With sustainability a leading social issue, the pursuit of more environmentally building practices continues apace and can be seen in property developer Mirvac’s new ‘Future Ready Display Home’ in Melbourne’s Altona North. Nestled inside the developer’s $350 million community The Fabric, the display home explores how small choices in the home can have big impacts on the planet.
Mirvac’s Future Ready Display Home
Partnering with 16 Australian brands, Mirvac engaged interior designers Without Studio to curate and style the display home. Visitors to the home can learn more about sustainable furniture, appliances, cleaning, bedding and more with Mirvac’s sustainability collaborators that include Jardan, Koala, Harvey Norman, Smeg, The Plant Society and more.
“Our partnerships with this amazing group of Australia’s most innovative sustainable consumer brands will allow us to collectively connect with and educate our community on how sustainable products can positively impact their daily lives,” says Mirvac’s general manager of Residential Victoria, Elysa Anderson.
Kitchen
Like all homes at The Fabric, the 7-star NatHERS rated Future Ready Display Home is designed to use 27% less energy annually to heat and cool compared to a standard 6-star rated home. With the additional inclusions of energy efficient, fully electric appliances and rooftop solar panels, the home is estimated to deliver substantial savings to customers on energy bills with the opportunity to choose renewable grid power and have a fossil fuel free home.
Lounge room
Lounge and dining room
“Mirvac is at the forefront of driving change in housing sustainability initiatives, and we understand that home efficiency is more important than ever to homeowners. The Future Ready Display Home is part of our long-term goal to improve our residents’ lifestyle by reducing their energy bills and environmental impact,” says Elysa.
Bedroom
Currently over 60 residents across 30 homes live at The Fabric and, upon completion, the development will be home to around 1500 residents across town homes and mid-rise apartments. The development has a strong focus on creating green, landscaped public and private garden spaces set within an urban village. The newly opened 4,000 square metre Patchwork Park is a highlight and features a spiral slide, climbing structures, musical elements, herb garden, barbecues and picnic shelters for everyone to enjoy.
Monday sees the start of the the world’s first ever Vegan Interior Design Week, a free virtual conference full of international speakers which has been organised from Australia.
The milestone event will address global issues facing the interior design industry, exploring sustainability, animal welfare concerns, recent technology breakthroughs and the growing consumer demand for ethical products, continuing to revolutionise the interior design industry.
The five-day conference will host over 30 international speakers, panel discussions, a virtual showroom, live Q&As and daily networking sessions, from Monday 1 to Friday 5 November, 2021.
Sydney-based founder and creative director Aline Dürr, is an award-winning interior architect, author and activist and says Vegan Interior Design Week is for everyone! “Whether you are vegan or not, you will walk away with a wealth of knowledge about how to create environmentally conscious spaces and how to live and work more sustainably.”
Aline Dürr founder and creative director of Vegan Interior Design Week
Topics covered will include vegan interior design, textiles, materials and biophilia. The virtual showroom will showcase the work of creatives changing the industry, from next gen material developers to conscious furniture suppliers; from ethically made bedding to toxin-free paint.
Participants will also get the opportunity to speak and engage directly with likeminded professionals at the daily networking sessions, building a global community of conscious interior design.
Panel discussions with the subjects Change, Choice, Challenges and Communication, will focus on the different angles of ethical interior design. Virtual exhibitors include Flocus, Ultrafabrics, Vossen, House of Upcycling, Ammique, malai, Graphenstone, mogu, Duvet Hog and Malva Collective.
Flocus: natural, organic and versatile.
The conference will be hosted on Beyond Animal’s digital networking platform, connecting the entire ecosystem of stakeholders in the vegan economy.
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“They wanted a house that connected them to the regional bush block context, that was as sustainable as possible and that was suitable for them to grow old in. They also wanted to be knocked out by the view in every room,” says architect Daniel Moore of Open Creative Studio, who designed this beautiful Hobart home for his parents. There’s no denying that gorgeous bush block and river views are front and centre of this home.
Living and dining
The new build is located on a block that Daniel’s parents had owned for almost 40 years, near a farmhouse where his mother grew up. Situated about half an hour from the centre of Hobart, the land looks to the Derwent River towards Mount Wellington from a large living area with lofty ceilings. “The large windows in the living room are 1.8 metre high and 3.2 metres wide each. The living rooms and bedrooms feature box window seats too,” says Daniel.
Kitchen
Library
The mood, when you enter the home, is rather different to the main part of the house – the entry is lined with timber including reclaimed blue gum boards sourced from Daniel’s great-grandmother’s nearby barn. “The entry ceiling is painted in Porter’s Paints Squid Ink which makes the transition from outside to inside very intimate and cosy. Then when you walk into the rooms, which are bright and white with large windows framing the view, it really takes your breath away,” says Daniel.
Entry
Built with sustainability in mind, the home has many environmentally friendly facets. It is thermally efficient (the timber framing of the house is thicker than normal to allow for greater amounts of insulation in the walls) and the roof also features double the requisite insulation. “The house is all electric, all the lights are energy efficient LED, and we sourced the most energy efficient appliances that we could,” says Daniel.
Bedroom
Bathroom
The house doesn’t have any active cooling systems either – it relies on cross flow ventilation and is heated with solar gain and a hydronic heating system. There’s an 8kW solar panel on the roof and rainwater is sourced from the roof and passed through a seven-stage filtration system before emerging from the taps. “Black and grey water is also processed on site through the in-ground septic system. The carpet in the bedrooms is 100 percent natural wool with a recycled content foam underlay and the external timber is finished in a product that doesn’t require reapplication for over seven years and will naturally grey off.”
A passion for his mother, the home was designed with her front and centre. “It was mainly about giving her what she wanted and making sure she could see herself in every decision in the design. I can see their joy in the built outcome every week when they send me photos of the quality of light in the house or the magnificent sunsets that are different every day.”
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Handmade furniture designer Jeremy Lee has built JDLee Furniture around the values of sustainable and high quality furniture. “Buying less is more when it comes to our impact on the environment,” he says. “Our focus has always been to produce beautiful furniture that is built to last.”
The brand’s new range, released this month, is an antidote to disposable mass market trends. “It feels really important to be giving life to any craft that is slowly becoming forgotten by way of larger automated workshops,” Jeremy adds.
Featuring intricate handwoven rattan and attractive joinery, each piece is designed with repairs in mind, so you won’t need to throw away your furniture if it ever becomes damaged.
JDLee Furniture are a small team of highly skilled craftspeople based in the Byron Bay Hinterland. Each piece they produce is designed and entirely handmade by the workshop. Their commitment to environmental sustainability extends from the sourcing of materials to the recycling of any wastage.
With the environment and energy use top of mind for many Australians, we’ve seen many sustainable design and building practices emerge; the latest of which is the ‘passive house.’ Originating in Germany in 1990, the Passive House standard is a leading international low-energy design standard that is a scientifically proven, cost-effective way to improve indoor comfort, air quality and lower your heating and cooling bills. But with only around 25 Australian houses officially certified, we spoke to Sydney-based German architect Knut Menden, who is passionate about the movement.
A gorgeous passive house in Sydney’s Balgowlah
“In the Sydney climate, a passive house will reduce your heating and cooling needs by 90 per cent while maintaining a comfortable 20-to-25 degree temperature all year round, with no heating and minimal cooling,” says Knut who recently designed one such house for a young family in the leafy Sydney suburb of Balgowlah.
Kitchen and dining
With a focus on sustainability, good air quality (asthma and dust mites were a concern), as well as general occupant health, this home leant itself to the passive house model, even though the owners didn’t originally ask for one.
“The mass-timber structure provides solid walls, slabs and roofs with an inherent thermal insulation property. The timber mass stores carbon, which is the opposite of traditional construction, where a large amount of CO2 is emitted in the production process,” says Knut who explains that exposed timber surfaces can store and release humidity depending on the relative humidity in the air. Again, impressive eco credentials.
Bedroom
Lounge room
An extension to the original home, the two-storey timber structure was prefabricated and, rather amazingly, installed in just 15 hours on site.
“Apart from the fast installation process, reduced building time, and reduced cost of labour on site, the works were all relatively quiet compared to traditional construction,” says Knut who explains that the home’s main construction material, cross-laminated timber (CLT), was key to the home’s passive status.
The pre-fabricated timber structure was installed on site in just 15 hours!
With biophilic design principles underpinning the home’s aesthetic, it’s not surprising that timber takes centre stage. “The design is based on a simple form and honest materiality expressed as the same material throughout,” says Knut. Also, the timber connects beautifully to the large gumtrees that were retained in the backyard.
As for the Aussie sustainability movement, Knut is excited that we are starting to catch up with many other parts of the world. “I believe that after the bushfire season last year, and with more and more awareness of climate change, people are starting to ask for sustainable construction much more now,” says Knut.
Kids’ bedroom
Environment aside, living in a sustainable house (particularly a passive one), should be a much more comfortable experience when it comes to the weather too. “People seem to accept that our houses are cold and draughty in winter and hot and stuffy in summer but it doesn’t need to be that way,” says Knut who, while acknowledging the significant start-up costs, believes that once you have lived in a truly sustainable and energy efficient building, it is difficult to go back.
“While some things can be more expensive when installed, overall if well planned, there is a short payback period with regard to energy use. And as for the health benefits, that is something that is hard to rate against a dollar figure anyway.”
The home is clad in Blackbutt timber which will eventually age to a silver grey colour
This home is part of the upcoming Sustainable House Day this Sunday 20 September. Due to COVID-19, this year’s event is completely virtual.
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Earlier this week, we shared with you the winner of the Houses Awards 2020 Australian House of the Year and today we’re sharing the winner in the sustainability category, Waratah Secondary House by Anthrosite. We like a big flashy house as much as the next person, but we think this Newcastle home has a similarly modest and timeless feel to the overall winner and we love that.
A exercise in affordable housing, this simple, box-like form was conceived to expedite construction times and keep costs low. Located on an urban infill site, this 60sqm secondary dwelling embraces flood mitigation controls through a split level structure providing a spatial experience that maximises the small footprint.
The jury found the deliberation for this year’s Sustainability award to be a delightful challenge, given the breadth of mature and thoughtful shortlisted work that championed sustainability as inherent to good design. Waratah Secondary House by Anthrosite stood out to the jury, however, in part due to its modesty. It is a home designed and built with affordability, pragmatism and comfort in mind, while also delivering a resolved and thoughtful architectural outcome.
The jury said this home demonstrates something that we need more of – housing that doesn’t cost the earth, literally or figuratively. The jury was particularly impressed by its response to context as an infill dwelling created on a small, challenging site, along with the architect’s focus on creating a high performance envelope, and on utilising efficient and low-waste materials and construction methodologies, such as Structural Insulated Panel System (SIPS) and embracing raw, exposed finishes.
An integrated approach to sustainability isn’t simply about adding technology or satisfying a particular performance rating, the judges said. “Frankly, size does matter. Waratah Secondary House is a small, humble project that delivers something that we need to see more of in our cities and the jury commends all involved.”
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A humble beachside restoration in the Gold Coast suburbs has been awarded the 2020 Australian House of the Year. Chosen by a panel of industry experts, Cantala Avenue House by ME is a modest home, rich in thought and consideration.
The house is significant in the way it evolves the idea of an antipodean coastal home. With strong considerations towards sustainability and affordability, it rejoices in the idea of simplicity with a design that mirrors the no-fuss nature of the Australian home.
Celebrating their 10th year, the Houses Awards have set a benchmark of excellence in Australian residential architecture. Seeking to uncover emerging talent and celebrate the industry’s leading designers, the Awards recognise the ability to challenge architectural norms and explore the true meaning of “home”.
Within the broader context of the world’s current challenges, Cantala Avenue House teaches us to reflect on what is truly important and what we really need to live well. “Architect Matthew Eagle has solved ordinary design problems in an extraordinary way, reconsidered the suburban status quo and pushed boundaries, literally and figuratively, all within a reasonable budget.” said the jury.
Matthew himself says: “The existing dwelling is extruded to the east and north establishing a private north-facing courtyard and re-engaging the public components of the dwelling with the street and wider neighbourhood. Planted courtyards permeate the plan providing access to light, ventilation and nature.”
The home champions the capacity for modest residential architecture to significantly impact the way we live in Australia. Despite being sited within an unremarkable yet incredibly familiar suburban context, this alteration and addition of a ramshackle 1970s-era house offers its neighbourhood a welcoming communal space.
The new brickwork entry sequence, planting and seating under a mature poinciana tree presents a skilful navigation of the balance between public and private spaces, with the public zones of the home being pushed to the street edge. The experience of the dwelling is expanded to encompass the street, demonstrating how design interventions can genuinely build community and neighbourhood.
The jury said the house is a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional beach shack – carefully avoiding replication, it is a playful and refreshing reinvention. It has civic respect, yet individualism. Standard or everyday materials and accessories, and the reuse of the existing structural systems, reveal the architect’s masterful ability to create architecture where it might otherwise not exist.
Equal priority has been given to indoor and outdoor spaces, appropriately embracing the subtropical climate. Both the existing plan and the new addition are punctuated with planted courtyards to maximise natural light and ventilation while minimising heat from the harsh western sun.
Presented by Houses magazine, the House Awards is an annual program celebrating Australia’s best residential projects.
Architecture Media’s Katelin Butler said, that in her decade-long standing, there has been an undoubted evolution in Australian residential architecture as well as an emergence of a distinctly Australian design sensibility that responds to our climate and specific social culture.
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Most of us will design our homes with current décor or renovation trends in mind. However, now more than ever before, sustainable living has become an increasing priority for many Australians across all areas of life, including the home.
I’ve partnered with Allianz Australia and UTS to release the Future of Living Report – which explores the many ways we might see our future homes adapt and change, in light of the growing responsibility many Aussies feel towards the environment.
We might choose to offset our carbon emissions when travelling, eat a little less meat throughout the week or try to use less plastic. However, research has found that Aussies will be making permanent changes within their homes to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle.
The report identified the five biggest changes we can expect to see in our homes over the coming years:
Living in Nature: Native sustainable plants will take over Aussie homes, inside and out.
Shared Living Spaces: With the ‘sharing economy’ taking over everything from accommodation to cars, we can expect to see this trend transforming our concept of ‘living arrangements.’
Sustainability: Sustainable materials and neutral carbon footprints are no longer seen as ‘fringe.’
Timber Homes: Timber will be the material of choice for Aussie homes, over brick. Austerity Chic: Mismatched furniture made from a mix of flatpacks and second-hand stores will be the leading style of modern homes.
Sustainable living and future-proofing our family homes is something I am incredibly passionate about. So much so, that I’m building my very own prefabricated eco-home as I write this.
For any savvy home buyer or builder, it’s important to think about how you are creating a home that has value today and tomorrow. By building sustainably, not only can you add value to your property, you can do our earth a favour and feel good about improving our children’s futures while you’re at it.
So, I have created some simple steps that will help you feel better informed about how you can future-proof your next home, without breaking the bank.
Start Simple with Solar A simple and very achievable goal is creating a ‘solar passive’ home. This is my number one tip for two major reasons. Firstly, it reduces your carbon footprint by saving millions of tonnes of carbon emissions by allowing cool air into the building and hot air to escape, and secondly, you can expect to see your electricity and gas bills decrease significantly. In any project, it’s all about making an achievable goal for your new home. Solar panels are a great way to start your sustainable journey and don’t cost as much as you might think. Simply put, if every home in Australia installed solar panels, we would be able to rely significantly less on fossil fuels.
Use Sustainable Materials There are a number of ways you can lighten a new home’s impact on the environment, and one of the most logical alterations is asking your contractors to use sustainable materials. We’re starting to see the building industry coming to the market with wonderfully innovative and accessible products, all available at your local hardware store. Products like solar roof tiles, low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paint and textiles, or even insulated bricks made of recycled paper. It’s also important to proactively use everyday materials that are environmentally friendly, such as using FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified timber.
Wood has been increasingly recognised as a global solution to climate change through its ability to store carbon and reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Findings uncovered in the Future of Living Report also indicate that in the future, the exterior construction of our homes will prioritise wood over brick or concrete.
Create a Smarter Home Have you ever thought about how much energy it takes to keep your hot water tank ready for when you want to take your next shower, 24 hours a day, seven days a week? It’s a lot – potentially hundreds of litres of water per day, per household. Think of it like we’re boiling a giant kettle all day, which results in hot water systems being the second biggest carbon emitter in the home, next to the car. As it is often hidden under the house, it is often forgotten about when thinking of our energy output. Where possible, Australians should install an inline hot water system that heats the water only as it is required, and where possible, install a solar panel hot water system.
Additionally, panels and cladding with high thermo insular properties that block out the maximum amount of heat are very easy to purchase, preventing the need for unnecessary use of an electronically sourced cooling system. The Future of Living Report demonstrates that these sustainable material innovations and merging the latest technology together with our local climates, will soon become the way we stay comfortable in our homes. So why not get ahead of the curve, while dramatically lowering your electricity bill?
The Secret Garden Our gardens can play a pivotal role in helping us to reduce our impact on the environment, while also providing the perfect opportunity to celebrate our beautiful Aussie flora and fauna. It’s not just what we build the house out of, it’s also what we surround the house with. Planting dense foliage around the side of the house, such as Australian native plants, can stop hot weather from infiltrating the house and you guessed it, reduce energy costs too!
Instead of planting expanses of grass that have zero positive impact on the environment, I urge you to consider pollinator-attracting plants, such as bottlebrush or grevillea, so that we are increasing the bee population instead of suppressing it. This is a landscaping decision I highly encourage Australians to consider, especially given the recent devastation to our local wildlife caused by the bushfires.
Embracing nature and native plants will soon begin to blur the inside and outside lines of modern homes. The Future of Living Report indicates that plant-friendly interiors and exteriors will become a pivotal trend in homes of the future.
These are just a few thought-starters to hopefully inspire and encourage any new homeowner or builder who is looking to renovate a little more sustainably. It is so important to create a home that is fit for the future. It is not only your families most valuable asset, but the environment’s too.
Building a more sustainable and low maintenance home requires careful planning but the payoff can be huge. From style to cost-effectiveness, longevity to eco-sustainability, it can often be confusing and overwhelming to consider the right materials.
A stylish and sustainable home in Merri Creek, VIC
To help us navigate the road to sustainability, Brett Ward from Brickworks takes us through six simple ways you can build with sustainability in mind. Implementing passive solar design principles with the right materials can be all it takes.
Prioritise thermal performance
Thermal mass (the ability of a material to absorb, store and slowly release heat energy) is key to creating an energy efficient home. Building your home with heavy, dense materials such as brick helps to insulate it by absorbing and storing heat energy to slow down its transfer. The thermal mass of brick has the potential to keep a home cool in summer and warm in winter, minimising the need for artificial heating and cooling.
Brick acts like a thermal battery that can moderate internal temperatures, as well as averaging out day and night extremes to maintain a comfortable air temperature. By using less energy, this can help you save up to two tonnes of carbon pollution each year. By combining the thermal mass of bricks with insulation, you can lower the carbon footprint of your home, with the added benefit of reducing your heating and cooling bills by up to 40%.
2. Use concrete or terracotta roof tiles
Roof tiles boast an incredible amount of environmental benefits, from their thermal performance, to their low embodied energy and recyclable capabilities. The roof is one of the largest external facing surfaces of a home, and so the choice of roofing material plays a major role in determining the internal living temperatures, household energy usage and the overall energy efficiency of a home. According to the Australian Greenhouse Office, 39% of household energy costs come from heating and cooling the home, so by opting for roof tiles you can expect to save on your electricity bills, all while saving the environment!
3. Design for your climate
Designing your home to suit your climate is a great way to minimise energy use. This practice, known as Passive Solar Design, takes into account your local environmental conditions, including the building’s site, climate and materials, to create a home that optimises the sun’s natural energy. The orientation of your home plays a huge role in the way sunlight enters your home, thus impacting the internal temperature. North-facing windows will welcome light and warmth into your home, while overhanging eaves can create shade and provide relief from the harsh sun.
4. Install a solar system
Solar energy is a renewable source of energy that is clean, sustainable and does not emit any greenhouse gas when producing electricity. Installing a solar system allows you to capture energy from the sun and convert it into electricity, so you can reduce your reliance on the power grid and save hundreds on electricity costs.
5. Embrace products that last a lifetime
Choosing products with a long lifespan is a great way to decrease your impact on the environment and the energy used to maintain your home. Building your home with brick ensures it remains weatherproof, durable and attractive for years to come. Unlike less durable lightweight materials, which can be costly and time consuming to maintain, brick doesn’t need painting, rendering or any other coating to maintain its good looks. Choosing bricks is a smart one-off investment that pays dividends now, and in the future.
6. Use certified carbon neutral products where possible
Where possible, you should incorporate carbon neutral products into your home. You can now choose bricks knowing that their manufacture results in zero net emissions of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. A product certified as carbon neutral has been assessed and approved against the Australian Government’s National Carbon Offset Standard.
Making sustainable decisions in the design process and material selections of your home allows you to make a big impact on the environment without thinking too much about it. With each of these steps you are investing into the future of the environment, with the added benefit of creating a cleaner, more comfortable and cost-efficient home for you and your family to enjoy.
-Brett Ward is the general manager of international marketing at Brickworks, a group of Australian companies that specialise in building products for residential and commercial markets.
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According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australians send a whopping 85% of our textiles to landfill every year – much of it a by-product of the fashion and interior industries. It’s a sobering statistic that is the driving force behind new sustainable cushion brand hygge:liv, the creation of Catherine Stocks and Erin Hughes, who wanted to create a business that helped alleviate the problem.
A selection of hygge:liv cushions
“Australia is behind on the textile waste issue. We do a heap with recycling plastics and recycling; however, we haven’t prioritised this yet. We have a huge job to do in educating Australians on what unused fabric is. A huge misconception exists that these fabrics are unwanted, and are not of high quality, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” says Erin who sources beautiful, luxe fabrics that would otherwise be wasted, and turns them into one-of-a-kind cushions sold under the hygge:liv label.
More hygge:liv cushions
“The fabrics we source are deemed unused or ‘dead stock’ and they are incredibly high quality. Typically, these fabrics are sitting in warehouses or mills around the globe. They have no purpose and will eventually be thrown out or burnt, contributing to landfill,” says Erin.
In fact, the global textile waste issue has become so pressing that there’s a movement in place to repurpose ‘dead stock’ textiles through dedicated platforms such as FABSCRAP, a not-for-profit American organisation helping end the commercial textile waste in New York City.
A FABSCRAP display in New York City showcases textiles that were headed for landfill
“These programs allow businesses to make money from fabrics they can no longer use. The textile waste epidemic is huge and so many amazing, unused fabrics exist. In creating our label, we didn’t want to develop new fabrics when so many need rescuing,” says Erin who sources many of the hygge:liv fabrics from FABSCRAP, and even volunteered for the organisation recently.
More hygge:liv cushions
But, as with many sustainable items, the hygge:liv price point is higher than what you would find in the mass market – prices start from $169.95. “We are a luxe, Danish inspired lifestyle brand. We are not an Adairs or Kmart as we don’t develop new fabrics or mass produce. We are a high-quality product that is positioned as a piece of art, designed to work back with existing products,” says Erin who explains that the cost of the cushions comes down to a host of factors.
All of the cushions are made from high-quality fabrics, handmade locally and come with 100 per cent feather inserts. The cushions are double sided, creating a ‘2-in1’ cushion, and each one comes in a high-quality tote or laundry bag depending on size. The business also offers free shipping, Australia wide.
With people’s increasing interest in non-toxic living, health and sustainability we’ve noticed a complementary trend taking flight – the movement toward natural paint. “It is in everyone’s best interest to transition to a lower tox way of living. We have seen a big transition towards health in other industries and I believe the trade industry is the next frontier where this transformation is greatly needed,” says natural paint proponent Anthony Kanavakatini of Eco Lux Painting and Decorating.
Anthony at work
Anthony’s natural paint exploration began when he was on a quest for a healthier, more sustainable painting approach after hearing a few older painting colleagues had fallen ill. “I began looking into the long-term health effects of using conventional paints and what I found was quite alarming. It didn’t take long to convince me that I needed to make a change ASAP – for my health, for my family, and for my customers and their families,” says Anthony who favours the Bio Products range of natural interior paints and varnishes.
The main issue with traditional paint seems to be the presence of VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds. “VOCs release into the atmosphere not just while the paint is drying but can negatively affect air quality for months and even years after application. This is where that ‘freshly painted’ smell comes from. You are smelling a mix of chemicals which are majority carcinogenic and have the potential to cause serious health risks long term,” says Anthony.
By comparison, natural paints are free of VOCs and are formulated with ingredients like pine resin, linseed oil, lemon peel oil and other plant oils, earth pigments, clay, iron oxides, metal oxides and water. “Natural paints solve a huge problem for me the painter and for you the home owner, because they register an incredible 0 per cent VOC reading which makes them free from nasty chemicals and carcinogens,” says Anthony.
Anthony and his family
And in good news, traditional paint brands are heading down the low-tox route too. Wattyl’s new I.D Advanced is an ultra-low VOC formula that has less than 1 gram of VOCs per litre (a level that far exceeds green building requirements) while Haymes Paint’s Elite Interior paint is 99 per cent VOC free and the Dulux Professional Enviro2 Interior Low Sheen range contains less than 1 gram of VOCs per litre.
Wattyl’s I.D Advanced paint range is a great low-VOC option
“People are eliminating the bad chemicals from their homes. I think it is great and should be seen only as a positive. We are in a time where the average consumer is highly conscious of health and sustainability and many people are now choosing a more eco-friendly, natural way of doing things which is a win for everyone.”
If you’re looking to part ways with the MALM bed frame you bought for your first apartment or update the wall of BILLY bookcases in your living room, IKEA has found a way to help out with the launch of their furniture take-back program.
In a new initiative to help reduce waste, encourage upcycling and create a more sustainable future, the Swedish furniture giant is allowing Sydneysiders to give their old IKEA furniture a second life by returning it in exchange for a voucher. The returned furniture will then be sold on to new customers at the IKEA Tempe store.
The announcement follows new findings from IKEA Australia’s annual People & Planet Positive Report 2018, which reveals that it’s possible Australians have thrown away 13.5 million pieces of furniture that could have been recycled, reused and repaired. In a first for Australia, the new scheme aims to reduce the amount of furniture ending up in landfill and is part of IKEA’s goal to be 100% circular and climate positive by 2030.
In a win-win situation, this initiative will benefit those who are looking to score some affordable IKEA products for their homes. And, unlike the unpredictability of quality when it comes to buying secondhand from Facebook or Gumtree, this service will ensure that all items are in good knick before being resold again.
If the news has got your inner eco-warrior itching, you’ll be pleased to hear the process is pretty simple!
First, fill out an online form and email photos of your old IKEA furniture which will then be assessed by the IKEA team. If your furniture qualifies for the service you’ll have 14 days to bring your furniture to IKEA Temple where you will also receive your voucher. The furniture will then be put up for sale at the same value as the voucher given to you.
Although this take-back service is only being piloted at the IKEA Sydney Tempe store, if the program proves to be successful the company will look to roll out the service nationally.
To celebrate the launch of the take-back service, IKEA Tempe is unveiling its first ever Circular Living Pop-up Store, which will be open for eight weeks. The pop-up store will give consumers an in-depth look at the recyclable and renewable materials that make up their favourite IKEA products.
From turning plastic PET Bottles into KUNGSBACKA kitchen cabinetry, to left over glass into the IKEA PS 2017 Vase, the pop-up will showcase the stories behind the products while educating customers on the importance and value of the circular economy through sustainability workshops.
“IKEA is focused on ensuring all our products are designed from the very beginning with the intention to be repaired, reused, resold and eventually recycled, ” says Kate Ringvall, Sustainability Manager at IKEA Australia. “60% of our range is currently based on renewable materials. Our utmost priority is to generate as little waste as possible.”
“With the launch of our Circular Living Pop-up Store and IKEA Tempe Take-Back Service, we want to make it easier than ever for Australians to live the sustainable life they desire.”
When interior designer Frances Cosway, of White Pebble Interiors, built her dream family home recently, both design and sustainability were top of mind. “Being environmentally conscious, it was important for us to design a beautiful, modern family home without compromising on design, whilst integrating sustainable design to maximise energy efficiency,” says Frances whose home went on to win the coveted ‘Best Ecological Sustainable Design for Bayside 2015’ award.
“The award acknowledges the passive solar scheme of the house, the materials used (exterior and interior) and how the whole site works together as an ecological and sustainable space – including recycling, composting, having a sustainable garden and natural pool,” says Frances.
The home’s natural focus extends to its aesthetics too – it boasts relaxed, resort-style design complemented by an abundance of light-filled open spaces, naturally landscaped front and rear gardens and, most interestingly, a natural billabong that is enjoyed by the whole family. What a talking point!
An urban oasis – we love the natural landscaping in the backyard and the natural Billabong!
The open-plan family home is extremely energy efficient (7.3 stars to be exact) and was no more expensive to build than a standard home yet features passive solar design, thermal mass and next-generation insulation, an airtight building envelope, heat-recovery ventilation, low environmental impact building materials and high efficiency glazing and shading.
“We are very proud to showcase our home for energy efficient products and technologies, proving that sustainable living need not cost more or compromise design and living space,” says Frances who worked as an interior designer in London and Amsterdam for 12 years.
The home is open as part of this year’s Sustainable House Open Day, held on Sunday September 11, 2016. Register here if you’d like to attend and go into the running to win a one-hour design consultation with Frances, valued at $280. Check out more of Frances’ work here.
With annual running costs of only $500, an ultra-efficient display home on Victoria’s Bass Coast has set a new standard in housing design and sustainability.
The Cape display home
The first of 220 homes to be built at The Cape housing development, the home runs on just 15 percent of the power and water needs of the average Victorian home and actually creates more energy than it uses.
“The Cape home provides a glimpse into the future of sustainable housing in Australia and shows how innovative design, hard work and common sense by builders and developers can help residents avoid expensive bills, maximise comfort, and dramatically reduce carbon emissions in the housing sector,” says Damien Moyse, the Alternative Technology Association’s policy and research manager.
Bedroom
It’s the combination of thoughtful design, efficient appliances and solar energy that make the home so cost-effective. It’s fitted with industry-leading seven-star heating and cooling systems and also employs passive solar design, LED lighting and solar energy too.
But the most startling finding for us was that this type of home has the potential to save its owners $200,000 over a 25-year mortgage.
Lounge room
“We have developed a design hub of sustainable builders, designers and trades now forming around this project in Bass Coast and all future buyers here will have access to this expertise in developing super-efficient, high quality, affordable homes. Our project is one of the only places nationally where you can access housing built to these standards,” says project director Brendan Condon.
One of the most exciting aspects of the development is the opportunity for the design to be replicated across the country. “Today we throw out a friendly challenge to the large developers around Australia to get on board – if we can do this in Bass Coast it can be done anywhere. It is undoubtedly the way of the future,” Brendan added.
We often hear about renovating for profit, but how about renovating for the environment? You may have chosen a block which doesn’t face north or have constructed your home out of brick, but that doesn’t mean there are no options for those looking to make their home more sustainable.
Housing efficiency is one of the biggest impacts we can have on the environment and a more efficient home is often kinder on your household bills. Below are my top tips for renovating to reduce your carbon footprint and your bills.
It’s all about energy
One of the first things to look at when considering how efficient your home is to look at your current insulation. Insulation is one of the best ways to save on cooling and heating costs and a properly insulated home could save you 50% on your power bills.
The Australian Government has produced a useful guide about insulating your home based on your home design and climate. Also look at taking advantage of this sunburnt country and all that free solar energy by installing solar panels and a solar hot water system. You can take this further by buying appliances with the maximum energy star rating.
Replace your windows
Consider replacing your windows with double-glazed ones with a high WERS (Window Energy Rating Scheme), this means you will lose less heat from your home.
The WERS scale ranges from zero to ten stars, at Ecoliv we use five-star WERS glass because not only is the ten-star WERS glass incredibly expensive but it is also only appropriate for high temperature industrial settings. In other words, totally inappropriate for a residential building! By choosing the five-star rating this will give you the optimal balance of cost, thermal performance and efficiency.
Be smart with water
Installing a water tank will reduce your reliance on the mains water and coupled with a high WELS (Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards) rated plumbing fittings will further reduce your water consumption.
When landscaping consider indigenous water saving or drought resistant plants, so that when an inevitable dry summer hits, you won’t have to worry about the lack of water to sustain them.
Re-paint with environmentally friendly paints
If you’re looking to repaint a room or your entire house make sure the walls are kept free from any nasties by using low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints. VOC paints are not only harmful to the environment, but to humans as well. Chemicals found in VOC paints such as Formaldehyde and Benzene, emit vapours that are harmful if inhaled. Paint with less than 250 grams of VOCs per litre are considered low VOC paints.
Even if you are only able to implement a few of these strategies, you will be able to create a more sustainable, more environmentally friendly and above all, economical home.
— Ashley Beaumont is the director of Ecoliv and is passionate about sustainability in the construction industry. His eco prefab homes achieve an eight-star energy rating and have won numerous industry awards with the BDAV, NBDA and HIA.
With more than half of Australian homeowners planning to renovate in the next four years,it has never been more important to put energy efficient renovating on the map. Yet while installing energy efficiency measures in your home can improve year-round comfort, save you money and add value to your home, there is still very little practical information available to help renovators go beyond minimum building standards. Well, until now!
Sustainability Victoria’s new Smarter Renovations program is an online planning resource that provides home renovators with interactive tools, information and independent advice on how to improve and maximise the energy efficiency of any home or size of project.
Features include: the Smarter Renovations Planner that calculates accurate cost savings that can be achieved by making energy efficiency improvements; Your Guide to a Smarter Renovation, a consumer guide with practical advice on how to incorporate energy efficiency improvements during a home renovation; a series of Renovation Profiles, detailing the experiences of several individuals during their home renovation projects; and the latest evidence-based energy efficiency solutions, from efficient lighting to dressing the windows, draught-proofing and improving insulation.
The Smarter Renovations Planner in particular is a tool worth using. Accurately calculating the cost saving that can be achieved by making different energy efficiency improvements such as improving insulation, windows or lighting, draught-proofing and upgrading appliances. It works by assessing the type of house, current energy needs and use, together with the renovation work being planned.
To try these tools for yourself, visit Smarter Renovations here.
My scheduled chat with Kevin McCloud in London was delayed by a mere five hours due to his non-stop schedule but he was, of course, worth the wait. The inimitable Grand Designs host arrived with some new sustainable materials made from old air bags and car tyres, capable of making furniture. “This stuff is going to change the world,” he tells me, excitedly. And I think it’s this infectious enthusiasm which is one of the things which makes him so likeable on TV.
A regular visitor to our shores for Grand Designs Live Australia the past three years, Kevin is amazed by and grateful for his popularity on the other side of the world, with more people watching the show in Oz than in the UK. He has a real fondness for the country and its people, telling me the story of how he almost was Australian (his parents had tickets booked but then found out his mother was pregnant with him and decided not to go).
“It’s actually amazing how popular the show is in Australia,” he says, joking that some of the re-runs are so old he has a lot more hair in them. “I’m very, very grateful. Here, Grand Designs is successful and everything else I do is two-thirds as successful. In Australia, Grand Designs is even more successful and everything else I do is just as successful too.”
Kevin, who was appointed MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to sustainability in this year’s New Year’s Honours list, says he’s seen more passion in the decoration of houses in parts of Melbourne than he has in the UK. “I’ve probably seen more delight and wonder in Sydney and Melbourne than I have here.” He’s been blown away by Queenslanders (the houses) in Brisbane and loves how the architecture can be so different between states and territories, but always uniquely Australian due to our climate. “I’m really fond of some of the 19th Century and early 20th Century stuff, ” he says.
So, what is Kevin’s own home like? “It’s as shambolic, autobiographical, worn around the edges and unplanned as anybody else’s in truth! You and I know that the rooms we see in mags are highly engineered to meet the demographic and advertisers of that mag. Sometimes I look at those homes with a single pineapple in a bowl on the side and think where’s their toaster?! When we’re filming for the show, I always prefer the homes which are a little more shambolic, they’re more interesting.”
If Kevin was invited into your home he’d probably go straight to your library (if you’re lucky enough to have one) or bookcase (more likely), which he believes gives a great snapshot of someone’s life.
I couldn’t resist asking him how he deals with being an unlikely sex symbol, to which he joked it was a but a myth touted by journalists like me. I think we all know that isn’t true! Certainly not judging by the number of readers who tell me otherwise… “Nobody’s ever thrown their knickers at me anyway, ” he adds.
I was lucky enough to meet Kevin a couple of years ago at a media dinner in Melbourne. I can vouch for him being a thoroughly charming, polite, fun, clever and interesting man. He’s exactly as he seems on the telly! I totally meant to tell him that my husband and I watch an old episode of Grand Designs most nights before bed but I’m not even sure that’s a good thing…
Launched a few months ago, Plyroom is a new online store featuring a collection of beautifully crafted ply furniture, designed and made in Italy. Melbourne woman Elise Heslop brought it here after a year out in Italy with her family taught her about small space living and multi-purpose pieces.
Following a philosophy of affordable, beautifully designed furniture, Plyroom’s products represent an appreciation for honest materials and smart design, hallmarks of Italy’s reputation as a major player in the design world. The products are both flexible in their many uses and suitable for a diversity of environments, such as home spaces, office spaces and more.
Whilst living in Europe, Elise came to appreciate the way things in a typical Italian home were looked after with a generational permanence. “This eye on taking care of things for the sake of passing them down to children’s children was quite a difference to the fast-moving nature of interior design in Australia,” she says.
Moving from a four-bed house in Australia to a two-bed apartment in Italy also taught her a thing or two: “As we got to know more people and spend time in their homes, I began to see how intelligently small spaces were being used throughout the entire home, from the bedroom to the living room – maximising functionality without compromising quality or adding clutter.”
She’s confident customers will love the versatility of the range, with drawers that can easily be shared between children’s and adult’s rooms (even offering the added flexibility of a change-table addition) side tables on hidden wheels, and beautiful curved ply seats with hidden storage.
Rotating drawers on hidden castors make for a flexible, space-saving storage solution
“As a furniture selection, Plyroom is really catering for customers who want flexible pieces that are easy to live with, designed with simplicity and optimism, and made with the highest quality materials. The Italian companies we represent are passionate about uniting traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. As such, their furniture embodies a more sustainable ideology built around made-to-last craftsmanship and combined with a design-rich aesthetic.”
Embracing an online retail model, Plyroom caters for both corporate and consumer customers, allowing visitors to browse online and select their pieces, which are then made to order in Italy and delivered Australia-wide.
“Much of the furniture is made from sustainably forested European Birch and flat packaged to reduce transport emissions. One of our designers in particular, who is passionate about sustainable design, has spent years working to design products with a unique joinery system that avoids metal parts entirely and are intuitive and enjoyable to assemble.”
Elise, who has a marketing background, founded the business nine months ago. Plyroom’s collaboration with prominent designers in Northern Italy brings a unique selection of furniture to Australia, inspired by flexibility and sustainability for every room in the home.
“We are very proud to showcase our home for energy efficient products and technologies, proving that sustainable living need not cost more or compromise design and living space,” says Frances who worked as an interior designer in London and Amsterdam for 12 years.
The Cape display home
Bedroom
Lounge room
