BINOWEE HOUSE

This home is a design that works in the real world.

Binowee House is designed to be affordable, sustainable and to have a low carbon footprint ensuring a fine balance between environmental impact, cost, health and lifestyle for its occupants.

Although the home does not use exotic materials or complicated build techniques which may lower the carbon footprint even further, a pragmatic approach has been used in design and materials selection leading to a sustainable, healthy and resilient home that can be built by any builder immediately, if required.

Binowee House has been designed so it can be built to all orientations. The design can be flipped, clerestory windows added and the roof allows for PV exposure when the site’s orientations is not ideal. The living zone features external walls to all orientations with strategic glass placement optimising winter solar heat gain and minimising summer exposure.

NDIS and access-friendly design principles incorporated in the home deliver adaptable spaces for a range of occupants, from families to those with special needs and their carers. Materials and biophilic elements have been carefully selected to encourage a healthy, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing home that is as kind to the environment, as it is to the eye.

Designer:

Massimo Loche, Ausplan Design Group

Assessor: Darren Parker, Greenest House

Project cost estimate: $500,000

House size: 240 sqm

Energy rating: 8 stars

Binowee House has a 0.6TCo2/M2 footprint and a total footprint of 161 TCo2. This is an approximate 36% reduction of total average Co2 on current levels and over 50% reduction of average Co2/M2. It is sustainable in many aspects, not only by the A1-A5 Carbon Footprint, but also in regards to its minimal maintenance and low running costs. Use of sustainable materials allows the home to be built with minimal impact on the environment and, by using native plants encourages the promotion of natural habitats for animals.

The home is all-electric, allowing its occupants to enjoy Binowee House without the need for fossil fuels.

Low Carbon Footprint materials such as 100% recycled hardwood Weathertex external cladding, 100% recycled nylon carpet and eco-friendly polished concrete will reduce the need for floor coverings or high carbon elements (tiling/glue etc) in the home, thereby reducing the overall carbon footprint.

Adaptable spaces have been carefully included in the design, such as the second bedroom having its own access to the main bathroom, and partitioned walls can be added where needed in the living and other areas of the home. NDIS and access friendly design principles deliver adaptable spaces catering to a range of occupants from singles, families and to people with special needs and their carers.

In the event of extreme weather, power outages or natural disasters, the photovoltaic systems can be disconnected from the grid enabling the occupants to rely solely on the home’s own energy generation and storage. Binowee House also provides protection from the elements, especially on high pollen days, or weeks of bushfires where air quality is compromised by external macro environmental impacts. The home will remain intuitive as the family and climate changes.