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JAMES LODER, PARTNER AT WARDLE, MELBOURNE

“In the past decade, consciousness around sustainable design has grown significantly. Our clients are typically well informed and come to us with a desire to incorporate sustainable design features in some capacity. They tend to be knowledgeable about solar panels, and water collection and storage, and expect them as standard features, in addition to an insulated, well performing building envelope. One of our key focuses is on reducing embodied carbon. To achieve this, we prioritise the use of locally sourced, high-quality materials such as masonry and stone, which have a low embodied energy and help to reduce the house’s carbon footprint.

One of our recent residential projects, The Limestone House in Toorak (pictured), benefited from a client with a passion for sustainability and an interest in high-quality design. The project used two international sustainability standards, Passivhaus and The Living Building Challenge, which have strict requirements. The Passivhaus principles were used to create a comfortable living environment with minimal energy use by producing a high performing building envelope; the thermal shell (walls, floor, and roof) was prefabricated to improve quality control, waste management, and time management during construction. The indoor air quality is excellent too, thanks to the house’s 100 per cent fresh air mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. The Living Building Challenge informed the choice of healthy, local materials and an off-grid approach to energy and water management, resulting in a house made from high quality materials with excellent sustainability credentials.

The recently completed Bass Coast Farmhouse in regional Victoria is also off-grid, with solar arrays on the roof of the agricultural shed and freestanding frames in the field. The house is located near a significant conservation reserve, and its orientation considers the land’s shape and seasonal weather patterns. The goal was to retain the open and uncluttered landscape along the wild, natural coastline. Water conservation was a primary consideration due to the threat of bushfires. Rainwater is harvested from the roof of the house and shed and used for all potable water needs as well as for the property’s hydronic floor heating during the winter months and is also stored for bushfire fighting.” wardle.studio