stepped east facing deck with stunning views to the gully and surrounding forest. Due to the clever placement of windows encouraging cross ventilation, there is no need for air conditioning, which, along with electric and wood fired heating, is not allowed in The Ecovillage. Recycled blockwork walls were rendered with natural clay (with an aggregate of wheaten chaff ), providing excellent thermal mass within the dwelling. In keeping with the theme of recycling, the timber floorboards were originally telegraph poles and were re-milled locally. The stone slab kitchen bench was salvaged. Items of timber furniture in the home were recrafted from pool fencing. The shelving was from a locally culled

camphor laurel tree, crafted by a local artisan. The NatHERS energy rating for the house is 7.5 stars, highlighting the building’s thermal efficiency. A household resource monitoring system allows Heike to assess the mean CO2 emissions/savings per month from realtime feedback on electricity, potable water, recycled water and gas consumption as well as energy generated by the photovoltaic system. The build took most of nine months, with Heike and her partner moving in just before Christmas last year. They are enjoying being surrounded by nature and the indoor/outdoor lifestyle that the upstairs living area and deck provides. They are also active in community life at The Ecovillage. “I still can’t believe it’s our house and I’m living here,” says Heike, who is clearly thrilled with the outcome.

LThe living room's timber floorboards originated as telegraph poles that were re-milled to form 15mm thick ecolay boards from Kennedys Timber (www.kennedystimbers.com.au)

GThe kitchen cabinets have an FSC timber veneer, stained black with resene Waterborne Woodsman. all the cabinetry was made by linear design Kitchens (www.lineardesignkitchens.com)

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SANCTUARY 29


1 master bedroom 2 bathroom 3 office 4 dining 5 living 6 upper deck 7 kitchen

8 library 9 entry deck10 stair11 future ensuite12 future bedroom13 lower deck14 laundry Scale 1:100

sustainable FeaturesRenewable energy

1.5kW grid connected solar system with Eversol

TL1500AS inverter

Hot water

– Chromagen split system solar hot water system; tank

capacity 200L

– Chromagen Eternity G20 inline instantaneous

gas booster www.chromagen.com.au

Water saving

– Three Colorbond Aquaplate rainwater tanks

(two 22500L and a 10000L)

– Colorbond downpipes to potable water system

(no PVC)

– HDPE first flush devices custom made by plumber

(Ecoplumbing Solutions; tel 0438 555 686;

[email protected])

– Cross-linked polyethylene potable water piping

– Ecowater Leader Pumps

www.leaderpumps.com.au

– Blue Mountain Gutter Mesh

www.rainharvesting.com.au

Passive heating & cooling

The house is designed for passive cooling in summer

and passive winter solar gain and should not require

active heating or active cooling beyond ceiling fans.

Note: air conditioning and electric or wood fired

heating are not permitted in The Ecovillage at

Currumbin.

Active heating & cooling

– 1500mm diameter ceiling fans

– Gas bayonet installed to living area to allow future

high efficiency gas heating if required

Windows & glazing

– G James 110 series windows with low-e clear glass

and aluminium frames. Natural anodised.

– Timber framed external doors by Duce Timber

Windows and Doors www.duce.com.au

Lighting

– All lighting is fluorescent tube or CFL and complies

with The Ecovillage at Currumbin's Dark Sky Policy,

which requires that lighting does not create glare

outside property boundaries. This reduces light

pollution which impacts on native fauna.

– Simple CFL bulbs in pendants or pelmets have been

used for many interior light fittings for economy and

due to a shortage of DSP compliant lights on the

market. External lights have shades to deflect light

downwards to light paths and steps

Building materials

– No imported timbers used in house

– Recycled hardwoods for internal flooring, some

joinery and furniture, external decking, carport

structure and roof framing, stairs, balustrades,

feature cladding, and internal sliding doors

– Colorbond steel to majority of external cladding.

Recycled hardwood floorboards used as feature

wall cladding adjacent to entry and deck

– 150mm thick Ausdeck sandwich panel to roof of

house (R3.7) www.ausdeck.com.au

– Recycled blockwork walls to provide thermal mass

(assisting with climate control within the house) as

well as structure, wall lining, and bracing. Recycled

block is typically $1 to $2.50 per block (often same

cost as new).

– All bathroom accessories were created from

Australian hardwoods, reducing the need for the

chroming process typically used in metal items such

as towel rails. Timber bathroom accessories by Brian

Berger www.brianberger.com.au

– Camphor laurel tree culling locally provided the

timber for beautiful shelving and the entry door.

Camphor laurel is milled at a private mill in Stokers

Siding, Northern NSW.

– Imperial Stone Burleigh brown granite

slab kitchen benchtop left over from another project

– Custom timber furniture is from Paul Martin,

Palm Beach


– Resene low sheen and zero VOC paints and finishes

www.resene.com.au

– In lieu of standard robe doors in both bedrooms,

100% natural and organic fibre fabrics were used.

Robe front fabrics from www.alleco.com

– Upholstery on bench seats is Sense, Eco wool

by Instyle fabrics www.instyle.com.au

– Living room cushions made by client’s mother

in 100% cotton yarn

building designerSymbiosphere Pty Ltd www.symbiosphere.com.au

—interior designerRefoundwww.refound.com.au

—Project tyPeNew build—Project location Currumbin Ecovillage, Currumbin Valley, QLDwww.theecovillage.com.au

—costApproximately $420,000—size89 sqm of internal floor area on the main level; 21 sqm for future guest quarters on the lower level; land 3587 sqm

The eCovillAge ReSideNCe

UppeR flooR plAN1 master bedroom2 Bathroom3 office4 dining5 living6 deck7 Kitchen8 library9 deck

loweR flooR plAN10 Future ensuite11 Future bedroom12 deck13 laundry

1

2

3 4 5

6

789

10

11

12

13

UppeR flooR

loweR flooR

Dlarge oversailing roof and surrounding trees provide protection to the decks from the summer sun and downpours

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The eCovillAge ReSideNCe

sustainable ProductsOn-site wastewater system & irrigation field

H2O Pureplus Whole of House system

www.h2opureplus.com

Advanced secondary treatment with nutrient

reduction. This system was chosen as it does not

have energy intensive blowers and does not use

chlorine. It uses anaerobic digestion and a UV

filter to purify water. All treated water is

distributed to an irrigation field that uses

evaporation and plant transpiration to remove

water. Excess nutrients not captured by the

system are trapped in plant growth.

Site and soil evaluation including design of

irrigation field by ADG Consulting

www.adgconsulting.com.au

LBathroom floor tiles contain 60 per cent recycled slurry, sourced from volaré (via europe).

Dinstead of standard robe doors, 100 per cent natural and organic fibre fabrics were hung in both bedrooms.

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hoUSe pRofile UNiTed STATeS

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MAkiNg The MoST of exiSTiNg SpACe To iNCReASe deNSiTY ANd UTiliTY iN URbAN AReAS iS well UNdeRwAY iN SeATTle

ShedBuilt

Words verity campbell PhotograPhy ben benschneider

Lthe living/dining room looks out to the garden through a half-door above a bookshelf. this door replaced the original garage door – it’s clad with salvaged cedar milled into shiplap siding.

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It Was tIme to make a decIsIon about the decrePIt garage in the backyard of a family house near downtown Seattle. The owners were happy with onstreet parking, so they didn’t need the use of a garage. They also knew, because of building codes, that they wouldn’t be able to replace it with a new dwelling. So they invited SHED, a Seattle architecture firm of experienced builders, to help them think laterally. The brief was to increase the building’s utility, to ensure it was making the most of the land and to make sure it wasn’t just “idling” space for their “stuff ”. The solution transformed the building, enabling it to perform a number of functions within the same footprint. Once a faded, overstocked and cobwebbed garage – now studio apartment (with exit/entry separate from the main home), storage (reduced, but better designed), and workshop. The dwelling can be rented independently of the home or used as a home office or guest house; the newly excavated basement workshop and storage space are accessible by the clients in the main home. While the transformation was fairly simple in execution, it took three summers to reach fruition. Construction was a collaborative effort between SHED, the owners, and friends, and work occurred as funds and labour were available. The first step in the project was to replace the garage’s rotten stumps with an earthquake resistant steel frame, fabricated and installed by SHED. “It allows for the corner of the garage to float above the yard, keeping it visually light and creating a porch for the lower level,” says Thomas Schaer, a principal of SHED who designed the space and did much of the construction. While replacing the stumps, they excavated under the building, creating a cavity for storage space, a workshop, a laundry, and space for the high-efficiency tankless water heater for hot water and radiant heat. Work on the garage proper came next. Most of the external weatherboards were worn and rotten; those that could be salvaged were used to clad the porch ceiling at the entry to the basement workshop. The rest were replaced with lapped fibre-cement planks for low

maintenance and longevity. The planks were attached over battens to create a ventilated cavity integrated with the roof vent cavity. The air intake is at the base of the siding, and air is exhausted via a continuous roof ridge vent. This is very effective at keeping the building cool in summer, according to Thomas. “The air behind the dark siding heats up and a convection loop draws it up and out – the interior stays cool in summer despite the southern exposure.” The existing tongue and groove internal timber panels were retained and insulated with blow-in insulation to reduce heat loss, while the roof was insulated with rigid foam. The interior of the studio apartment needed a thoughtful design approach to ensure a light and generous living space despite its modest 29.7 square metre footprint. A compact core was inserted into the north-west corner of the space, set at an angle, and clad in salvaged horizontal timber planks. It houses the bathroom (including bath), clothes cupboard, and an oven and mini fridge, concealed to minimise clutter in the main room. A small L-shaped kitchen was created from Ikea cabinets clad with salvaged planks and an aluminium sheet bench top. The cabinets house the two-burner stovetop, sink and kitchen storage. The small living space is augmented by a vertical “light scoop” window that directs late afternoon light deep into the room. Stairs lead up to the mezzanine bedroom with its triangular window, openable to vent hot air. According to Thomas, “the faceted ceiling, a unique feature of this building, guides warm air to the vent window”. Along with the horizontal planks and mezzanine, this feature also helps to draw the eye from one end of the space to the other and out. Once finished, the studio apartment was a cinch to rent, with an industrial designer in his 20s snapping it up. The owners now have a regular income from a previously under-utilised part of their block, plus storage and a workshop – all for a modest budget of AUD$40,000 (including sitework and materials; excluding labour). They can also boast an award – the shed recently won as “cutest tiny shed or building” in the Design + Architecture category of TreeHugger.com's Best of Green 2011 awards.

Gthe faceted ceiling and the level of the sleeping loft, extended by the bookshelves to the full length of the room, “draw one’s eye along the length of the building”, says designer thomas schaer.

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The brief was to increase the building’s utility, to ensure it was making the most of the land and to make sure it wasn’t just “idling” space for their “stuff ”

Dstairs up to the loft resemble a ship’s ladder and save space with a tiny footprint. all plumbing fixtures in the bathroom were salvaged, including the clawfoot bath, toilet, basin and taps.

Gthe loft can be seen above the kitchenette, while the study is along the corridor. the oven and fridge are concealed by horizontal cladding.

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gRoUNd flooR plAN1 bathroom2 clothes cupboard3 built in shelves4 stairs5 study6 Kitchen7 Oven & Fridge8 living9 deck

MezzANiNe flooR plAN10 bed

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JWhile the original windows were replaced with insulated timber windows, the “rhythm of window openings along the south wall” was retained.

desIgnerSHED Architecture—WebsItewww.shedbuilt.com

—Project tyPeRenovation—Project locatIon Seattle, US—budget AUD$40,000 —sIze29.7 sqm


hoUSe pRofile RegioNAl viCToRiA

ThiS New home oN A bUSh bloCk NoRTh-weST of melboURNe meeTS New ReqUiRemeNTS foR bUildiNg iN bUShfiRe pRoNe AReAS, wiThoUT SACRifiCiNg SUSTAiNAbiliTY oR liveAbiliTY

In case of fIre

Words AnnA Cumming PhotograPhy Yvonne Qumi

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When the neW Victorian standards for building in bushfire prone areas came into effect in 2009 following that year’s devastating fires, Andreas Sederof of Melbourne’s Sunpower Design already had the perfect project to take the new requirements through their paces. Adjoining the Wombat State Forest near Daylesford in country Victoria, the 15 hectare block that clients John and Catherine had bought for their eventual retirement was completely treed, and their preferred house site was rated just under Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) 40 on the new scale [see boxed text on p46]. “We decided to build to BAL-40 requirements anyway,” says Andreas. This led to a choice of a concrete slab, walls of tilt-panel concrete, fire rated double-glazed windows with aluminium frames and a Zincalume roof. The design of the curved two-

level structure fitted into the slope of the site is deliberately simple to minimise opportunities for ember attack during a fire, and all external living spaces are paved rather than decked. Happily, many of the material and design choices made for bushfire resistance also met the owners’ requirement for low maintenance. “We want to be able to live in the house long-term as we get into our older years. The concrete means no external painting, and the guttering has been designed not to clog with leaves,” John explains. If it became necessary, John and Catherine could live entirely on the upper level, accessible from outside without steps, and save the downstairs area for visiting family. Sustainability and energy efficiency were also key parts of the brief. All of the rooms in the house face north to allow passive solar gain, and polished concrete slab floors provide

thermal mass to help regulate the internal temperature. Tall, narrow double-glazed windows are the full height of the house, and can be shaded with remote controlled external blinds. The main living area on the upper level features a set of large folding doors opening to a patio, a small kitchen at one end, and a slow combustion wood heater for use in the region’s cold winters. The space is the full width of the house, and Catherine confirms that “the small low windows in the south wall and larger ones in the north ensure really effective cooling cross ventilation”; there’s no need for air conditioning. Rainwater is collected in three tanks totalling almost 80,000 litres, with a fourth tank located up the hill for firefighting. A chemical-free NovaClear aerated membrane filtration system treats both grey and black water to Class A standard. Inside, engineer

John’s pride and joy is the combined hot water and hydronic heating system. Heated by evacuated tube solar collectors on the roof and boosted by a wood-fired boiler, hot water is circulated continuously through the four heating panels around the house and to the kitchen and bathrooms. This means that for the cost of a small amount of energy for the pump, hot water is available as soon as the tap is turned on, reducing water wastage. At the moment, the house uses grid electricity, but John and Catherine plan to add a photovoltaic system; the wiring needed has already been installed. The finished house achieves an energy rating of 8-stars, and requires only metal mesh screens on the opening windows to bring it to full BAL-40 compliance. The owners are very happy with the result. “The house is comfortable in both winter and summer.

And with proper fire preparation and planning, I’d consider staying during a bushfire,” John says, “although Catherine might be less keen!” With so many precautions against ember attack and radiant heat, the couple can be confident that the house has an excellent chance of surviving a fire even if they chose to retreat to safer ground.

DJohn and Catherine were keen to find a piece of land that they could “take responsibility for and protect”. The treed property adjoins the Wombat State Forest, effectively extending the refuge available to native fauna.

A special flexible substrate called Flexene was used to achieve the curve in two directions (www.flexene.com). Artwork above fireplace by Annie mertzlin.

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JAlthough a large quantity of concrete was used for the slabs and walls, the mix contained 25 per cent flyash, reducing its Portland cement component and therefore its embodied energy. The wall panels were cast to order, minimising wastage.

The design is deliberately simple to minimise opportunities for ember attack during a fire.

DAll of the rooms in the house face north to a view of trees over a small dam. Catherine says her favourite thing about the house is “waking up in the morning and seeing the trees out of the window – it’s different every day”. The bedrooms are floored with plantation sugar gum.

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DThe spectacular inner front door consists of a carved ironwood panel from a Kalimantan longhouse, acquired when John and Catherine lived in Borneo. it was set into a blackwood frame by a local joiner. The gumleaf design for the cor-ten steel outer door is from a photo taken on the block by Catherine; the door was made by Lump Sculpture Studio and is backed with steel mesh for insect and ember protection. www.lump.com.au

UppeR flooR plAN1 garage2 Laundry3 Kitchen/dining/living4 Study5 Bathroom6 main bedroom7 Patio

loweR flooR plAN8 Cellar9 Living10 Bathroom11 Bedroom12 Bedroom13 Bedroom

Building in a Bal-40 zoneA site’s Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) is determined by the area’s Fire Danger Index (a measure of the probability of a bushfire starting), the slope of the land, types of surrounding vegetation and its proximity to buildings. The Victorian Building Commission estimates that around 80 per cent of new builds in Victoria will fall into the lowest of the new categories: BAL-LOW, with no special construction requirements. Only 10 per cent fall into the higher categories: BAL-29, BAL-40 and BAL-FZ (Flame Zone). The construction requirements for a BAL-40 site are aimed at protecting the house from ember attack, a fairly high likelihood of flame contact, and radiant heat up to 40 kilowatts per square metre. Main requirements include:

– Subfloor supports: unless enclosed by external walls, must be non-combustible or tested for bushfire resistance

– Floors: must be enclosed by external walls, or protected on the underside with a non-combustible material, or be a concrete slab on ground

– External walls: non-combustible material (masonry, brick veneer, mud brick, aerated concrete, concrete) or timber or steel-framed walls clad with fibre cement or steel sheeting

– External windows: 5mm toughened glass, or protected with bushfire shutters. Openable windows must be screened with steel or bronze mesh [Ed note: this is the only BAL-40 requirement that John and Catherine’s house does not meet; however, these screens could be retrofitted.)

– External doors: non-combustible material or 35mm solid timber, tight-fitting into a metal frame with weather strips at base, and protected by bushfire shutter

– Roofs: non-combustible roof covering with roof/wall junctions sealed, openings fitted with non-combustible ember guards, and no roof-mounted evaporative coolers

– Verandahs and decks: must have enclosed sub-floor space or non-combustible supports, and decking must be non-combustible

This is only a summary; for more details, visit www.buildingcommission.com.au and talk to your architect or builder.

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sustainaBle FeaturesRenewable energy

Wiring for future PVs and inverter installed

Hot water/hydronic heating

Dynamic 2500 hydronic wood boiler from Pivot Stove

& Heating, and approx 6 sqm of evacuated tube solar

collectors, connected to a 450L Edson coil immersed

heat exchange tank with additional calorifier coil to

increase heating capacity. Provides hot water to taps

and space heating via two hydronic panels and two

heated towel rails. www.pivotstove.com.au;

www.edson.com.au

Water saving

– Rainwater catchment and storage in two 31,700L

Polymaster tanks. A backup 13,600L water tank holds

overflow from the bigger tanks combined with runoff

from the patio and is separately plumbed to the

toilets, laundry and outside taps; eventually it will be

used for recycled water. Rainwater is used

throughout the house. www.polymaster.com.au

– Separate 10,000L tank reserved for firefighting

Passive heating and cooling

– Long, narrow footprint allows all rooms to have a

northern aspect and admits sunlight to rear wall

in winter

– Small, low windows on south walls and higher,

larger windows to the north for cross ventilation

– Ground level slab and second level suspended slab

for thermal mass; Ecoblend concrete contains

25% flyash to reduce Portland cement content,

and reinforcing is recycled steel

www.independentcement.com.au

Active heating and cooling

– Hunter Pacific Concept ceiling sweep fans

www.hunterpacific.com.au

– External shade blinds to north and west windows:

95% blockout, recyclable Soltis fabric from Tip Top

Blinds www.tiptopblinds.com

– Regency Berwick slow combustion heater to living

room www.regency-fire.com.au

Windows & glazing

Fire-rated 5mm double glazed windows with low-E film

and filled with argon, in aluminium frames injection

filled with foam as a partial “thermal break”. Supplied

by Westcoast Windows, Newtown, Victoria

Insulation

– R6.0 or more throughout

– 75mm Dow Styrofoam to internal faces of retaining

walls and concrete panels www.dctech.com.au

– Recycled polyester batts to roof and in timber

framed, metal clad rear wall

– Kingspan Aircell Insulbreak 65 used as reflective

barrier in roof and metal clad rear wall

www.kingspaninsulation.com.au

Building materials

– Tilt panel concrete cladding with 25% flyash content,

supplied by Project Precast, Bendigo, Victoria

– Zincalume Lysaght Klip-Lok to roof and Zincalume

corrugated wall cladding to timber framed rear wall

www.lysaght.com

– Kitchen cabinets: Laminex “Cherry Cathedral”

reconstructed timber veneer doors and drawer

fronts, and E0 carcases www.laminex.com.au

Lighting

Mostly surface mounted compact fluorescent lights.

Bricklights in custom made steel mounts in downstairs

corridor. Supplied by Richmond Lighting

www.richmondlighting.com.au


– Wattyl Interior Design i.d low VOC paints

www.wattyl.com.au

– SMARTimbers plantation sugar gum floorboards and

stairs sealed with Intergrain Enviropro water based

low VOC finish www.smartimbers.com.au;

www.intergrainenviropro.com.au

Other ESD features

Grey and black water treatment: Water Gurus

NovaClear chemical free aerated membrane filtration

system www.watergurus.com.au

designerSunpower Design Pty Ltd —WeBsitewww.sunpowerdesign.com.au

—BuilderScanbuild Pty Ltd—Project tyPeNew build—Project location Musk, near Daylesford, central Victoria—sizeHouse 264 sqm; land 15.2 ha

mUSk ReSideNCe

LPhoto by Anna Cumming

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sustainaBle ProductsTilt-panel concrete

With its durability, excellent fire resistance and

thermal mass qualities, tilt-panel or pre-cast

concrete is worth considering if you’re building

in a bushfire prone area. It’s also very

low-maintenance. Although it’s more expensive

than many alternative construction systems,

tilt-panel concrete is also comparatively fast to

erect. Panels are cast to size (minimising

wastage), trucked to the site and erected by

crane. For John and Catherine’s house, the

panels were installed with 10mm gaps in

between, which were filled with a flexible

polyethylene-based mastic. Tilt-panel concrete

does have high embodied energy, but this can be

offset by choosing concrete with an increased

recycled or fly ash component.

Nanokote self-cleaning window treatment

Nanokote is a surface treatment product made

by Australian company Micronisers, which has

been developing nanotechnology for 15 years in

conjunction with CSIRO. When sprayed onto

glass, Nanokote gives the surface a hydrophobic

(water repelling) quality at the molecular level,

causing water to run straight off and preventing

the buildup of dirt and oil, keeping the glass

cleaner. Suitable for DIY, it’s abrasion resistant,

UV stable and durable, and is good for both

interior and exterior applications. John and

Catherine tested it on their glazed shower

screens, and plan to apply it externally too, to

maintain their clear views and minimise the

need to balance on ladders to clean their tall

windows. It costs around $80 for enough to

treat eight to 10 square metres of glass.

www.nanokote.com.au

Dexternal living areas are paved with unpolished local Castlemaine marble. Photo by Anna Cumming D

Leaves and other debris washing out of the box gutters are shed by angled mesh inserts in the downpipes, minimising maintenance. The captured rainwater is passed through another finer filter before it enters the tanks. Photo by Anna Cumming

DAll waste water is treated on site. Currently it’s used only to water the garden, but the infrastructure is already in place to use the recycled water in the laundry and toilets when legislation permits. Photo by Anna Cumming

DThe aluminium frames for the windows and glazed doors were injection-filled with foam to reduce the thermal bridge effect that can be a problem with metal frames. external blinds on all north-facing windows block 95 per cent of the uv light, keeping the house cool and shaded in summer.

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hoUSe pRofile Co-hoUSiNg

GA view at sunset of the Frog (First Residents Group) at the Ecovillage at Ithaca in New York.Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

The Co-hoUSiNg movemeNT iS gRowiNg RApidlY, pARTiCUlARlY iN eURope ANd AmeRiCA.

Words TIm BlYTh ANd ANGElA CRoComBE

co-housing

People usually buy into an ecovillage, off the plan or once it has been built, but those in a co-housing project go on a long journey together.

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Clockwise from top left: A "Experience Week" group at Findhorn, Scotland; The Biological living machine at Findhorn treats sewage from the population of 500; Bungalows at Findhorn offer independent accommodation for residents' guests. Photos courtesy Findhorn Foundation

Most of us are familiar with the concept of the ecovillage, but co-housing is still relatively rare within Australia. Co-housing residents have intentionally chosen to live within a community and commit to sharing some resources. Traditionally, co-housing was primarily concerned with achieving social objectives, but these days sustainability is emphasised through ecologically sustainable design (ESD). The co-housing movement is growing rapidly, particularly in Europe and America, and there are many exciting examples sprouting like wildflowers around the world.

The basicsCo-housing is traditionally set up as a community of between 10 and 40 households. Too few and there are not enough people for collective advantage or diversity of skills. Too many and people can no longer distinguish between neighbours and strangers, and decision making becomes too protracted. There are many larger examples, but smaller communities are often created within the whole to keep the group functional. Co-housing first originated in the mid 1960s when Danish architect Jan Gudmand-Hoyer gathered a group of friends together to discuss housing options with the aim of “a more supportive living environment”. The first two communities, both completed in 1973, were Saettedammen outside Copenhagen and Skråplanet, near Hillerød. Co-housing developments are considered “intentional communities”, but unlike communes they are not based around any spiritual beliefs and they primarily exist in an urban rather than a rural setting. Contemporary co-housing generally involves properties with individual title for residents but shared utilities like water and electricity and a much greater overlapping of everyday lives than a conventional housing estate. Literally at the heart of most co-housing developments is the “common house”, which is a multi-purpose room that is large enough for communal meals, meetings, and other group activities. Most co-housing groups have a shared meal at least once a week and this is considered a vital part of community building. Shared utilities may include a laundry, workshop, garden shed and guest rooms, avoiding repetition of facilities and reducing the footprint of individual dwellings. Separation of cars from residences is considered important, with car spaces located on the edges of the community, pedestrian walkways between houses, and high-use areas such as kitchens facing outwards to increase spontaneous interaction with neighbours.

co-housing versus ecovillagesWhile ecovillages and co-housing projects have much in common, there are subtle differences between the two. On the practical side, the red tape of purchasing land and organising initial planning permits for an ecovillage is often done by a developer, whereas in co-housing the residents themselves usually establish their vision and design objectives and then find the land to build their dream. People usually buy into an ecovillage, off the plan or once it has been built, but those in a co-housing project go on a long journey together. And while an ecovillage usually features a common room, the residents have not spent as much time together building the dream so the sense of community is usually not as strong. Mike Hill, founder of WestWyck ecovillage in inner Melbourne, highlights the difference between the two when he says, “At WestWyck we have taken a deliberate market-exposure approach in the belief that sooner or later a community will form according to who makes a decision to move in.” While sustainability is usually at the core of both formats, in an ecovillage individual space is valued more, so houses can be quite diverse and spread out. In contrast, the goal of co-housing is to have houses close together to encourage interaction and fairly uniform in style to minimise costs.

FormaTion and decision makingIt can take between four and ten years to set up a co-housing project, from setting up the basic structure to agreeing on a design, getting the plans through local council and finally, construction. People sometimes drop out during the long journey, allowing other people to join. There is rarely a screening process, but potential residents need to understand the basis for the community and the expectations regarding participation before they buy or rent. Homes are strata title so they may be sold on to other interested parties if someone wants to leave, and most communities have a waiting list, making finding new residents fairly easy. Tony Kidd from Co-housing Australia suggests that the typical co-housing personality is one who wants to have control of their lives. Co-housing can be a way of making interactions easy and providing a decision making model that allows the community to make decisions about what suits their lifestyle. Most intentional communities use consensus decision-making, whereby everyone must agree before they proceed. This can work well for small groups but can be time consuming and participants can suffer from “meeting fatigue” as they thrash out the nuts and bolts from everything to what features they want in their

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LCascade Co-housing, established in 1991, is the oldest modern co-housing development in Australia, consisting of 16 households on 0.8 hectares of land. Photo courtesy Cascade Co-housing

communal areas to whether meat is allowed at communal dinners. A common adaptation combines consensus decision making with a working group structure. There might be a group for social events, one for gardening, and one for running the common house and those groups have the authority to make smaller decisions for the group as a whole, thereby reducing the number of decisions each individual has to make. Decisions that have a major impact revert back to complete consensus. Resolving difference of opinion and conflict is an ongoing challenge of co-housing, but one that many members see as a significant benefit. Ian Higginbottom from Cascade Co-housing in Tasmania says: “Community is a crucible for personal growth as you learn to live and work with a range of people and deal with all that comes up in this context. Dealing with conflict and shedding or not keeping ‘baggage’ is necessary for a vibrant and healthy community.”

europe Findhorn in Scotland is one of the most famous examples of co-housing in Europe. It is the largest intentional community in the UK, with 61 ecologically sustainable buildings that have the lowest ecological footprint of any community measured in the industrialised world. Not only has Findhorn published the UK’s first technical guide to ecological housing, Simply Build Green, but the community also adheres to rigorous building codes that are well in excess of the current UK standards. While the homes all adhere to the building codes, the absence of visual guidelines has resulted in a diverse range of design aesthetic throughout the community. One successful ESD feature at Findhorn has been the Biological Living Machine. It’s an ecologically engineered wastewater treatment system designed to treat sewage from the population of 500 people that results in water pure enough to return to the local water table. Another is the Wind Park, with four Vestas wind turbines generating up to 750kW, ensuring the site is a net exporter of renewable electricity. More information about the remarkable Findhorn community can be found in the documentary The Turning Point (www.theturningpointfilm.com). An aim of the Munksøgård Ecovillage on the outskirts of Roskilde, Denmark, is to promote diversity of housing size, ownership types and age groups. With 100 row houses accommodating 225 people in total, the

group is broken down into five communities that each have their own structure. One community consists of privately owned single-family dwellings; another is a cooperative association where residents own the houses collectively as well as privately owning a share of the dwelling they occupy. The three other communities are made up of rental houses owned by the Roskilde Building Association. One community is designed for young people, another seniors and the final is open to all ages. Whilst not strictly a co-housing development, One Brighton is one of the first environmentally and socially sustainable “One Planet Communities” in the UK, which adheres to many co-housing ideals. Finished last year, the development comprises 172 apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units with a central community space and is recognised by peer review as the UK’s greenest apartment block. The steel frames of the buildings are made from 100 percent recycled material that is considered one of the greenest steels available. Other building materials were selected for their high performance and reduced impacts in sourcing, manufacturing and transportation. Amongst many environmental initiatives at One Brighton are the on-site communal biomass boiler and photovoltaic panels. These provide more than half the energy requirements of the development, with the remainder bulk purchased as green electricity. To foster a strong sense of community the apartments are located around the central hub and “greenway” that runs throughout, with rooftop allotments for growing fruit and vegetables. The site is located next to Brighton Railway Station and car spaces onsite are limited to those reserved for disabled residents and participants in a car share initiative. Incorporated into the communal space are lockable bicycle storage facilities. uniTed sTaTesThe co-housing movement has been building in the US since architects Kathryn McCamant and Chuck Durrett came back from Denmark full of enthusiasm in the 1980s. The two are credited with coining the term “co-housing”. They have designed many communities and written two handbooks on co-housing, while Durrett is also President of the Co-housing Association of the United States. There are now over 100 co-housing communities throughout the US and a strong online support network.

In upstate New York the Ecovillage at Ithaca contains two co-housing neighbourhoods – Frog and Song – with another in the formation stages, a certified organic vegetable farm, organic berry farm and offices for cottage industries. Over 80 per cent of the 70 hectare site has been dedicated to green space. Finished in 1997, Frog (First Residents Group) was the first co-housing development completed in New York State and features many ESD features from passive solar design to an innovative communal hot water system. A key to the success of the design lies in the adaptability to connect to future technologies; for instance, dual drain piping was incorporated to allow for a greywater reuse system. Song (Second Residents Group), finished in 2004, is a tribute to the self-development model of co-housing, allowing individuals to adopt a variety of different “green” building approaches, ranging from drain heat recovery (a heat exchanger to recover energy and reuse heat from drain water) to Durisol foundations (a type of lightweight block made from cement-impregnated wood waste). There is a growing focus on co-housing targeted at the over-fifty age range, or “seniors” as they are known in the US. With a serious shortage of retirement villages and a plethora of baby boomers reaching retirement, co-housing is becoming a popular option to enable older people to have more control over their circumstances and come together with others who have similar social, environmental and practical needs. One successful example is Silver Sage Village in Boulder, Colorado, which was completed in 2007. Durrett, in collaboration with Bryan Bowen Architects, designed Silver Sage as a “small scale, participatory community for active adults”. It consists of 16 duplexes and attached houses surrounding a communal house on 0.4 hectares in an urban setting. There is an aspect of spirituality to the Silver Sage community, but it is non-denominational. Outdoor space is prized, with areas for gardening and socialising as well as playing games like bocce. Their common house includes a large kitchen and dining area, some guest rooms, a living area and crafts and performance areas. While there are many benefits to senior co-housing, it does have a downside. Tony Kidd feels that it is not the ideal community because seniors will need to outsource many tasks such as major gardening projects or anything involving heavy lifting, and the cross-generational benefits of having youngsters and older people living in the same community is lost. It also doesn’t provide long-term care in the way a retirement village does and people may still need to hire a nurse or move out when they need substantial health support.

ausTraliaFour of the largest co-housing communities in Australia are Cascade Co-housing in South Hobart, Tasmania; its sibling, the Co-housing Co-operative, 300 metres away; Pinakarri Community in Western Australia; and Christie Walk in Adelaide [profiled on p60 of this issue]. A fifth, Eco-

housing Heidelberg, is presently under construction in Melbourne. Cascade Co-housing, established in 1991, is the oldest modern co-housing development in Australia, consisting of 16 households on 0.8 hectares of land. Half of the land is built environment, one-quarter is regenerated bushland and the rest is garden. The development is strata title and managed by a Body Corporate of which all the households are members with a right to vote. This allows the group to use consensus decision making within the constraints of the existing Tasmanian strata title laws. The houses are fairly small, with a two bedroom house averaging 80 square metres. They also have a number of ESD features including eaves for excluding the sun in summer, good insulation and solar hot water. Seven have solar electricity. A shared laundry is used by over half the houses and many don’t have a television, making watching television a communal activity in the common house and saving on electricity and heating in winter. Group meals are available three times a week and the residents have numerous social events, with the entire community attending Christmas and mid-winter celebrations. Ian Higginbottom has lived there for 16 years and says: “Overall, living in co-housing is a huge positive in my experience and, I believe, in the experience of all residents at Cascade Co-housing.” conclusionCo-housing is still relatively new in Australia, but it’s part of a bigger movement addressing major concerns such as the need for a lighter ecological footprint and more sustainable building design, creating high density living that builds community, and addressing the alienation common in suburban housing. Co-housing is a mode of living that has much to offer both residents and the sustainability movement, and we predict it will enjoy substantial growth in coming decades.

resourcesGeneralwww.ic.org

AustraliaCo-housing Australia: www.communities.org.auCascade Co-housing: www.cascadeco-housing.com Co-housing Co-operative: www.cohousingcoop.orgMoora Moora: www.mooramoora.org.auPinakarri: www.pinakarri.org.au Christie Walk: www.urbanecology.org.au/christiewalkUrban Coup: www.urbancoup.org WestWyck: www.westwyck.com

EuropeFindhorn (Scotland): www.findhorn.org/aboutus/ecovillageMunksøgård: www.munksoegaard.dkOne Brighton: www.onebrighton.co.ukwww.co-housing.org.uk

USEcovillage at Ithaca: http://ecovillageithaca.org/evi/

retrospective christie walk, adelaide

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lush tangle with four-metre-high acacias. “The gardens have grown wonderfully,” Effie says. The mosaic mural is another addition that’s hard to miss. Eighteen metres long and four metres high, made by residents and friends with the help of an artist and a funding grant, it has inspired an artistic wave with off-cut tiles appearing in other public spaces and in homes. A sense of community has helped shape and transform Christie Walk. Residents worked together to build a bike shed and a small workshop, and the idea for a children’s sandpit came during work on the paving of the courtyard. Effie explains: “There was a pile of building sand there and anytime the kids were near they would play in the sand. So that’s how we built the sandpit. It’s an example of how the gardens and community spaces have evolved as people have used them in various ways.” Shared spaces and technology have been effective and on the whole served the residents well. Stormwater is stored onsite and used to water gardens and flush some toilets. Most people don’t have their own washing machines, using the laundry instead. The pedestrian friendly design of the development means people walk past each other’s homes every day, encouraging contact between neighbours. “We have a working bee once a month. Some people come and do gardening, some do maintenance work, some don’t come at all. People do whatever they are comfortable with,” Effie says. Chreena Thomas and her husband Graham have lived in one of the strawbale cottages for the past six years. Interactions between neighbours seem to occur naturally

and spontaneously. “Someone will be sitting outside with a cup of tea, and if you feel like it you join them. On the other hand, people do have their private areas and the need for privacy is respected,” Chreena says. With only 11 car spaces for 27 dwellings, bicycles are the norm, but people have jumped enthusiastically into car sharing. A resident brought the GoGet car share service to Adelaide, and two of its cars are parked in the street outside Christie Walk. One of the key design features of Christie Walk has been its use of Adelaide’s ample sunlight and Mediterranean climate for passive heating and cooling. The apartments rely on cross-ventilation and high thermal mass for cooling. The townhouses use the concept of the “thermal flue” to draw cool air from the surrounding gardens up through the rooms and expel warm air through louvred vents or openable skylights in the roof. The gardens are an important part of the passive design, with the rooftop garden helping to insulate its building as well as providing a pleasant, shaded place for residents to relax. Keeping the Christie Walk buildings cool passively on Adelaide’s fiercely hot summer days has been a challenge, and some residents have installed small air-conditioners in their homes (Effie used hers for just six hours last summer). This doesn’t surprise Paul because after several consecutive hot days and nights there is nowhere in the surrounding environment cool air can be drawn from. However, he says overall the buildings have performed well thermally. “The performance of the buildings here has improved as the plants have grown, which

was my expectation, and it reinforces my contention that vegetation is very important in making urban dwellings work well.” Chreena says there is little at Christie Walk she would change or do differently. With more money, she muses, there could have been an even greater emphasis on double glazing and recycled timber. For Effie, the achievements at Christie Walk speak for themselves. “Most people love living here,” she says.

ResouRceswww.urbanecology.org.auUrban Ecology Australia have created a DVD/CD resource pack about Christie Walk. It includes a 10 minute overview of the multiple community and environmental benefits of eco-cities, and a 35 minute virtual tour of Christie Walk.

www.ecopolis.com.au Ecopolis Architects Pty Ltd

www.inhabitat.com/christie-walk-is-an-eco-urban-village-in-australia

Not long ago a clutch of townhouses sprang up next to Christie Walk, the sustainable eco-housing development in downtown Adelaide. Remarkably, the four townhouses sit on a site almost as big as Christie Walk, which has 27 dwellings and a population of about 40 in a tight, T-shaped space. “That’s an example of what not to do,” says Effie Best, a Christie Walk resident since 2003, referring to the size of the neighbouring townhouses. Naturally, there have been changes at Christie Walk since it was profiled in Sanctuary’s first issue in December 2005, but the idea of community friendly, ecologically sensitive living that was its raison d’etre as a model for the wider public has remained strong.

When Sanctuary visited nearly six years ago, Christie Walk was still taking shape. In place were the first two of its three linked stages: a three-storey block of six self-contained apartments, a terrace of four three-storey townhouses and four strawbale cottages. Since then a five-storey block of 13 apartments with an interpretive centre, community room/kitchen and laundry has appeared to complete the picture. This building, according to architect Paul Downton, breaks new ground in sustainable living in South Australia. The compact apartments have high levels of insulation, including double-glazed windows. For extremely hot days, a minimal cooling system consisting of two evaporative air-conditioners draws in fresh

air at the top of the building and cools it for the apartments and community rooms below. There is also a light-filled, naturally ventilated central stairwell, and the roof holds a five kilowatt solar panel array – which includes the state’s first building-integrated semi-transparent photovoltaics. “I think it looks pretty sharp,” Paul says of the new building. “One of the site’s near neighbours told me once that she thought it was beautiful, which is something you don’t often hear said about five-storey-high apartment blocks.” Some of the most tangible changes in recent years have been to the community food and roof gardens. The roof garden on the smaller apartment block – South Australia’s first intensive green roof – has blossomed to a

L South Australia's first intensive green roof flourishes on the smaller apartment block.

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WoRds SAShA ShtArgotphotogRaphy AuSSie KAncK & JAne MAnifold

One of Australia’s first eco developments, Christie Walk, was built in Adelaide in 2003. Sanctuary revisits the project to see if a community built from scratch can live up to expectations.


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L Since Sanctuary 1 featured christie Walk, the third stage of the development has been completed. this five-storey building, part of Stage three, includes 13 apartments, a communal laundry, community area with kitchen, dining/meeting room, library, and toilets with disabled access.

J this 18 metre long mural was a collaboration between the artist, evette Sunset, and the residents. they worked together to create the concept design, then spent their Sundays working on the mural.

“There was a pile of building sand there and anytime the kids were near they would play in the sand. So that’s how we built the sandpit.”


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L When first built, the roof gardens at christie Walk were a South Australian first. the layers of indigenous plants and mulch provide insulation for the apartments below.

D carshare company goget has located two pods right by the Stage three apartment block.

L Plan by Paul downton and ecopolis Architects.

in focus greener apartments

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Onceyou’rethere,Byrnesuggestscommissioninganenvironmentalauditofthebuilding.Attheveryleast,makesureyou’reactuallyseeingyourbills,notjustpayingthemautomatically. “Starttomakealistofwhat’shappeninginyourbuildingandworkthroughtheoptions,”shesays.“Thebiggeryourbuilding,themoreyoucandobecausethegreateryourwaterandenergyconsumption.Withsmallerbuildingstheoptionsmightbethingslikedoubleglazing,wasteandcomposting.”

LightingAsinanyexistinghomeoroffice,improvinglightingefficiencyiseasiest–andsomechangeswillcostnothingatall. InacasestudydetailedontheGreenStratawebsite,atNexusapartmentsinStLeonards,Sydney,itwasfoundthatthefluorescenttubesinthecarparkwereilluminatingthespacewellbeyondwhatwasnecessary.Sothebuildingmanagersimplyremovedalmosthalfthetubes. “Walkaroundyourbuildingandlookateverylight,”suggestsByrne.“Canoutdoorlightsbesolarlights?Considertimers,motionsensorsandLEDs–foreveryspacethere’sadifferentsolution.De-lampingisaneasystep,butyouhavetomakesuretheleveloflightingstillcomplieswithAustralianstandards.” Nexusalsoinstalledday/nightdetectorsforthelampsunderitsawnings,aswellasmotionsensorsintheplantandutilityrooms.Bothmeasuresmeantthatthelightsnolongerran24hoursaday.Thecostisexpectedtoberecoupedinsavingswithin12months.WaterInbuildingstallerthanthreestoreys,waterconsumptionpacksadouble-whammy.Eachdrophasanassociatedenergycostforpumping(aswellastheenergycostforheatinginthecaseofhotwater).Andifthat’snotconcernenough,inmostapartmentsresidentsdon’thaveseparatewatermeters. “Peoplearen’tpayingforwaterbasedontheirownconsumption,”saysByrne.“Thewateruseofsomeofthesebigbuildingsisquitehorrificanditcanbeverypoorintheolderonesaswell.”

Whilethisisaproblem,it’salsoanopportunityforserioussavings.MiramarApartments,a38-storeybuildingintheSydneyCBD,commissionedanauditbySydneyWater.Theassessmentidentifiedmajorleaksandfoundthatmosttapfittingsandshowerheadswereinefficient.EachapartmentwasretrofittedbytheutilityunderitsWaterFixprogram(whichcostaslittleas$22perdwelling). Formeasuresthattotalledabout$7000,thebuildingcutitswaterusebyonefifth.Itsavesabout$64,000eachyearonwaterandenergybillscombined. “We’restartingtoseeowners’corporationsagreeingtopayfortheWaterFix,”Byrnesays.“Youhavetodoannualfireinspections,soatthesametimewhynotdoanannualwaterinspection?”

hot WaterIfyouhavetowaitalongtimeforhotwater,it’slikelythereissomethingamissinthepipes.Manylargebuildingshavecentralisedhotwaterthatusesaringmainsystem–apipethatloopsfromtheboiler,pastalllevelsandbackagain.Ringmainsareverywastefulunlessallthepipesandfittingsareverywellinsulated.Instantaneoushotwatersystemsaremuchmoreeffectiveandwillusuallysaveenergy,especiallygasunits. TheSustainableLivingintheCitytrial,runbytheMelbourneCityCouncilin2008,foundthatsomeresidentsinhighriseapartmentbuildingswerewaitingupto10minutesfortheirhotwatertoflow. DorothyLeClaireoverseestheowners’corporationdepartmentatMelbourneintheCityManagement,whichmanagesthreeofthebuildingsthattookpartinthetrial.Oneofthekeyrecommendationswasthatplumbersassesstheringmainsystem,checkingforbrokenvalves,crossconnectionsandpoorpipeinsulation.Andforsomeresidentstherewasaninstantbenefit–immediatehotwater. “Whenyoudoringmainbalancing,thehotwatercomesalotquicker,”shesays.“Itsaveswater,obviously–there’slesscoldwatergoingdownthedrain.Butitalsosavesenergybecauseyouhavetoheatlesswater.”

WasteWhenMelbournecouncillorCathyOkemovedintoherCBDapartment,shefoundtherewasnorecyclingcollectionatall.“Residentialrecyclingratesinthecityareterrible,”shesays. Butit’snotjustcityapartmentsthatdon’tgetitright.Inmostmulti-dwellingblocks,recyclingislessconvenientthaninstand-alonehomes.Withoutdedicatedareasandseparatechutesystems,binsusuallybecomeajumbleofrubbishandrecyclables. InOke’sbuilding,recyclingbinshavebeenmovedoffeachfloorandsheusesaspecialcontainer,suppliedbythecouncil,tosortandtransportherrecyclables. “It’slikeafunkyyellowshoppingbasketthat’seasilytipable.Itfitsneatlyinmysmallkitchen,”shesays.“Ifyoumovetherecyclebinstoreducecontamination,youhavetomakeiteasytogotothoselocations.” Thebestmethodwillvaryfrombuildingtobuilding,dependingonthespace–thekeyistomakethechoreasconvenientaspossible.Goodsignage,withcolourcodingandclearinstructions,canhelpfocusthemostabsent-mindedresidents,sotryaskingyourlocalcouncilforeducationmaterial. Compostingisalwaystrickyinapartments,buttoencourageresidents,owners’corporationscanorganisebulkpurchaseofwormfarmsorBokashiBuckets,togetherwithaworkshoptogetpeoplestarted.Insomebuildings,enthusiasticresidentshaveestablishedcommunalcompostingonsharedgardenspace.

More inForMationwww.greenstrata.com.au Includescasestudies,information,rebatesandincentives.

www.nexusatstleonards.com.au Informationabout“ThemostenergyefficientandsustainablestratabuildinginSydney!”

www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/environment/WhatcaniDo

www.facebook.com/signatureapartments Goon,likethem!

Youwouldthinkapartmentshavesmallereco-footprintsthanhouses–afterall,they’reusuallysmallerandstackedup,notsprawling.Butarehigh-riseinhabitantsreallyjustifiedinlookingdownuponenergyguzzlingsuburbanites? In2005PaulMyors,fromEnergyAustralia,investigatedthecarbonemissionsofdifferentkindsofhousingfortheNSWDepartmentofPlanning.Surprisingly,hefoundthatapartmentdwellersemitmoregreenhousegasthanresidentsindetachedhousing(notincludingtransportation). Myorsblamedenergyconsumptionincommonareas,togetherwithloweroccupancyratesinapartments. MichaelBuxton,professorofenvironmentandplanningatRMIT,confirmsthathigh-riseresidentialbuildings–aboveaboutninestoreys–tendtobeverypoorenergyperformers.“That’spartlybecausetheyoftenusealotofglassinconstruction,”hesays.“Buttheyalsohavelifts,bigfoyersandlotsoflargespacesthathavetobeheated,aswellasotherfacilitieslikegymsandpools. “Thebestenergyperformancecomesfromattachedbuildingssuchastownhousesandvillas–yourclassicmediumdensity,”Buxtonsays.AccordingtoMyors’research,atypicaltownhouseproducesabouthalfthecarbonemissionsofahigh-riseapartment. Sowhatcaneco-mindedapartmentdwellersdotolifttheirgame? Inthisarticle,Sanctuarywillexplorethewaysyoucangogreenincommon.We’llbypassthestandardstepsindividualscantakewithintheirownwalls,andfocusonthemeasuresthattransformthebuildingasawhole.

DNexus apartments in St Leonards, Sydney, has 11 levels with 88 residential apartments and three levels of commercial suites. With the help of an effective building management committee over the last three years they have implemented a suite of initiatives, from lighting upgrades and the installation of a Building Management System (BMS) to upgrading the water heating to solar. Photo by Nexus

greener apartments

Words MichaeL greeN

Despite the numerous hurdles, it is possible to make apartment buildings more environmentally friendly.

oWners’ corporationsIfretrofittingyourownhomeseemsconfusing,theaddedchallengeofcommonpropertycanbemindboggling.“Withcollectivedecisionmakingandvolunteercommittees,there’sawholelayerofcomplexitythatgetsinthewayofchange,”saysChristineByrne,founderofeco-websiteGreenStrata. Asafirststep,shesuggestsgreen-mindedstratatitleownersjointhemanagementcommitteeoftheirbuilding.“Ifyou’reonthecommittee,it’seasiertogetaccesstoinformationandputitemsonagendas,”shesays.(Thetaskisharderforrenters;unfortunatelyyou’llhavetoconvinceownerstotakeupthecaseforyou.)


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DThe roof garden at Signature apartments.Photo by robert goodall

G Signature apartments opened a bike room which can accommodate 27 bikes, and can be expanded to house 75 bikes as demand increases. Photo by robert goodall

D Miramar apartments used Sydney Water’s WaterFix program to save $49,000 a year on cold water use and $15,000 a year on energy use through water efficiency improvements alone. Water use for the building is down 21 per cent. Photo by christine Byrne (greenstrata.com.au)

case studyAtthesuggestionofaresident,SignatureApartmentsturnedtotechnologytocreateasenseofcommunity.Thebuilding,inRedfern,Sydney,hascreateditsownFacebookpage. RobertGoodall,anapartmentownerandthechairpersonofSignature’smanagementcommittee,isoneoftwopeoplewhomoderatethepage. “Thereare100unitsinourbuilding.Alotofusfeltthatwithinapartmentbuildingsnobodyeverknowstheirneighbours,”hesays. “WethoughtFacebookwouldbeawaytogetfeedbackonhowthebuildingwasgoing.Andforgreeningtheapartments,wecouldpostideasandgetcomments.Wewerelookingatinstallingacommunalcompostbintoreduceourwasteandwhenwepostedthatwegotlotsofpositiveresponses.” Fornow,about50people“like”thepageandGoodallsaysmanymorevisititregularly.Amongotherthings,residentshaveuseditforborrowingandlending,andtorecycleunwantedfurniture.

HehasalsousedFacebooktopromotethebuilding’sbikeroom.Low-impacttransportationisoneclearadvantageapartmentdwellershaveoversuburbanhouseholders–they’reusuallymuchclosertoshops,workplacesandpublictransport.Butwhenitcomestobikefriendlyinfrastructure,mostbuildingsstilldon’tprovidethegoods. AbikeroomhadbeenplannedforSignatureApartments,butwhenresidentsmovedin,ithadn’tbeenfittedout.Thecommitteeconductedresearchonracks,layoutandcosts. “Therearealotofoptionsoutthere.Theinternetisagoodplacetodoageneralbrowseandseewhatyoucanfind,”Goodallsays. “Havingtheroomisgoodbecauseittakesthebikesoutofallthecommonareaswherepeoplewerelockingthem.Andforriders,itgivesusasafeplacetostoreourbikes.”www.facebook.com/signatureapartments

design workshop inner urban melbourne

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After weighing up their priorities and considering several possible floorplan configurations, Toby and Melina have arrived at a proposed plan that retains the four bedrooms, adds an open plan kitchen/dining area with plenty of windows to the north, and combines the laundry and bathroom to the south of the new kitchen/dining space. They are planning a concrete slab and weatherboard construction, with R2.5 polyester insulation in stud walls and a tile roof to match the existing house, and double glazed windows.

“When we bought our 1950s weatherboard house two and a half years ago, it was definitely in need of some TLC after many tough years as a rental property,” says Melina. “There is a lot we love about the house: although quite compact, it has four bedrooms and doesn’t feel poky. It has a great north facing backyard with plenty of room for chooks, fruit trees and vegies. “Our main motivation for renovating and extending is to take advantage of the good north aspect at the back, which is currently wasted on the bathroom and laundry. In winter our living room is gloomy and cold and the laundry is bathed in light! We would like our extension to be sympathetic to the original home, and plan to reuse as many materials as possible.”

The brief:– Improve the thermal performance of the

house which is currently cold in winter and hot in summer

– Increase natural light penetration into the house in winter

– Link with the backyard without increasing the footprint of the house too much

– Create a new open plan kitchen/dining area with northern aspect

– Retain existing bedrooms and provide a new ensuite to the main bedroom

– Retain the existing living/dining room as a separate living space to maintain a connection to the friendly street

– Character is to be sympathetic to the original house

D The back garden features a bungalow and a renovated garage that’s used as a workshop. Toby and Melina are keen to retain the small east facing porch. “It’s just big enough to fit a small table and couple of chairs for breakfast outside in the morning sun.” They share the house with their sons Thomas (three) and Lachlan (one).

leT The sun shine in Sanctuary readers Toby and Melina are planning a renovation to their dark weatherboard house in Melbourne’s inner west, to let in more sun and better connect it to their back garden. Jeremy Spencer, from sustainable design and build company Positive Footprints, gives them some pointers on their design.

GBed 1: Corner window and nicely proportioned main bedroom. Plan for ensuite and eventually built-in robe on south wall.

Bed 2: Good child’s room, close to main bedroom for getting up to infants at night! The neighbours to the west plan to build a large two-storey dwelling with a double garage along the boundary here. This room may ultimately become a spare room or study.

Bed 3: Currently used as a spare room and sewing room. May become our younger son’s room when he is a little older.

Bed 4: Nice sized room with large corner window. Currently our older son’s bedroom.

Living/Dining room: Heated by old gas heater that is quite effective. Nice view to street but corner window mainly south facing, so room can be gloomy in winter. Currently also houses dining table but is cramped.

Kitchen: Very small north facing window mostly shaded by cumquat tree. It has old cabinetry that needs to be replaced. The floorboards are in very poor condition.

Bathroom: Poor layout, not enough space to sit on toilet due to shower cubicle. Minimal storage.

Bathroom/Laundry: Taking up valuable space on the northern wall. Bad layout and dodgy fitout: not properly tiled and plastered. We plan to re-enamel and reuse the cast iron bath.

DExisting site plan

DThe proposed extension will take up a bit more of the back garden. Toby and Melina are prepared to remove the small bungalow if more garden space is required.

Toby & Melina coMMenT on The exisTing house plan

legend1 Bungalow2 Garage/Workshop

1

2

1

2

norTh elevaTion of proposed renovaTion


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Sanctuary asked Jeremy Spencer of Positive Footprints to take a look at Toby and Melina’s proposed plans to ensure they’re on the right track. They also had some specific questions for Jeremy:

– Is the amount of glazing in our proposed design OK, or will we have a “hot box”?

– Should we include high openable windows on the north for extra light?

– What type of underfloor insulation is best to retrofit in the front part of the house (under floorboards with not much clearance), and for the slab?

– We plan to have a polished concrete slab in the new part of the house but are undecided about heating options. Is there any type of underfloor heating we should be considering before laying the slab?

– We plan on using hoop pine ply for joinery; is there a particular supplier for this?

– Are there green options for tiles and bathroom ceramics?

– We’d quite like the extension to match the front of the house, but is there a green option for weatherboards?

– The plans show a fixed horizontal awning directly over the windows, but we are also considering extending this right across the back of the house. Is this wise? What would the optimal size and placement of this awning be?

JereMy’s design response:layouT and solar accessThe current design is a thoughtful response given the brief. Putting living areas (and the majority of windows) to the north is a good strategy to encourage the winter sun into your home, giving you some free heating in winter and high light levels to the new area. The new family room will also provide the visual connection you are after to your rear yard. The existing living/dining will still need some attention if it is to stop being the “gloomy” room you describe in winter. The easiest way to provide extra light and heat would be by the addition of an efficient skylight

and a solar air heater. A tubular skylight could be mounted to shine somewhere near the middle of the room, and the thermal collector could be placed on the sloped north triangle of roof over the bath/laundry with the warmed air ducted into the room. This would have a similar effect to a large northern clerestory, but would not suffer from the associated night-time heat losses that windows have. Some models also allow venting of hot air in summer. These items could also be easily retrofitted later as funds allow.

insulaTionThe bedrooms are not being touched structurally, so the easiest way to improve thermal performance is through insulation. Ceilings: If existing ceiling insulation is less than 180mm thick (approximately R3.5 for most insulation types), consider a second layer of insulation over the top. Choose R4.0 for the new ceiling space. Floors: If there is access under the floors, R2.0 batts stapled either side of the floor joists would make a big difference. Autex (www.

autex.com.au) makes 85 per cent recycled PET polyester in an R2.0 roll for just this purpose, but most insulation companies will have a product that will suit. For the new slab, consider using waffle pods if your soil classification allows. Not only do they add some insulation under the slab (approximately equivalent to R1.0) and generally improve the energy rating, but they may be an economical way to raise the height of the slab to the existing floor level. For recycled content waffle pods try Foamex Diamond Pods with up to 40 per cent recycled content (www.

foamex.com.au) or Unipods with up to 25 per cent recycled content (www.unipod.com.au). Walls: If there is no wall insulation, expanding foam is now available that can be sprayed in through small cuts in the plasterwork between each stud. This can be done as a retrofit as funds allow. Try Ecofoam (www.ecofoamwallinsulation.com.au).

WindoWs, eaves and venTilaTionI wholly endorse your plan to use double glazing. The most effective double glazing has

an air space of 14-16mm, so choose windows that have enough frame width to allow for this. If your budget allows I would also recommend the double glazing have a high solar transmission low emissivity (low-e) coating and be filled with argon. Remember windows, even double glazed ones, are thermally the weakest point in your walls, and anything you do to improve them will have a substantial impact on thermal efficiency. The WERS website is a great place to compare the performance of different windows (www.wers.net). If you install double glazed windows in the new kitchen/family area, it should perform well in the winter, especially with the dark polished concrete floor to hold the heat gain. As you suggest in your question, the danger is creating a “hot box” in summer. There are several strategies you should consider to counter this: Windows: Reduce the window area by a couple of square metres. The ratio of window to floor area in the proposed kitchen/family area is slightly high at about 33 per cent (13 square metres of window for 40 square metres of living space = 33 per cent). Conventional wisdom would say that the ratio for double glazed windows in a weatherboard on slab shouldn’t be more than 30 per cent. However, this should be checked with an energy rating. The new rating software will be able to tell you the effect of decreasing or even increasing window size. (Sometimes in such renovation projects we actually design areas to slightly over heat in winter, and then use inline fans through the roof space to duct the heat to the colder existing part of the building, so that the new extension is subsidising the underperformance of the old.) Eaves: Provide more effective eaves, especially to the north windows. The current placement of the eaves directly over the window head means that the tops of the windows will always be in shade and underperforming. In Melbourne the distance of eaves from the top of the window should be at least 30 per cent of the length of the eave to get full sun penetration in winter. Stopping the eaves at the window edges also ensures that at any time other than noon, the sun will come on

DThe north-facing, sunny back garden is a favourite feature, but the current house layout doesn’t connect well with it. The laundry and bathroom take up most of the north wall.

L Corner windows in bedroom four at the front of the house and in the living/dining room let the family stay connected with their friendly neighbourhood, but as they face mostly south, the rooms are dark.


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an angle past the corners of the eave and into the room in summer. A single continuous eave across the back of the house would be much more effective. The length of the eave for Melbourne should be around 45 per cent of the distance from the window sill to the underside of the eave. Above the doors I would consider attaching an adjustable cafe style awning so you can have total sun control and an alfresco dining area in summer. Again, this could be fitted when funds allow. Shading of the western windows throughout will also help summer overheating. External blinds, awnings or deciduous plantings can do the job well. Given that a double storey dwelling is planned for next door to the west, however, it may be worth waiting until it’s built to see if you get some free summer shade or not. Ventilation: In Footscray the summer breeze is usually from the south or southeast and is reasonably cool, having come off Port Phillip Bay. In our practice we always try to

create a breeze path to encourage unimpeded flow through living spaces. This is quite difficult with your proposed design as the existing rooms on the south were not originally created with this in mind. To maximise the airflow in the new family room, I would consider replacing the sliding door with French doors to create a wider opening. I also suggest you use casement (sideways opening) windows hinged to catch the southerly breezes and divert them into the house. You may also want to give some thought to increasing the size of the internal doorway from the existing living to the new area, as it is currently quite narrow and will constrict air movement through this part of the house. (Keep a door though, as it will allow you to zone the heating and cooling.)

TherMal MassAnother strategy to increase the performance of the new kitchen/family area and mitigate the need to reduce window size is to increase the

thermal mass. Extra mass will not only increase the heat storing potential in winter, radiating warmth to the living space well into the night, but will also remain cooler for longer in the summer. Combined with summer night purging (opening windows at night) to remove any heat built up during the day, thermal mass is a great strategy for creating a comfortable indoor environment in Melbourne’s climate. To introduce more mass, I would consider building with reverse brick veneer for the new extension and for the north wall of the bath/laundry. A single skin of brickwork is laid on the inside of the studwork, and the bricks can be painted, bagged, hard plastered, or left as face brickwork depending on your aesthetic requirements. We often use recycled bricks for this purpose, and have just completed a 9 star house that used this very strategy to achieve its high thermal efficiency.

MaTerialsWhen building a house, through judicious material and appliance selection you have a great opportunity not just to improve the health outcomes and lower the environmental footprint of your own home, but also to move the marketplace in a more sustainable direction as you send large wads of hard earned cash out into the economy. Although we can’t go through an entire specification for your project here, I can answer the specific questions you asked about materials:– Hoop pine ply for joinery: try Gunnersens E0

FSC Marine Ply (www.gunnersens.com.

au). [Ed note: see also the “Green Kitchen Cabinets” article in Sanctuary 14 for more suppliers of E0 hoop pine ply]

– Green options for tiles and bathroom ceramics: Volaré Concepts are distributors for Floor Gres “Ecotech” tiles, made from up to 40 per cent recycled content (www.volare.

com.au, www.floorgres.it/default-eng.

asp). Ardex make a range of low VOC adhesives and grouts (www.ardexaustralia.

com). – Green weatherboards: Consider fibre

cement weatherboards such as Scyon Linea by James Hardie (www.scyon.com.au).

They have done a full life cycle assessment on their products and it shows them to be amongst the lowest embodied energy options available. The material is highly durable, and the constituents are highly abundant. Wattyl Paints also give a 15-year repainting warranty when using Solargard paint with Linea boards – double the standard warranty for timber weatherboards. You could also try Design Pine (www.designpine.com) for plantation-sourced LOSP (Light Organic Solvent Preservative) treated weatherboards.

alTernaTive floorplanAlthough the proposed floor plan is a well considered response to the brief, I have included an alternative one as some food for thought. It has several benefits, but requires giving up one bedroom.

Benefits:– Increased ventilation pathways throughout

the whole house– Maintains a full connection to the street– Brightens and warms the existing living

area

– Maintains a bigger backyard– Connects with both the backyard and your

current outdoor dining area– Groups the wet areas for cheaper plumbing,

less water loss down the drains, and less heat loss in plumbing runs

– Flexible spaces– Smaller footprint, so arguably cheaper

I wish you luck with your project!

Jeremy Spencer is a Builder Consultant at Positive Footprints, a Melbourne-based practice specialising in designing and building leading edge sustainable homes, from environmental retrofits and renovations to new sustainable dwellings. www.positivefootprints.com.au

Plans and elevations by Darren White of Baseplate Building Design & Draftingwww.baseplate.com.au

Would you like your house plans Design Workshopped? Send us an email at [email protected] with a brief summary and plans of your project.

JereMy’s alTernaTive floorplanproposed house plan WiTh JereMy’s suggesTions

proJecTRenovation and extension—locaTionWest Footscray, Melbourne, Vic—land size540 sqm —exisTing house110 sqm—proposed house140 sqm—budgeT$50,000-$100,000

Horizontal retractable awning for total sun control

French doors for wider opening and better ventilation

Consider reverse brick veneer to new area

floor plan1 Living 12 Family/dining3 Deck4 Living 2 5 Kitchen6 Bathroom/Laundry7 Ensuite8 Main bedroom9 Bedroom10 Bedroom

1

2 5

6

7

4

3

Casement windows open to south to catch sea breezeConsider infill slab in this

area to increase thermal mass; quantify benefit

with energy rating

Continuous eave over windows; extend eave for

shade (45% rule)

Wall gas heater sufficient to heat room (eg, Rinnai Energy Saver range)

Damper to unwanted ventilation if required

Perhaps skylight (eg, Solatube & solar air heater)

Potential grey water unit

If possible widen this doorway to facilitate

ventilation

Consider tree here to stop late afternoon sun in

summer

floor plan1 Kitchen2 Family/dining3 Deck4 Bathroom/Laundry5 Living6 Bedroom7 Main bedroom8 Ensuite9 Bedroom10 Bedroom

1 2

4

6

7

9

10

3

8

5

8

9

10

Existing wall

Breeze path

in focus solar water heaters

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split systems are having problems. He explains that complexity is what is most likely to cause failures in a system. “The simplest close coupled system will most likely be more reliable than an expensive split system,” he explains. “Split systems are more complex and there have been some reports of pump/controller failures.” In the end, out of pocket costs are determined by the system you choose as well as the rebates and the number of Small Scale Technology Certificates (STCs) you’re eligible for. The Cronins’ system cost about $5500 after they received $2500 in rebates and Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs, now known as STCs). Meanwhile, Don chose not to sell his RECs so the investment property system cost around $6600 after a Victorian Government

rebate and the system for his home cost about $5700. Mick adds that in the end, it is as important to go with a reputable supplier and installer as it is to go with a quality product because a quality product can be installed badly.

Rebates and incentivesTables 2 and 3 (on p 78 and p 79 respectively) provide a snapshot of the various local government, state and federal rebates and incentives available to homeowners installing SWH systems. For detailed information about each scheme’s eligibility criteria, visit the relevant government website or the Alternative Technology Association’s website and consult with your preferred SWH supplier. Note that rebates often specify particular SHW system

types, eg, gas boosted systems over electric boosted.

small scale technology ceRtificates Previously known as Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), STCs are tradeable certificates created by installing “eligible” SWHs, air-sourced heat pumps and small-scale renewable electricity generation systems. The number of STCs a SWH is entitled to varies, and is dependent upon the size, efficiency and configuration of the individual system. SWHs can be eligible for as few as 15, or as many as 60 STCs, and typically a SWH retailer will offer an upfront financial benefit in exchange for the STCs.

Misty Cronin and her family recently built a townhouse in an inner suburb of Melbourne. Solar hot water was just one of a number of sustainable features incorporated into the design by Breathe Architecture’s Jeremy McLeod. With water heating accounting for about 25 per cent of household energy use and solar capable of supplying from 50 to 90 per cent of household hot water demand, Misty was sold. “It just makes sense, why not? The sun’s out there, why wouldn’t you? It was kind of a no-brainer,” she explains.

types of sWh systemsThere are different configurations of solar water heater (SWH) systems. Firstly, there are two types of heaters: a close coupled system where the tank and collector sit on the roof and water is circulated passively by thermosiphon; and a remote coupled or split system where the tank sits on the ground, the collectors are on the roof, and water is circulated by a pump. There are also two types of solar heat collectors: flat plate collectors and evacuated tube collectors. Moreover, because the majority of SWHs cannot supply all our hot water needs, they are often boosted with an electric or gas booster, and sometimes a wood booster. As EnviroGroup managing director Mick Harris explains, while older (and often cheaper) systems have a booster in the tank, instantaneous systems are more efficient as the booster only heats water when it is needed. The Cronins have a Rinnai Prestige Solar flat plate collector close coupled system with instantaneous gas boosting, and a 330-litre stainless steel tank. It’s one configuration of SWH components available to householders.

Meanwhile, Don Batson has two SWHs installed, one at his home and the other at his investment property in Melbourne. At both places, Don opted for a split system with Apricus 30 evacuated tube collectors. The best system for your household will depend on a number of factors, including the number of people in the house, your location, the type of system you are upgrading, your budget and the rebates and incentives available.

collectoRsFlat plate, close coupled SWHs are established, “tried and tested” technology, explains Mick. A flat plate solar collector has a black surface to absorb the sun’s radiation with pipes beneath carrying water, or a water and chemical mix, and a tank that sits above the panels. The liquid circulates in the pipes via thermosiphon – the natural movement of a liquid as it cools down (and falls) or heats up (and rises). Evacuated tube collectors are an increasingly popular SWH option, particularly in colder climates. They consist of a number of double-walled glass tubes that are sealed to create a vacuum between the two walls. The vacuum acts like insulation, just like a vacuum flask, trapping heat from the sun. Don chose evacuated tubes because of their higher efficiency in winter. He installed 30 tubes with the 315-litre tanks, which makes the water “way too hot” during summer but just right in winter.

system configuRationSWH system configuration depends on whether you choose a close coupled or split system, and an electric, gas or wood booster. Don chose two different boosters for his

systems. He installed an electric booster at his home and an instantaneous gas booster at the investment property. While a gas-boosted system is generally more efficient and emits less greenhouse gas, Don says he decided on an electric-boosted system for his home because there are two kilowatts of solar photovoltaic panels on the roof and he wanted to avoid having to upgrade the gas line. He switched off the electric boost circuit for manual control and only boosts when necessary. For his tenants, Don didn’t want calls about the hot water not being hot enough so he opted for a no-fuss instantaneous gas-boosted evacuated tube system.

What system is best foR you?There are a number of other factors to consider when choosing a SWH for your home. Table 1 (on the facing page) gives a brief overview of some of the benefits and drawbacks of each system type and configuration.

the cost of sWhSystems vary in price, depending on type and configuration, quality, and the amount of installation work required. Choosing an evacuated tube system over a flat plate collector, or a stainless steel over an enamel or glass-lined tank, can be more expensive; however, prices vary. Mick says that cost is generally a good indicator of the quality, and therefore longevity, of a system. He advises homeowners to avoid the cheapest options, as he says, “if it’s cheap, you get what you pay for”. However Lance Turner, the Alternative Technology Association’s technical editor, points out that some of the most expensive

cleaner, greener hot water

WoRds Sarah robertSon

Close coupled or split system? Gas or electric booster? Solar hot water presents some intriguing choices.

System Benefits Drawbacks

Evacuated tubes – Efficient in cold and warm climates – More efficient if ideal north-facing orientation isn’t available – More efficient when mounted flat on roof

– Can be more expensive than flat plate collectors – More prone to overheating

Flat plate collectors – Effective in cold and warm climates– Can be less expensive than evacuated tubes

– Less efficient in colder climates– Greater exposure to frost/freezing– Potential heat loss in colder climates

Split systems Less roof infrastructure – Some heat loss can occur as water travels between collector and tank– Greater complexity, which can increase chance of system failures

Close coupled – Minimal heat loss– Thermosiphon means no pump is required – Established technology

Roof must be strong enough/reinforced to hold weight of collectors and tank filled with water

Gas boosted – Inexpensive to run in areas with reticulated gas– Efficient use of energy, with lower greenhouse gas emissions

than an electric booster – Eligible for many state and territory rebates as well as federal

incentives

– More expensive than electric booster – Gas lines may need to be upgraded

Electric boosted – Minimal greenhouse gas emissions if using GreenPower or if installed alongside solar photovoltaics

– Less expensive than gas boosted systems

– Higher greenhouse gas emissions if using traditional fossil fuelled grid power

– Ineligible for some state and territory rebates and incentive schemes

Enamel/glass-lined tank

– Least expensive option– 10 to 15 year life if well maintained

– Sacrificial anode in tank should be replaced every five years – Gas boosted: Often installed as a burner at the bottom as opposed to

the more efficient instantaneous boosters

Stainless steel tank Longest life – from 25 to 30 years Can be more expensive than an enamel tank

table 1: solaR WateR heateR system options


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extRa fedeRal RebateIn order to bring the price of SWHs down further and increase the demand for this technology, the Federal Government provides an additional $1000 rebate for any household installing a solar hot water system, provided you are switching from a previous electric storage hot water system. See Table 2 above.

maintenanceJust as with any household system or appliance, SWHs need to be monitored to ensure they’re running properly. Mick says one easy way to check if your electric or gas-boosted system is operating well is to turn off the booster and check the water temperature. If the water runs cold after only a few minutes there’s probably something wrong. With split systems, Lance says, problems most often occur in the pump controller, which can either stop running the pump or make it run continuously. He suggests checking your split system is working properly by monitoring your bill, as a failure with the pump/controller usually translates into a much higher electricity or gas bill, due to excessive boosting. Overheating can occur with both evacuated tube and flat plate systems but is more common with evacuated tubes, explains Mick, particularly when homeowners are away on summer holidays. Both systems have safety features to limit overheating, such as valves releasing water and/or steam, but there are additional options to reduce overheating, including tube or collector covers and finding alternative uses for excess hot water.

L this is a close coupled system with the insulated water storage tank right above the flat plate collector. Close coupled flat plate collectors work using a thermosyphon process. Solar energy heats the water inside the collector panel, which then rises through the panel into the collector tank, drawing cooler water from the tank into the bottom of the panel. Photo by edwards

Rebate Value Applies to More information

The Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme – Solar Hot Water Rebate

$1000 Owner-occupiers, landlords or tenants at principal place of residence replacing an existing electric system.

www.climatechange.gov.au

table 2: fedeRal Rebate

State Rebate Value Applies to More information

NSW NSW Hot Water System Rebate $300 Residential properties replacing an existing electric system before 30 June 2011

www.environment.nsw.gov.au

NT Solar Hot Water Retrofit Rebate $400 - $1000 Residents in pre-existing homes replacing electric systems.

www.powerwater.com.au

QLD The Queensland Government Solar Hot Water Rebate

$1000 for pensioners; $600 for everyone else

Householders replacing an electric system with a SWH

www.cleanenergy.qld.gov.au

SA South Australian Government’s Solar Hot Water Rebate Scheme

$500 Low income homeowners installing a SWH

www.energy.sa.gov.au

TAS (Hobart City Council)

Hobart City Council Solar and Heat Pump Hot Water Rebate Scheme

$500 Eligible Hobart City Council ratepayers installing a SWH

www.hobartcity.com.au

VIC Victorian Government Solar Hot Water Rebate

Metropolitan Melbourne: $300 - $1,500; Regional Victoria: $400 - $1,600

Existing homes replacing a system older than 12 months with a SWH (as long as the Federal rebate has not been acquired)

www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au

Victorian Energy Saver Incentive $100 - $500 Residents decommissioning old gas or electric systems


Victorian Government Solar Hot Water rebate - Bushfire Affected Homes

Up to $1600 Homeowners whose residences were destroyed by the 2009 Victorian bushfires replacing a gas or non-electric system with a gas-boosted SWH


WA Solar Water Heater Subsidy Scheme $500 for natural gas-boosted SWH; $700 for bottled LPG-boosted SWH (in areas without reticulated gas)

Households installing a gas-boosted SWH

www.energy.wa.gov.au

table 3: state- and teRRitoRy-based Rebates and incentivesThe following state- and territory-based SWH schemes are available on top of the Federal Government’s Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme (see Table 2) and STC scheme.

“The best system for your household will depend on a number of factors, including the number of people in the house, your location, the type of system you are upgrading, your budget and the rebates and incentives available.”

What aRe heat pumps?Heat pumps exchange heat energy with the air, transferring that heat into a hot water system. They work just like a refrigerator (which uses a circulating gas/refrigerant and a compressor to move warm air from inside the fridge out into the room, lowering the temperature inside the fridge) except in reverse. Mick Harris says heat pumps are a good solution where solar access is limited, such as cases where there is no north, or north-east or north-west facing roof. However, he believes that if it’s practical to install one, SWHs are a better alternative. “With a good solar water heating system you’ll have no electricity consumption for water heating for much of the year. With a heat pump it’s still got to operate to make hot water, no matter how hot the air is,” he says. Heat pumps are eligible for some rebates and STCs, however they attract smaller rebates. Prices vary, but EnviroGroup’s solar hot water manager Ben Cole estimates an out-of-pocket cost of about $2500.

D heat pumps are a good alternative where solar access is limited. this is an evacuated tube system boosted by a heat pump. Photo by edson

To best maintain evacuated tube systems, Lance advises occasionally checking for broken or cracked tubes, which can occur if the pump fails and the tube overheats. Meanwhile, Don and the Cronins are very positive about their SWH systems. Don says that other than a couple of installation issues, which have been rectified,

it has been “smooth sailing” for both systems and he is extremely happy with them. Asked about problems, Misty says: “To be honest with you, I actually forgot that we even had it. It’s just such a simple thing to put in, it took up hardly any space and it doesn’t make any noise.”


sanctuarY80

D these are evacuated tube split systems in which the tubes are roof mounted, while the tank is on the ground. evacuated tubes use two glass tubes, one fitted inside the other with an insulating vacuum layer between them. Solar energy heats the inner tube, which then transfers the heat to the tank. Photo by apricus

L this split system uses flat plate collectors coupled to a ground-mounted tank and a separate instantaneous gas heater for boosting. Photo by Chromagen

moRe infoRmation

Rebates and incentives

ATA’s Sustainability Rebates page www.ata.org.au/rebates

ATA Forums www.ata.org.au/forums

Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator Solar Water Heater Owner’s Guide www.orer.gov.au/swh/index.html

Clean Energy Directory www.ecogeneration.com.au/directory

fuRtheR infoRmation

ReNew magazine issue 114 (Jan-Mar 2011) has a solar hot water buyers’ guide www.renew.org.au/category/solar-hot-water

Your Home Technical Manualwww.yourhome.gov.au/technical

Living Greener website www.livinggreener.gov.au/energy/solar-hot-water-systems/install-solar-hot-water

Breathe Architecture www.breathe.com.au

EnviroGroup www.envirogroup.com.au

supplieRs and installeRs

Apricus Solar Hot Water Australia www.apricus.com.au

Chromagen www.chromagen.com.au

Conergy www.conergy.com.au

Edson www.edson.com.au

Edwards Solar Hot Water www.edwards.com.au

Endless Solar www.endless-solar.com.au

Hills Solar www.hillssolar.com.au

Rinnai www.rinnai.com.au

Solar Blind www.solarblind.com.au

in focus reducing rubbish on building sites

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Feeling the warmth of century-old timber under your hands, seeing the thumb print in a hand-made brick as you place it in a wall, or giving new life to a stained glass window: the joy that preloved building materials give is creating a valuable market for recycling what would once have been building rubble. Builders with a conscience now talk of “deconstruction”, not demolition, and an increasingly sophisticated industry is developing around not only reusing old materials but also creating new ones with a second or third life planned into them. With building waste in some countries making up as much as 80 per cent of landfill by weight and up to 42 per cent by volume, the potential savings are major.

Reduce, Reuse, RecycleThere is a broadly accepted hierarchy for managing building waste. Reduce: At the top is reducing the amount of waste by careful ordering of materials, rethinking design and minimising packaging. Reuse: By deconstructing buildings, whole walls or components can be reused, as can windows, light fittings, doors and entire kitchens. Recycle: As well as basic recycling – using raw materials for their original purpose more than once – a distinction is now made between “upcycling”, when value is added to the original product, and “downcycling”, when the material is put to a lower-value use. Below these three Rs are composting, burning and – at the bottom – landfill.

caRRot and stickIt takes longer to deconstruct a house than to demolish it, and sorting, storing and cleaning materials for reuse means they often end up costing more than new ones. “There are also engineering issues, such as the need to recertify the structural integrity of steel beams,” adds associate professor Philip Crowther from Queensland University of Technology. “In the domestic market there is a growing public interest in and willingness to pay for salvaged building products.” An EPA survey in Queensland in 2002 revealed less than 20 per cent of construction and demolition waste was recycled or reused, leaving 750,000 tonnes for landfill. By 2006 recycling had risen to 42 per cent. In 2010 the Queensland Government set a 10-year waste strategy with the aim of looking for ways to avoid generating waste and seeing unavoidable waste as a resource. The planned cornerstone was a new commercial and construction waste levy starting at $35 per tonne to reduce the industrial impact on landfill. Money raised from the levy would be used to fund waste reduction and efficiency programs. The Queensland Government has postponed the introduction of the levy until December 1 this year.

setting new standaRdsDevelopment guidelines in some areas such as Melbourne’s Docklands precinct and the Olympic Games Athletes’ Village in NSW

encourage builders to meet above-average environmental standards during construction, and both builders and their corporate customers now recognize the marketing value of green credentials. Projects assessed using Green Star – a set of voluntary, holistic, national rating tools for buildings – can earn points towards their rating when at least 60 per cent of construction and demolition waste is recycled or reused. While the certification is mainly aimed at commercial and large-scale residential developments, there are also tools to help schools, hospitals, shopping centres and industrial projects. New apartment blocks can gain points when they comprise at least five per cent reused or partly recycled materials – preferably more than 20 per cent – and full points can only be earned if the building has modular components and is designed for disassembly. Projects must achieve minimum levels of energy efficiency and meet ecological standards to be eligible. A Green Star Communities rating tool to rate neighbourhoods, precincts and even cities is being developed.

Planning aheadFor reuse and recycling to work better in the future, architects and developers need to think about the building’s “end of life” at the beginning. “Reusing large components such as wall panels doesn’t happen much,” observes professor Crowther. “Given that most buildings last many decades, it’s such a distant idea that people don’t have time and money

build it up, recYcle it down

woRds Jane Canaway

“Deconstruction” – it’s the new word for a growing industry reusing building materials.

to think about it at the start. “However, architects could consider using internal walls that could be moved to suit a family’s growing needs and are easily identifiable as such. Keeping a full record of the building construction systems and details of reuse and recycling potentials as a sort of assets register is another good idea.”

To reduce waste on your new home site:– Assess which items and materials you

would like to reuse and ask your architect to incorporate as much as possible; some may be suitable for landscaping.

– In wet climates, ensure dirt is not washed into stormwater drains.

– Choose a builder with waste management experience.

– Ask that sub-contractors also have a waste management plan.

– If self-building, sort waste as much as possible and either find a contractor who will pick up separate loads or take it to a local transfer station.

– Insist that products incorporating recycled materials – and minimal packaging – are used where possible.

– Minimise the use of cladding and other secondary finishes that can make recycling harder. For example, avoid laminated plastics on items such as book shelves that don’t need waterproofing.

– Use mechanical connections such as nails and screws rather than glues; it makes components easier to separate and reduces their contamination for recycling.

– Keep construction simple – avoid using too many different materials that require complex techniques and specialised tools.

– Plan new structures around standard dimensions of timber and other components for the most efficient use of these materials.

ResouRcesGreen Building Council of Australia www.gbca.org.au/green-star

www.my-green-home-project.com/

deconstruction.html

Salvage Bazaar Consulting is a one-stop shop materials advisory service that helps you source and integrate recycled materials into your projects. The website is also an online trading site where you can buy and sell recycled, salvaged and surplus building supplies. www.salvagebazaar.com.au;

(03) 9010 6270

G The salvaged timber panelling in this project designed by Six Degrees architects was sourced by Salvage Bazaar Consulting. Photos on this page by Kimberly Pannan

case study 1A 2010 Swinburne University study commissioned by the Building Industry Consultative Council (BICC) looked at waste reduction and recycling at six building sites across Melbourne. It showed that when companies give priority to waste recycling, more than 90 per cent recycling can routinely be achieved. Four of the six projects required their sub-contractors to have waste reduction and management plans, and one insisted that materials comprising recycled components should be used where possible. Instead of hiring general waste bins that must be sorted later, many of the projects included sorting on site. At the site with most space, waste was separated into five types: concrete, PVC, timber, plaster and metal. Food, cardboard and plastic were also sorted. A contractor later estimated a net gain of $8000 from transport and product rebates, plus savings from reduced tip fees. Initially aiming to recycle 60 to 85 per cent of waste, the six projects achieved between 88 and 98 per cent. All six asked their waste contractors to provide monthly recycling reports and all agreed that recycling targets were exceeded largely because of the diligence of on-site workers. Initially workers were tempted to dump rubbish in the closest container but education, penalties and leading by example delivered the best results.


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D ninety-eight per cent of the original home on this block in Bardon, QLD, was recycled. Of this, 10 per cent was reused in the new build in landscape structures, screening and aggregate materials. Photos by Sustainable Pty Ltd

case study 2When faced with the task of redeveloping a Brisbane house block with a post-war brick home, Sustainable Pty Ltd applied its usual aim of recycling 100 per cent of materials. It achieved 98 per cent, not quite reaching the target because of asbestos in the roof, walls and carport. The company’s high standards, at virtually no extra cost, set a new benchmark for the rest of the industry. “It costs about $8000 to get in a bulldozer and take all the rubble to the tip,” says manager Tobias Volbert. “Our method costs about double [that] but we recoup most of that from the salvaged material.” The company has offered a deconstruction service for years, taking materials away to be cleaned, stored, then reused in landscaping or building projects. “We use the timber for raised garden beds, trellises, timber backdrops, pool pump covers – anywhere it will be a bit hidden or needs to fit in with the natural environment. Bricks have less value but can be used [whole] in paths or crushed as backfill for retaining walls, and we reuse a lot of iron roofing too. “There are opportunities for landfill companies to make a massive industry out of it,” Volbert says. “But it’s hard changing the mindset.” This project is outlined in a case study by Anders Feldbæk Kristensen: www.sustainablebuildings.com.au

“Use mechanical connections such as nails and screws rather than glues; it makes components easier to separate and reduces their contamination for recycling.”

design MATTeRs oRienTATion

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design MATTeRs oRienTATion

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How important is northern orientation in house design? Can we design a sustainable home without taking it into consideration? Why do project home designers so rarely seem to worry about it? When I speak to people about passive design, I usually break it up into seven elements to make it easy to understand and remember. Some other experts break it into five, but no matter – everybody agrees that the orientation of the building with respect to north is the starting point. Granted, different latitudes in Australia require different approaches: tropical climes require the sun be held at bay pretty much all year, since the sun is both more powerful and tracks much further south in summer. In the tropics, orientation to north is important only in elevated, cooler localities like Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands. But orientation is very important in temperate and cool climate zones. When the building is able to admit the sun during cold seasons and shut it out when it’s hot, the other six principles of passive design – spatial zoning, thermal mass, ventilation, insulation, shading, and the glazing that links these together – can be balanced to create homes that require minimal active heating or cooling. When all seven principles, including orientation, are applied successfully enough to achieve an 8-star equivalent rating, the need for any active cooling is rare, and any heating required will be further reduced. Orientation in its simplest form means locating living areas on the north side of the house, with glazing having clear access to sunlight even in mid-winter. This will provide a minimum of about five hours of useful heating.

The glass will still be exposed to 19 hours of varying degrees of heat loss, so it’s important that the other elements of passive design are lined up to do their work in support of the orientation, or the effect will be lost. That is, the glass must allow radiant heat to pass into the thermal mass of floors and/or walls, yet not let it back out again (in technical terms, double glazing with a high SHGC number and low U-value). The shading must allow the sun to strike the glass in winter, and keep it off in summer – a simple task thanks to the seasonal change in the sun’s angle above the horizon. The insulation must prevent uncontrolled heat flow through walls, and the ventilation must be controlled so that in summer it can purge accumulated heat overnight, as the occupants open the windows. Surveys have shown that only 35 per cent of all housing lots provide such unencumbered solar access. Roughly another third have mixed access, and the last third have poor or no solar access at all. In new subdivisions, the number of lots with good solar access is much higher, as there is greater awareness among developers, and some states now have minimum standards. Housing lots with poor solar access require some tricks to achieve energy neutral passive solar performance and make up for the lack of optimum orientation, such as solar-hydronic heating and hyper-insulation. These tricks come with varying degrees of extra expense, but such lots usually have an effective market discount because they do not have “ideal north aspect”, which can offset the extra costs. Project homes often do not display any respect for north orientation because the builders have traditionally needed to be able

to sell any one of their house designs for construction on any site. Lax or non-existent thermal performance requirements in years gone by, plus ducted air conditioning, meant that this wasn’t a perceived problem. As climate change became apparent and energy bills started rising sharply, this situation changed with the introduction of BASIX (the Building Sustainability Index) in NSW and Building Code of Australia 5-star minimum requirements (recently increased to 6-stars) in the other states. At Envirotecture, we recently did a design review for a major project builder to identify what was needed to lift their design range from 5- to 6-stars. They were shocked when we advised that a 6-star rating was out of reach without addressing orientation. Encouragingly, they went back to the drawing boards, with their design team empowered to create the necessary floorplans.

Orientation in its simplest form means locating living areas on the north side of the house, with glazing having clear access to sunlight even in mid-winter.

L Envirotecture’s plan for the renovation of a small house in Bondi, NSW, illustrates how a floor plan can be rearranged to improve the orientation of the living spaces, with minimal additions to the footprint. Moving the bathroom away from the north wall, opening up the kitchen/dining area and adding more windows to the north will improve the passive solar performance of the house. Usually, the laundry would be moved away from the north too, but in this redesign, “the new laundry went against the boundary on the northwest corner to shield for privacy from a block of flats,” explains Dick, illustrating that the principle of orientation will be applied differently on every site.

These days, project housing is clearing the 6-star hurdle with relative ease, especially in Victoria. But 6-stars is not the end game – it is still too low. We need most housing to achieve an 8-star equivalent before we will see demand for air conditioning and big heaters fall dramatically. It is important to note that simple star ratings can be misleading – in this regard the NSW BASIX regulation has got it right: it applies separate maximum heating and cooling loads, rather than aggregating the two, and these are tailored to each climate zone. So it may be that when assessing your new home design in, say, eastern Sydney, you should be seeking to limit artificial heating loads to 30 MJ/sqm/year, and artificial cooling loads to

12 MJ/sqm/year. These low numbers are quite possible, and the home will achieve superb levels of natural comfort by means of sun in winter, and ceiling fans in summer. But this is much easier if the orientation of the floorplan responds meaningfully to north.

Dick Clarke is the principal of Sydney-based Envirotecture. Envirotecture provides design and consulting services for people and organisations who want buildings that work well, feel good, and are culturally appropriate – and reduce their ecological cost toward zero. Dick is a contributing author to the Your Home Technical Manual.www.envirotecture.com.au

twitter.com/envirotecture

oRienTATion

Words Dick clarkE

What’s all the fuss about? Dick Clarke considers the importance of northern orientation in sustainable house design.

eXisTing FLooR PLAn1 Bedroom2 Dining3 laundry4 kitchen5 Bathroom6 lounge7 Bedroom8 Enclosed verandah

PRoPosed FLooR PLAn1 Bedroom2 Bathroom3 kitchen4 Dining5 lounge6 Bedroom7 Enclosed verandah8 Patio9 laundry

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design matters compact floor plans

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design matters compact floor plans

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At a time when the average Australian new home is 27 squares (250 square metres) in size (the largest in the world since 2009), a compact floor plan has to be the single most significant factor affecting the environmental footprint of a house. Fewer materials and less energy are used to build it, the space to heat and cool is smaller, natural light is easier to bring into a shallower floor plan, the place is easier to afford and maintain, it leaves more space for the garden, and where smart design is used, there will be the right combination of privacy and togetherness for all family members. There is nothing wrong with a bigger house when many people call it home but even then, clever design can help reduce its size to something manageable. A house that is oversized for the brief it needs to accommodate is wasting its owners’ resources and that of the planet, even where materials with high environmental credentials have been used. So, how do we make our homes more compact? And where do we draw the line with poky? Many of my clients for new homes and renovations are families with a couple of kids and they all seem to want a variation of the same typical brief: one bedroom with ensuite for the parents, one bedroom for each of the kids, a family bathroom with or without separate toilet, a laundry, a small but well-organised study and a separate room that can be used for craftwork, TV watching, reading, guest accommodation or kids’ play – or any combination of the above, and then of course the open plan space with kitchen, dining area

and lounge. After extensive discussions about the family lifestyle and the activities that need to be performed concurrently with others, I find that the typical brief above seems to be able to resolve many different problems. Note that we are not providing a room for guests, one for craftwork, one for kids’ play and one for TV – one versatile extra living space the size of a largish bedroom usually does the job very well for all of these, while the study is often kept separate for noise screening and kept to about the size of a laundry. Although we are aiming to keep the house compact, it is important to acknowledge that separation is required for those activities that happen regularly and concurrently yet are not compatible, usually because of noise level. The home size can be reduced further by combining the study and the extra living space if appropriate, and the bathroom and laundry – this works well when a separate toilet is provided. For reference, the typical brief described above sits nicely between 16 and 18 squares in area (or 150 to 170 square metres), garage excluded.

Draw a lounge suite to scale and leave proper clearance between the coffee table and the seats; this will give you an idea of the size your lounge area needs to be.

Another key to compact living is to design from the inside out. Draw a lounge suite to scale and leave proper clearance between the coffee table and the seats; this will give you an idea of the size your lounge area needs to be. Draw a dining table; allow a metre and a half all around for chairs and passage. Put these two rooms together and leave a comfortable two metre space between the table and the nearest lounge seat. Once you know the degree of separation needed between rooms, a whole house can be designed in that way, using functional standards based on spatial ergonomics. Many a home is large and rambling, yet feels poky because proportions are wrong, there is no useable wall space, rooms are hard to furnish because the furniture doesn’t have a niche and the access to rooms is messy, forcing thoroughfares where there should be furniture. For example, imagine that to go from the kitchen to the lounge, one needs to walk around the dining table every time. Even though the right space and clearance around the table might have been allowed on the plan, you can be sure that the table will be moved aside to free up the passage and occupiers will need to put up with a table closer to the wall or the couch than it should be. Another sign of a room that is hard to furnish is one where the owners regularly rearrange furniture because nothing really works. The answer to these common problems is to make sure that all rooms, bar the ensuite and perhaps the laundry, have an independent access, either from a central hallway or from a passage that

D A “typical” design brief requested of Marie includes three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study, spare room, laundry, and open living/dining/kitchen room. With this brief in mind Marie designs a compact home which meets the clients’ aspirations, but is a third smaller than the Australian average.

compact floor plans

Words MArie WAllin

Architect Marie Wallin takes a look at the spatial ergonomics of house design to ensure every square metre of a compact home is fully utilised.

travels to the side of furniture settings in open areas, not through them – effectively a hallway without walls. Versatility, use of spatial ergonomics and independent room access together ensure that every square metre of a well-designed compact home is fully used while commanding impeccable functionality and a sense of spaciousness – all features that many larger homes lack. While attending calls to design extensions, it is not uncommon for me to find that the floor area is adequate, albeit badly distributed, and that what really needs doing is rearranging the layout. Be sure that most buyers can appreciate a good floor plan when they see one and that getting proper market value is one more benefit that the compact

home can deliver. It is no news that poor design increases the likelihood of a home needing alterations sooner rather than later, further increasing its environmental footprint. In contrast, a fully functional compact home is one that works hard and will do so for a long time. Thinking smart rather than big is no doubt the right answer when it comes to sustainable living, so sharpen your erasers and put them to good use!

Marie Wallin is the principal of Planet Architecture, a Melbourne-based residential consultancy and design practice specialising in sustainable architecture for new homes, extensions and renovations.

www.planetarchitecture.com.au

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pRodUCTS

products

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AUTex GReeNSTUf bATTS ANd UNdeRflooR Roll

Effective insulation is one of the most straightforward ways to reduce your energy use and still enjoy a warm house in winter. Manufactured with up to 85 per cent recycled polyester fibre from PET plastic, Autex’s Greenstuf comes in batts for walls and ceilings, and as a roll specifically designed for underfloor insulation. Available in thermal values from R1.5 to R4.0, Greenstuf is non-toxic and an installer-friendly alternative to fibreglass insulation, requiring no specific protective apparel during installation. It’s also recyclable at end of life. Accredited by ecospecifier; ask your local insulation retailer for pricing. www.autex.com.au

06

GodfReY HiRST eCo+ CARpeT

If you have draughty floorboards, you can add an effective insulating layer by opting for carpet. Godfrey Hirst eco+ is an Australian made carpet manufactured with DuPont Sorona polymer, a synthetic fibre that’s a cut above the rest: it’s derived from natural corn sugar, containing 37 per cent renewably sourced ingredients by weight. Due to its reduced reliance on petrochemicals, Sorona also generates lower greenhouse gas emissions during production than other synthetic fibres. eco+ carpets come with 15 year stain, wear and colourfast guarantees and a lifetime anti-static guarantee. From $65 inc GST per square metre, fully installed. www.ecopluscarpet.com.au

03

eCoMAd eCo-SeAl STRipS

Draught-proofing is an easy and cheap DIY way to make your home easier to heat and more comfortable to live in. For doors and opening windows, especially in draughty Victorian-era houses where the gap between the door/window and frame is not of uniform width, the very simple eco-seal strip is a great alternative to foam seals. The plastic strip is folded down the middle and one side is attached to the frame so that it forms a V-shape that adjusts as the door or window opens and closes, blocking the gap. Seals gaps from 1-8mm. RRP $8.95 inc GST for a 5.17m roll; available in brown or white. www.ecomad.com.au/ecoseal

02

iNSUlbloC blow-iN wAll iNSUlATioN

Retrofitting insulation to cavity walls can be tricky: installing batts involves removing weatherboards or plaster, and blown-in fibre insulation is prone to settling. For an alternative, consider Insulbloc, an Australian product made from recycled polystyrene cut into small cubes and pumped into the wall cavity. With an R-value of 4.0 per 100mm thickness, it provides effective thermal insulation, and because of its shape is less prone to settling and running out any gaps than “bean-bag” style spherical beads. Insulbloc can be installed in brick veneer, clad and double brick external walls. Currently only available in NSW and ACT, but they’re looking to expand shortly. RRP around $3,000-$3,500 inc GST for an average house, installed. www.insulbloc.com.au

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beTTeR woRld ARTS wool RUGS

Get some warmth underfoot and support a great artistic collaboration with a handwoven wool area rug from Better World Arts. The kilim-style rugs are the result of a project bringing together Australian indigenous artists and craftspeople from the remote Himalayan region of Kashmir. Design copyright is maintained by the artists, so purchase of these rugs guarantees a direct return to the artist and their community. In Kashmir, too, the project supports the traditional handicrafts industry, an important part of village economic and social life. There are a range of designs to choose from, based on powerful traditional stories. Pictured is “Mina Mina Dreaming” by Betsy Lewis. RRP $880 inc GST for 122 x 183cm rug. www.betterworldarts.com.au

04

pARkwood wood pelleT fiRe ANd pHA pelleT fUel

Developed in Australia and now made in New Zealand, Parkwood pellet fires combine the appeal of a real wood fire with efficient and clean-burning wood pellet fuel. They feature an automatic ignition system, so they are as easy to use as a gas or electric heater. Once running, they’re self-regulating, feeding pellets automatically from an integral hopper according to the heat setting. For your fuel, try PHA, an operation based on NSW’s north coast. Their product is made from untreated waste from mills processing timber from sustainable plantation sources; the sawdust is pulverised and compressed into clean, dry pellets. Parkwood fires RRP from $2,900 inc GST; PHA pellets RRP around $12 inc GST for a 20kg bag, plus freight. www.parkwood.co.nz;

www.pelletheaters.com.au [For more information on pellet heaters, see ReNew magazine issue 100.]

Door Stop

Door opens this way

Door Stop

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Fit as shown, with the bottom of the ‘V’ facing inside, so that the door closes onto the seal.

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pRodUCTS

09

eCoSwiTCH

We think every house could use a couple of these! Stop leaving your appliances on standby; turn them all off with one flick of a switch and reduce your energy consumption – without climbing behind your furniture. Just plug your appliances into the EcoSwitch’s socket (via your existing power board if you use one), plug the EcoSwitch into the power point, and put the big green switch somewhere easy to see and reach. Robust and rated at 240 volts with a 10 Amp capacity (equivalent to 2400 watts), an EcoSwitch can safely handle multiple appliances. Designed in Australia. RRP $19.95 inc GST. Available from www.ecoswitch.com.au or the ATA webshop, shop.ata.org.au.

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VeRTilUx dUopleAT bliNdS

It’s good to see there are now a number of insulated blind products on the market. Vertilux’s Duopleat blinds are made with two layers of fabric, forming a series of insulating air pockets in front of the window. The internal surface is a honeycomb fabric that can be metallised, improving the heat reflection ability of the blinds and helping maintain the room at a comfortable temperature. Duopleat blinds are available in a wide range of colours, in either translucent or blockout, and can be motorised for skylights or high windows. You can also choose to install them to be raised from the bottom of a window. Vertilux offers a five-year guarantee. RRP from around $308 inc GST for a 900 x 1200cm window. www.vertilux.com.au

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SleepMAkeR foRReST MATTReSS

Cosy up on one of Sleepmaker’s Forrest range of mattresses this winter, certified carbon-neutral by carboNZero. Made in Australia, eco-friendly elements of the mattress include the cover fabric, made from recycled post-industrial fibre waste and post-consumer plastics; natural latex or foam incorporating soy-based ingredients that replace a proportion of the petroleum materials used in ordinary foams; recycled steel springs; and timber from renewable plantations. All materials can be recycled at the end of the mattress’ life. RRP from $1499 inc GST from Sleepy’s. www.sleepys.com.au

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HibeRNATiNG HoUSe wATeR MANAGeMeNT SYSTeM

This smart gadget helps your household become more water-wise by monitoring water use and displaying how you’re going with respect to your desired daily allowance. While other devices measure water flow, the Hibernating House system measures water pressure to detect and alert you to pipe or hose leaks. It’s a serious investment, but unlike other systems on the market, its ability to reduce the pressure through your pipes if necessary can eliminate the risk of expensive burst pipe accidents. Developed and manufactured in Melbourne. RRP $1,599 inc GST, plus installation. www.hibernatinghouse.com.au

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Ask Our Experts

I am at the design stage of a small house (110 sqm) in Hobart but quite near the bush. I grow quite a lot of my vegetables and predation will be an issue. I thought a small conservatory or “wintergarten” might be good for growing warm climate crops such as tomatoes, capsicums, chillies in pots and that this area could assist in solar gain. How do they work? What are the design watchpoints? Where would it need to be situated? What kind of glass? What cost? — Ann

Dick — A conservatory would work well in winter, allowing a build-up of radiant heat during the day even under cloud cover. Heat enters as shortwave radiation from the sun, but is converted to longwave when it heats up things inside, which cannot then escape as easily. Keep in mind that there will be a lot of heat loss through single glazing at night, so some plants might still struggle. But building with double glazing will add to the budget and embodied energy, so weigh up if that extra investment is worth it. Also make sure that you can effectively open the conservatory up for hot summer days, otherwise it will cook the vegies somewhat prematurely! It should be located wherever it gets a lot of winter sun, which may compete with the house’s living areas if the site is small. It can be coupled to the house, which is a common design strategy in colder parts of Europe, and has been done successfully in Victoria and Tasmania too. The cost varies widely depending upon who builds it and whether you use new or recycled materials.

We have a 230 sqm weatherboard 1880s double return verandah house in Ballarat, Victoria. It has an insulated ceiling and we want to insulate the walls and underfloor. The key need is for a wall insulation technique that does not require removal of all boards or internal plaster. We believe the most likely method is to pour insulating foam beads into the cavity after taking off one or two top boards, but are worried about the beads running out. Also, what under-floor insulation is recommended that is vermin-proof? — Gavin

Lance — The most suitable insulation I’ve seen for this is Insulbloc, which consists of recycled polystyrene foam cut into small cubes. It is pumped (blown) into the wall cavities and because of the shape won’t flow out of holes as easily as beads. See www.insulbloc.com.au. The main issue is that they only seem to service NSW but they may know of other installers in Victoria. For the underfloor, foil laminated bubble type insulation such as Aircell is pretty vermin proof. See www.kingspaninsulation.com.au.

In a temperate climate (NZ’s North Island), do you still need window coverings to keep the heat in when you have double glazing? So often I have seen homes featured in magazines that have huge windows and doors framing a great view but without curtains or blinds. — Winnie

Dick — The word temperate includes climate zones with quite extreme heat and cold (which in Australia includes Tasmania, quite a lot of Victoria, and most high country). New Zealand doesn’t often suffer extremes of heat for very long, but you have correctly identified the problem of heat loss in cold conditions. Even a passively heated house with good orientation is in a heat loss condition for 19 out of 24 hours in mid-winter. Double glazing will reduce heat loss via conduction by about half – but that means a lot of heat is still escaping. Good curtains will definitely reduce this: double lined, in a solid sealed pelmet, touching the floor and walls either side of the windows. This creates a still air space between the curtains and the glass, reducing the conducted heat flow outwards. It’s unlikely the homes without curtains or blinds you’ve seen in magazines are so well designed that they can do away with window coverings and yet not require any active heating systems - although it is not impossible. More likely the owners have opted for aesthetics over energy conservation. One day soon curtains will be chic again.

In the last issue you mentioned in one of the articles that it is more efficient to use a solar water heater to heat water rather than use PV cells to generate electricity to power an electric water heater. Does the efficiency question change much if I was to use a ground sourced heat pump to heat water (as well as heating the house)? I am already planning to have the ground source heat pump and PV cells. — Bryan

Lance — This is certainly a viable option as a heat pump uses around a third of the energy to heat water as does a regular electric water heater. So, compared to using PV generated electricity to boost a regular electric element in a solar water heater, a heat pump will probably use a similar amount of energy. Of course, you could combine the two technologies and have most of the water heating done with a solar water heater, with the boosting done with a heat pump, which would reduce the boosting requirements and hence the electricity requirements by about 70 per cent. Because a ground source heat pump is already going to be installed, it would probably be best to install one that also heats water – some do, some don’t. This is the most efficient form of heat pump and you could run this from a suitably sized PV system.

Your design, product and specification questions answered by our expert columnists Dick Clarke and Lance Turner.

Dick is principal of Envirotecture, a sustainable building design firm in Sydney (www.envirotecture.com.au). Lance is the ATA’s technical editor and a columnist in Sanctuary’s sister magazine, ReNew.

Email Ask Our Experts at [email protected]

Visit the ATA’s forums at www.ata.org.au/forums/ for questions and answers on everything green.

Documents

SMALL SMART inFiLL · 2013-01-08 · the Australian Government Solar Credit program. (13) Prize includes the supply and installation of a Conergy 1.5 kW solar power system, including