18 minute read
Designs That Make You Green with Envy
Light House Architecture & Science
DESIGNS THAT MAKE YOU GREEN WITH ENVY
Jenny Edwards has leant her experience in sustainable design to the 2021 Strathnairn Charity House. Jenny is an Excellence Awards winner who is known for excellent architectural design. We spoke with Jenny about her experiences designing highly energy efficient homes.
Q. WHAT ROLE DOES SCIENCE PLAY IN THE BUILDING PROCESS?
JE: At Light House Architecture & Science, science plays an integral role in the design and building process. Our homes are designed using solar-passive principles, but we also integrate building science from the very first concept design, right through to building completion. We use the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) energy modelling software to optimise a home design for the site and climate, and then physically check and test the quality of the building envelope during construction.
The EER software is used to model the energy performance at every stage of design, looking for ways to improve the performance. At the end of construction, we then inspect the build with a thermal camera to check that the insulation has been installed to a high standard and with complete coverage, and rectify any gaps. We also conduct a blower door test to identify and fix any significant air leaks.
This approach enables us to create homes that typically achieve 7+ Stars, with many achieving 8+ stars, and guarantees a house will perform even better than the NatHERS energy rating suggests. Our work over the last decade
suggests 8 stars in Canberra is the sweet spot in terms of ‘thermal bang for buck’. An 8 star home is predicted to need less than half the energy for heating and cooling of a 6 star home of the same size – the scale is not linear.
Q. WHAT MAKES A BUILD SUSTAINABLE AND WHAT MAKES A HOME ENERGY EFFICIENT?
JE: For us the term ‘sustainable build’ is one that has a reduced environmental footprint. This can be achieved via a range of means:
> a smaller than average footprint meaning less building materials are needed
> a flexible design to allow the home to adapt to the changing needs of its occupants, thus limiting the need for future alterations
> a climate resilience home that is suited to its climate and requires minimal energy to run
> is all electric, making renewable energies like solar an option
> including salvaged or recycled building materials and appliances which reduces building material waste. > choosing building materials that are low maintenance, durable and/or have low embodied energy
> reducing water usage through water efficient fittings and appliances
An energy efficient home is one that can maintain comfortable internal temperatures all year round with little need for heating and cooling systems. An energy efficient home leads to financial savings, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and improvements to comfort, happiness and health. They:
> cost less to run
> don’t have to cost more to build
> provide a better indoor environment – they are healthier and more comfortable
> have greater resale value and marketability
> have a smaller environmental footprint
We achieve this through good design and quality construction, and without any fancy innovative construction techniques. In fact, we pride ourselves on achieving incredible results with the standard residential construction materials and methods used widely across Canberra. We do not use internal air barrier membranes or services cavities, which keeps construction costs much lower and provides excellent thermal bangfor-buck. We also collaborate closely with a great group of builders that share our belief in sustainability practices.
Q. YOU SPECIALISE IN CREATING SUSTAINABLE AND ENERGY-EFFICIENT HOMES, HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE THIS IN A CLIMATE LIKE CANBERRA?
JE: House energy ratings are critically important for improving the quality and comfort of Australian homes. However unfortunately location or climate specificity of the NatHERS rating system is poorly understood by many in the housing industry. For example, an 8 star home in Canberra can achieve 10 stars in Brisbane, 9.3 stars in Perth, 9.9 stars in Sydney and 8.3 stars in Melbourne. We have some Journal posts on our website, to help people better understand star ratings.
The climate in Canberra is tricky and one of extremes, swinging from -8 in winter to 44 degrees in summer. This makes it one of the most difficult locations in the country to achieve a rating of 8 stars. This is why both good design and science to optimise the design and test the home after construction are critical to what we do.
BORAL’S CONCRETE SOLUTIONS for Sustainable Projects
Boral is a popular supplier of a number of construction materials in the ACT including concrete, quarries, cement and asphalt. But do you know about Borals numerous sustainability efforts? The company invest heavily in the research and development of products that meet engineering specifications with a conscious effort to lower the impact of their products on the environment.
Boral have recently partnered with Lendlease ACT to develop a Boral Australia first of Carbon Neutral Concrete and have been able to deliver this product on their current Campbell Primary School Project.
Boral have numerous sustainable products to offer for the ACT including Boral Asphalt, Boral Quarries/Recycling, and an extensive variety of different Boral Concrete. These products include:
Boral Asphalt – INNOVA (Innova is a Boral asphalt product system that offers an opportunity to combine multiple alternative recycled materials such as glass, rubber, plastic, slag, toner and RAP so that environmental and sustainability objectives can be met with the option to customise to requirements and local conditions. Both soft and hard plastic may be used, depending on local availability.)
Boral Quarries/Recycling – Recycled Road bases and manufactured sand.
Boral Concrete – Low Carbon Concrete Products
Envirocrete® Concrete (30% and 40%): Boral’s Envirocrete® concrete is a lower carbon concrete product which complies with AS 1379. It contains supplementary cementitious materials to reduce the portland cement content.
Envirocrete® Plus Concrete: Boral’s Envirocrete® Plus concrete is a lower carbon concrete product which complies with AS 1379. It contains supplementary cementitious Boral have been a long-standing partner of Master Builders ACT, recently celebrating over 50 years of membership. Boral explain their partnership with Master Builders ACT as an ‘honour to support and sponsor an organisation that provides its members with continual backing and guidance’. Congratulations Boral on this outstanding milestone.
materials to reduce the portland cement and the minimum reduction in portland cement compared to the GBCA and ISCA reference case is 45%.
ENVISIA® Concrete: Boral’s ENVISIA® concrete is a lower carbon concrete product which complies with AS 1379 and has excellent engineering properties. It has a lower portland cement content and a high supplementary cementitious content which results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Boral ACT hope that their sustainable approach is influencing ACT businesses to become more sustainable with their product choices. They have developed and have products available now that not only meet engineering specifications but exceed them. With Borals ENVISIA product they have been able to achieve 400 microstrain concrete in the ACT, a great feat for any concrete mix let alone a lower carbon mix. GBCA standards are often used to rate and specify building products that have a sustainability component and Boral has products that meet and exceed these standards.
Please contact Boral if you are interested in exploring sustainable material options in your upcoming projects. Phone: (02) 6239 7049 Website: https://www.boral.com.au/locations/boral-concrete-mitchell
SOLAR
As solar energy management specialists, Harvey Norman Commercial Solar now offers Ocular Electric Vehicle Chargers designed for residential and commercial use. We can help you decide which EV Charger is best for your needs and design/install a fully customised solution for your site. Our Ocular EV Chargers are suitable for any Electric Vehicles in Australia. Perfect if upgrading or switching to a new EV! A live LCD display screen provides all your charging feedback information like current charging status, including charging time, voltage, current internal temperature so Electric Vehicle Chargingyou know exactly what’s happening every time you charge. Designed for Australian’s the Ocular chargers are made to withstand a wide range of weather conditions, from extreme cold to scorching heat. The IP66 Rated casing means it can handle anything Australia has to offer. Perfect for all Residential and Commercial projects. UNIVERSAL FOR ANY EV
Advanced EV Charging Technology Made Simple!
• Fast charging speeds up to 120km/hr IDEAL FOR ALL DESTINATIONS • Built-in safety features & Load Management • Easy to install* CHARGING SPEED UP TO 120km per hour• 2 year product warranty • Ground Mount or Wall Mount available • 10 year workmanship warranty if installed through Harvey Norman Commercial
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Harvey Norman Commercial is an approved solar retailer committed to good business practices and continuing to raise the standards in the solar industry. Arrange an appointment to visit our showroom to view our great range and speak to our very knowledgeable staff to get a product which is fit-for-purpose so you’re ready to charge off on your next adventure!
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Solar solutions can see you get paid for the energy you produce while insulating your business from rising energy costs. Harvey Norman Commercial’s dedicated Solar team supply only the best available products, and as experienced national professionals can customised a solar solution to suit your needs and significantly reduce your energy costs and carbon footprint. Harvey Norman Commercial has been in the industry for over 27 years and is invested in the future of solar and new technologies. Our WHS standards and quality assurance are second to none; we employ on-site quality assurance managers with solar installation background providing the highest installation quality. All our installers and engineers are CEC accredited and are the best in the industry. We are also proud members of Smart Energy Council to ensure we are at the forefront of legislation, best practices, and advocacy for a greener Australia.
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1
QANTAS POINT
PASSIVE HOUSE DESIGN with Paul Barnett
PAUL BARNETT
In all sectors of construction there has been a greater emphasis placed on using sustainable practices and sustainable materials. Paul Barnett is a practicing Architect who runs Paul Barnett Design Group and regularly designs incredible sustainable residential and commercial spaces.
Paul has twice been awarded Sustainable Residential Project for his outstanding residential design. He is also a registered Passive House Designer and he is on the National Sustainable Committee for the Australian Institute of Architects. On top of Paul’s already impressive work in the sustainable design space, he is currently researching Regenerative Design as part of his PhD work.
We chatted with Paul to find out about Passive House Design.
Q. WHAT IS A PASSIVE HOUSE?
PB: Firstly, Passive House is a term that applies to all buildings not just houses. Not a great choice of terms as it is confusing.
More importantly, a Passive House is a certified compliant tested and verified building that performs to the Passive House performance criteria for registration. There are many buildings, houses and commercial and institutional buildings that utilise Passive House Principles and technologies but do not achieve the necessary performance levels or the verified and certified compliance that enable them to be called “Passive House”. Everything else is under high performance buildings utilising passive house technology. Passive house performance criteria is listed on the Passive House Institutes website. Q. HOW IS THE PASSIVE HOUSE DESIGN PROCESS DIFFERENT FROM WHEN YOU’RE DESIGNING A TRADITIONAL HOME?
PB: As a former cabinetmaker, builder and a practising architect, I have seen the construction process from all perspectives.
Spatially you are still designing a building to suit needs. Occupant needs, and under the regenerative design principles (a subject we should cover in another review) you also consider the need of the local community and ecology. This is leading edge sustainable principles that are moving into the realm of mainstream gradually.
Passive House performance is verified and operates using the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) software to analyse each of the performance criteria.
Q. WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN DESIGNING A PASSIVE HOUSE IN CANBERRA?
PB: In a Passive House you are an active participant. The building is a highly tuned shell that can be understood by the term “esky” which is great for an easy way to picture what a Passive House is. You have a Heat Recovery Ventilation system (a ducted ventilation system) that supplies and returns filtered and heat exchanged air throughout the living and bedroom area and returns air through wet areas and services areas.
Q. ARE THERE RULES TO LIVING IN A PASSIVE HOUSE AT ITS MOST FUNCTIONAL?
PB: There are best practices to observe. In Spring and Autumn, you can operate the building as a normal naturally ventilated building, provided the window and door placements enable air circulation to all areas. The HRV system is designed to operate at a low speed and low volume to ensure that condensation does not build up and ultimately create mold. The reason you need to be aware of this is because the building’s “Thermal Envelope” has been created to restrict air exchanges under 50 pascal pressure to a maximum of 0.6 ACH (air change per hour, tested an verified with a Blower Door Test). Our first house using Passive House technology achieved 3.3 air change per hour. Our last house achieved 0.25ACH which is nearly 3 times better than the Passive House standard and set a new bench mark in Canberra. So, you need to be aware that if you turn off the HRV system and use natural ventilation in the milder season of spring and autumn, which is how I prefer to live, the designer and operator must ensure that all areas are being ventilated.
When you have high air leakages such as is the case with traditional construction, for example NatHERS assumes an air leak rate of some 12 ACH, then you don’t have the difficulties of a very airtight building. But you also lose enormous amounts of energy through the air leakage. A NatHERS rating of 8 is a great result but can be improved with reduced air leakage and improved elimination of thermal bridging (heat lost or coolth gained) and can result in performance levels of 9 to 10 stars in Canberra which is high performance in our climate. This performance is realised through the reduced amount of energy loss due to low thermal bridging and high airtightness levels to operate the building over an annual cycle.
PAUL AND ANN ENJOY THE RESULT OF SEVERAL YEARS OF COLLABORATION IN A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT.
Passive House Institute Contacts: Australia: https://passivehouseaustralia.org/ Canberra: canberra@passivehouseaustralia.org
INTRODUCING... CAROMA LIANO II TAPWARE RANGE
Available November 2020, to further complement Caroma's Vogue II full bathroom collection, Liano II is a pin style tapware range will be available in Chrome, Brushed Brass, Brushed Nickel, Gunmetal (PVD) and Matte Black (Electroplated) tones. In line with Caroma’s commitment to innovation and sustainability, the range will come with:
Common in-wall bodies across all Caroma Vogue Tapware, assisting with fit out and retro fitting. Common components, higher efficiencies, more choices.
Mixers are accredited with the highly efficient WELS 6 star rating, delivering 4.5L/ min to ensure environmental standards are met commercially.
The more stars the more water efficient
WATER RATING
www.waterrating.gov.au
4.5 litres per minute
In accordance with AS/NZS 6400
Licence No. 0001
Caroma Industries Limited
CAROMA WARRANTY SNAPSHOT
20 years > Basins, Baths, Toilet Suites, Tapware 10 years > Tapware Engine 5 years > Seats, Bathroom Accessories, PVD Coating 1 years > Electroplated Finishes, Spare Parts
INTRODUCING... CAROMA URBANE II COLLECTION
Available October 2020, Urbane II is a full bathroom collection of Sanitaryware, Tapware, Showers & Accessories. Modern rectangular profiles and distinct thin edge details emanate throughout the collection. The Tapware, Showers, Accessories and Sanitaryware accents are available in Chrome, Brushed Brass, Brushed Nickel, Gunmetal (PVD) and Matte Black (Electroplated) tones. Every accessory in the bathroom, including seat hinges, flush buttons, pop up wastes and bottle traps, are available across various colour options, enabling complete bathroom personalisation. In line with Caroma’s commitment to innovation and sustainability, the range will feature:
V-Jet Technology across all Showers, delivering an exceptional shower experience that puts the user in control via the ability to transition between an invigorating shower spray and gentle mist.
GermGard® protection on all Toilet Seats in the range. This is a unique antimicrobial formula which kills harmful bacteria, helps prevent the spread of nasty germs and helps to make cleaning even easier.
Caroma Cleanflush® across all Toilet Suites. This patented design features revolutionary rimless technology that delivers the next generation of toilets: easy to clean and water efficient with superior hygiene.
Caroma's patented Orbital Technology and innovative Adjustable Flushpipe offers installation flexibility and greater toilet set-out compatibility.
Common in-wall bodies assisting with fit out and retro fitting. Square and round base plates can be used with the Urbane II tapware. Common components, higher efficiencies, endless choices.
Aligned with our quest for superior water solutions, all Mixers in the Urbane II collection are WELS 6 star rated, 4.5L/min, and all Showers (excl Rail Shower with Overhead, 300mm Rain Shower & Compact Twin Shower) are WELS 4 star rated, 7.5L/min.
The more stars the more water efficient
WATER RATING
www.waterrating.gov.au
4.5 litres per minute
In accordance with AS/NZS 6400
Licence No. 0001
Caroma Industries Limited
The more stars the more water efficient
WATER RATING
www.waterrating.gov.au
7.5 litres per minute
In accordance with AS/NZS 6400
Licence No. 0001
Caroma Industries Limited
CAROMA WARRANTY SNAPSHOT
20 years > Basins, Baths, Toilet Suites, Tapware 10 years > Tapware Engine 5 years > Seats, Bathroom Accessories, PVD Coating 1 years > Electroplated Finishes, Spare Parts
WHERE ARE THEY NOW:
BRENTON WELLS
The 2008 Apprentice of the Year
As a bright, young apprentice received the highest accolade in MBA Group Training, Apprentice of the Year, at Eastlake Football Club in 2008, who would have known he would become an award winning builder.
Brenton Wells is the Director of Future Building, where they say no two projects are the same. But the one thing that is consistent across his projects, is the passion for restoring and reusing heritage elements with a strong commitment to innovation.
In 2016, Brenton and his team transformed a cherished 1920’s home with functional upgrades including geo-thermal in-slab heating and burnished concrete, while retaining the 1920’s heritage details including keeping the original stove.
This year, for the 2021 Master Builders and Asset Construction Hire Excellence Awards, he’s teamed up with Studio & You, to create a stunning Inner South family home. The build was three years in the making, as the family spent time overseas. The home appears modest from the exterior but as you enter the house it seems to go on forever. The 4.3 metre stone bench top shows the generosity of high-quality materials throughout the home. The kitchen cabinetry is a custom colour made up of grey, blue and purple hues that is the perfect blend of modern and heritage tones. For Brenton, you could see that the true joy in the completion of the home came from delivering an abode that was everything the homeowners could have dreamed of, and more.
Brenton was an MBA GTO Employed apprentice when he was completing his Certificate III in Carpentry. The highly coveted title of MBA Apprentice of the Year wasn’t the only award Brenton went on to receive that year, he also picked up:
> Master Builders Group Training’s Apprentice of the Year award > Outstanding Construction Industry Apprentice – CITC award > ACT World Skills gold medalist in Carpentry > ACT World Skills gold medalist in the Team Carpentry category
BRENTON WELLS
After completing his apprenticeship Brenton went on to earn his Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) and became an MBA host employer in 2012. Brenton also joined the MBA mentoring program in 2013, guiding young apprentices during their apprenticeship. He has also continued to be a fantastic mentor and host employer to his MBA GTO apprentices.
From a young apprentice that stood up in front of a crowded room of his peers to accept The Apprentice of the Year award, Brenton has made his mark on the Canberra construction industry.
