How to get the best for less in sustainable housing

17 June 2010

The secrets of maximising cost effectiveness while achieving radical carbon emissions reductions will be revealed at a forthcoming lecture during the the Sustainability on Show feature at Master Builders' Building & Home Improvement Expo.

Taking the subject of ‘Getting the best for less' and presented by Tim Adams, vice president of the Building Designers Association of Victoria, the lecture will form part of the Sustainability On Show seminar program during the expo and will focus on Adams' project to build himself and his family a low emissions home. Adams, whose architecture practice F2 Design specialises in innovative and sustainable housing, said building a house for himself had proved a crucial exercise.

"We built the house because the opportunity arose when a client decided to sub divide a farm and sell lots. This presented the chance to put all the theory into practice and build a high performance house on a limited budget."

"The brief was to achieve a zero carbon output occupation of the site for a modest family home within an admirable architectural composition and form, which afforded seamless integration of solar appliances and water collection."

With one object of the exercise to achieve high performance via the application of core thermal design principles whilst using standard materials and trade skills, a ground breaking development was the house's heating and hot water system, which combined solar hot water/slab hydronic with wood boiler backup.

The use of energy rating software was also key to the project, Adams said, in fine tuning all aspects of the design including orientation, construction materials, insulation R values, window areas, glass selection and eave lengths.

The project demonstrated that optimal sustainability outcomes were possible at affordable levels by applying knowledge of thermal design principles as a high order priority in the project outcomes, Adams said.

"Excellent results which address climate change concerns and eliminate utilities bills are not difficult with a little well honed knowledge and budget allocations that place a higher priority on a solar hot water system ahead of a spa bath."

With the principles of the exercise having been incorporated into a range of designs which can be optioned up to 10 star performance, the project was also a source of personal gratification.

"From the exercise I gained the satisfaction of living in a house which has no net grid related utilities accounts and having guilt free hot showers with water collected from the roof and heated by the sun."

Tim Adams will present his lecture on ‘getting the best for less' at 1.45pm on Sunday 11 July as part of the Sustainability on Show lecture program, during the Master Builders' Building & Home Improvement Expo, 9-11 July at Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

 

 

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