Sustainable Homes by Design

21 June 2011

When it comes to building your dream home, the look, feel, theme and design of your special abode are clearly mapped out in your mind, but how do you translate those ideas to a workable blueprint and one that builders will understand?
Enter the architect. Their sole purpose is to translate your sketches and words into the perfect home, and now that also means the most sustainable and energy efficient home.

We chat to the Victorian manager of Archicentre, David Hallett about the importance of design when building a sustainable home.

 

 

David Hallett is a registered architect, a member of the Australian Institute of Architects, an ARBV Board member and the Victorian manager of Archicentre – the building advisory service of the AIA. He has a keen interest in design and extensive experience with small-medium scale home renovations. His role for Archicentre is to manage the development and delivery of a range of architectural services including property inspections, design concepts & specialist advice.

 

 

So just what is a sustainable home? Well according to Archicentre, it is `a home that is more liveable, healthier, saves you money on water and energy bills, is constructed using environmentally efficient materials and thereby reduces its environmental impact and is useable for you throughout all of your life stages.’

Just last month, Victoria moved from a 5-star to a 6-star green rating that has raised the bar in terms of new home and renovation design. Incorporating some sustainable design features into your home is now required by law, but Hallett says building a green home is already first on the list of people’s design brief when they come to see him.
“You only have to go back 10 years, people weren’t nearly as aware as they are now,” he said.
“Most of my clients make it very clear they wish to have a sustainable building, with insulation, double glazing and water tanks to not only create an eco-friendly home but more importantly, reduce running costs.”

Hallett says building a green home is now achievable and affordable thanks to the abundance of eco-friendly products on the market in response to increased demand.
However, the long term success of the building comes down to proper planning and clever design.
“It is now becoming more and more important to plan, zone and orient the building sensibly because if you don’t get that right you’ll be playing catch up from that moment on,” he said. “A badly planned building simply can’t be improved adequately, it is unfixable.”

Other variables to consider are zoning, ventilation, shading, construction materials, glazing, insulation and heating, and cooling. Hallett says the first step in orientation is maximising the northern aspect, where exposure to the sun is best controlled. Eaves and pergolas can be precisely designed to block the summer sun, and still allow the desirable winter sunshine to penetrate.

“Design is everything, you have got to have a good design or it’s a waste of money and you won’t achieve the outcome you are hoping for,” he said.

“This is where orientation is so important, to get the most out of the sun in in winter yet still keep you cool in summer.
“An early concept and cost estimate, which is the service an architect provides, is crucial to get a sense of what is doable, what it will look like and the cost.”

David Hallett will be sharing his knowledge of renovating including design, permits, construction, sustainability and ‘master-planning’ with two seminars a day at the Building & Home Improvement expo from 15 – 17 July at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

To register visit, www.buildexpo.com.au

You can also book in for a `Coffee with an Architect’ - a free one-on-one consultation to discuss renovation plans, a new home design or a particular building fault you wish to have redesigned.
Call 1300 134 513 or visit the website for more details, www.archicentre.com.au

 

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