Posted in Housing

Architectural Design Making a Positive Impact on Sustainability in your Liveable City

If you are faced with the question; “Are you part of a liveable city”, would you know how to answer?

Many would consider any city that they live in as a liveable city, but what does that really mean?

The answer revolves around a few simple words that some of us are well versed with, while others are not. – sustainability, conservation, environmentally friendly, eco-friendly and carbon friendly (to name a few).

Creating a more liveable city comes down to several factors, beginning with residential and commercial designs that offer sustainable features.

Modern technology is now proving that there are new ways of building more sustainable homes, commercial offices and even shopping centres. We did some investigating around Australia and found a few architects that deserve to be praised for this kind of work.

BREATHE ARCHITECTURE – MELBOURNE

A Melbourne architectural company leads a great example by designing carbon neutral homes and commercial properties. Several architects met in December 2019 and collaborated on how to achieve carbon neutral home designs. They are now working together to achieve a more sustainable future in Australian cities.

The Design Director Jeremy McLeod, who founded the company in 2001 together with Tamara Veltre, has asked business owners to pledge that they will take their business into a carbon neutral future via an Architects Declare Architects Act movement. It’s a promise where united architects aim to take Australia into the future with new, modernised designs that will be 100% green powered, carbon audited by 30 June 2020 to ensure it’s working, and will be carbon neutral by 30 December 2020.

Visit their website and check out some of their incredible designs already achieving a carbon neutral future.

BENT ARCHITECTURE – MELBOURNE

Another Melbourne-based architectural company that needs to be praised for their outstanding sustainable work is Bent Architecture.

Established in 2003 by Directors Paul and Merran Porjazoski, they have built and designed sustainable buildings that have won a number of national and international awards, including two open design competitions (Growing Up Green Roof and Living Places Public Housing.

They have proven themselves to be leaders in both residential and commercial designs that are environmentally sustainable, and low costing.

LIVEABLE CITIES CONFERENCE: WEBINAR SERIES 2020

The list goes on with several organisations in Australia already making a positive and sustainable impact in our cities that need to be acknowledged and the Association for Sustainability in Business has been lucky enough to be secure some of the experts in the country for our new webinar series.

If you are interested on how others are successfully achieving positive sustainable results within communities, the first webinar of the Liveable Cities Conference: Webinar Series 2020 is all about sustainable design and architecture making a positive impact on the future of sustainable liveable cities.

The first webinar will be held live online on Tuesday 9th of June 2020 between 10:00am – 12:30pm. The schedule includes three successful case studies delivered by keynote speakers, showcasing how sustainability can be implemented into your liveable city through an intellectually sustainable design. Here’s two of the case studies that will be presented online in June as part of the webinar series.

GINNINDERRY PROJECT

Ms Jessica Stewart; the Sustainability Manager of the Ginninderry project will be speaking about how they have effectively advocated homes with smarter energy solutions that have allowed them to uphold their Ginnindery Green Start Communities rating by constructing sustainable dwelling which create the same or more energy than they consume.

EAST VILLAGE AT KNUTSFORD

Ms Naomi Lawrence, the Senior Development Manager at DevelopingWA, will be the second webinar speaker, delivering a presentation on the case study of the East Village at Knutsford, one of the most highly desired villages to live at in Freemantle in Perth.

The three-part webinar series is set to propel you into the future of sustainable design and several steps closer towards achieving the main goal; to improve sustainable lifestyles.

 

 

Helpful Tips for Managing Household Waste

The following article was kindly written and contributed by Briana Jones.

Waste management and waste reduction are pressing issues around the world. With the global population predicted to balloon to 9.7 billion by 2050, it’s imperative that we find ways to minimise waste and manage it properly. If we don’t, we’ll soon be living in a world with more waste than available resources.

Thankfully, there are many ways that individuals and families can contribute to the worthwhile cause of managing and minimising waste. Here are some simple, helpful tips to help manage waste in your Australian home.

Avoid Plastics

Plastic is highly convenient, which is why it’s difficult to give it up completely. Still, you can take baby steps by minimising the use of plastics. In particular, avoid plastic bags as much as you can. Bring your own reusable bags when shopping. If you don’t have disabilities that require the use of a plastic straw, decline it. Are you a coffee lover? Get a high-quality insulated container so you can get your hot or cold beverages to go. A good way to minimise your dependence on plastics is to evaluate where, when, and how you use plastic and make small adjustments there.

Minimise the Use of Paper

Except for a few circumstances, paper is highly recyclable. However, it still remains as one of the most common types of waste to end up in landfills. This means that we also have to be mindful of how we use paper and minimise where we can. Consider unsubscribing to various mailing lists, transact electronically as much as possible, and opt to read online magazines and newspapers (especially if you don’t read cover to cover). If and when available, ask merchants to not print a receipt and send you a verified e-receipt instead. In the kitchen, you might want to switch from using paper towels to rags that you can wash over and over. To up the ante even further, don’t buy the rags but make them from old clothing that aren’t fit to be worn anymore instead.

Hire a Skip for Big Projects

If you need to dispose of a lot of waste, the usual trash bins won’t cut it. Hire a skip instead, so you can better manage both the volume and the variety of rubbish you’re dealing with. With a reliable skip bin provider, you can get the correct skip bin size and type where you can throw in general waste, green waste, bulky and solid fill waste (like rubble or bricks), and recyclable heavy materials like white waste. Once you’re done, just call the skip company and they’ll pick up the bins to ensure that every piece of trash is sent to their correct destinations. If you need to dispose of hazardous materials like chemicals, pesticides, or old vehicle tyres, get in touch with your skip bin provider so they can help you with proper disposal.

Compost What You Can

A lot of kitchen waste like fruit and vegetable peelings and garden waste like leaves and branches can be composted. You don’t even need to dig up a traditional pit to be able to compost. All you need is a heavy-duty bin and you’re all set. If you don’t have a garden of your own where you can use the compost, look around your neighbourhood. There may be homes that need some fertiliser for their plants and flowers. There might even be a nearby farm where you can donate compost and compostable waste.

Recycle or Repurpose

There are plenty of things in your home that, at first glance, might seem like waste but can actually be recycled or reused in some other way. Glass and plastic containers can be used to keep leftovers. They can also be used as storage solutions for various items like craft materials. Printer paper can be turned into scratch paper for your home office. Other possible uses include making grocery lists or as drawing paper for your toddler. Be creative! You can turn to the ever-helpful internet to discover different ways on how to recycle or re-purpose various materials at home.

Buy in Bulk

Most of the things we buy for our home come in different kinds of packaging. From food to bathroom essentials, our household needs come in plastic bags, boxes, or packets. Buying in bulk can help minimise the waste that comes from packaging. Visit the bulk food section in the supermarket where you can buy cereals, rice, spices, and dry foods. You can store these at home using the above mentioned glass and plastic containers. Get large containers of shampoo, liquid hand soap, detergents, and other non-perishable goods and necessities. The more you buy in bulk, the more you can reduce the amount of waste you generate at home.

Donate

If there are items lying around in your home that you aren’t using but are still serviceable, consider donating them instead of just letting them gather dust. Schools, orphanages, churches and religious institutions, and charitable organisations are always looking for donations in kind like clothes, blankets, shoes, books, and even small appliances. Don’t hoard! Unused items take up precious space in your home. Moreover, living amongst clutter can make you sick (allergies, anyone?) and even affect your mood.

Those living a zero-waste or at least a low-waste lifestyle is certainly admirable. However, it’s not easy or even possible for some people. Still, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t make the effort to properly manage waste and minimise the amount of waste we generate where we can. Consider these helpful tips to keep your home clean and healthy, and ultimately contribute to protect the planet.

Practical Ideas For Self-Sustaining Homes

Raising ecological awareness has become imperative in this modern era.

It is our responsibility and a great necessity to advocate and apply eco-friendly practices in order to stop climate changes, prevent global warming and eventually protect our precious environment. Thus, it does not surprise that self-sustaining homes have gained so much popularity. The idea has been welcomed by an impressive number of people and we can rightfully expect to build a more sustainable world in the near future.

So, what are the best practical ideas for self-sustaining homes? Here is a comprehensive answer.

Features of self-sustaining homes

Self-sustaining homes have emerged as a logical outcome of an economic and ecological lifestyle.  Much is expected from a home that is primarily friendly to our environment and yet gives us financial freedom. The features of self-sustaining homes are the following:Practical Ideas For Self-Sustaining Homes

  • These homes are mostly built from recycled or low carbon materials.
  • They do not cover the area that exceeds the recommended and required size in the given circumstances.
  • Self-sustaining homes have their own heat, cooling, and power sources.
  • They include systems installed for the purpose of water and waste management.
  • Finally, they provide their owners with an opportunity to produce their own food and livestock and enjoy the benefits of a healthy and green lifestyle.

Numerous measures have been taken to promote the concept of sustainability and improve the implementation of these ideas into our day-to-day living. In the case of self-sustaining homes, it is an outstanding experience to participate in a sustainable house day and exchange ideas and practices with other people. Only then will you be able to master this extraordinary lifestyle and use its benefits to the full potential.

The best practical ideas for self-sustaining homes

Whilst it is more effective to build a completely new house with sustainability as a leading goal, it is not impossible to conduct some changes in the existing homes as well. It is of utter importance to focus on the principles underlying the concept of self-sustaining homes. Should you decide to relocate overseas or anywhere else around Australia, you will be able to apply these principles easily and efficiently.

Use solar power in your self-sustaining homes

Luckily, nowadays we can say that solar power has become more affordable and accessible. To be able to use it, one needs to install solar panels. The type of panels you will use depends on your preferences. Whether you choose rooftop or standalone, these panels are necessary to generate enough energy for your lights and appliances.

Understandably, it is of key importance to know how to save energy we receive in this manner. Providing natural light is a vital component in this process of saving energy. In addition, installing large windows is a sensible decision concerning this aspect of self-sustaining homes. Moreover, choosing energy efficient light bulbs and home appliances is undoubtedly very helpful.

Install a rainwater harvesting system

Rainwater harvesting system is necessary for self-sustaining homes because it helps homeowners with accumulation and deposition of rainwater for reuse in the upcoming period. Water received as the final product of this process can be used for watering plants, for animals or even for washing.

Minimise the generation of waste

One of the practical ideas for self-sustaining homes includes not only minimising the generation of waste, but also its efficient management. The waste should be classified into two categories – organic and inorganic.

We cannot but mention an excellent practical idea within this category and that is to build an outdoor composting box. By installing this box, a homeowner gets a chance to conserve resources through the process of transforming, for example, food leftovers into rich soil. The process is not only cost-efficient, but it can provide you with the soil of good quality to use in your garden.

Cultivate your own food

The concept of sustainability is intrinsically related to a green and healthy lifestyle. Growing your own food will most probably cause some considerable changes in your diet. It will become much richer in fruit and vegetables, which is one of the healthiest life choices you can make. Furthermore, the whole concept will be inexpensive and, most importantly, it will be completely friendly to your environment.

Use a wood-burning or water stove to provide heat

Using wood-burning or water stove will provide you with an excellent alternative heat source. One of the advantages of this strategy to provide heat to your self-sustaining home is that you can use these stoves for cooking as well. However, if you prefer traditional heating systems, you can use them in this type of homes as well, but they will use solar or wind power to function properly.

The pros and cons of self-sustaining homes

The pros of self-sustaining homes are countless. Firstly, to feel comfortable in this new type of dwelling, you will have to change your everyday habits. Your lifestyle becomes healthier and more eco-friendly. Secondly, you can influence people in your surrounding and contribute to raising environmental awareness. Furthermore, you become more financially independent. This is possible by investing in self-sustaining features of your home. Finally, living in self-sustaining homes prepares you for living in extreme conditions, for example after natural disasters.

The whole concept of living in self-sustaining homes has some downsides as well. Firstly, it requires a lot of your time to finish all the necessary tasks. Then, despite the existence of some sustainability tips that require minimal effort, building this type of home or even adaptation of your existing home to these practices is highly demanding.  Finally, orchestrating and then conducting the whole process is considerably expensive. Nevertheless, building self-sustaining homes is a long-term investment which will prove its worth very soon.

This article was kindly written and contributed by Sally Norton.

Australian Sustainable Design: the Challenges, What We’re Getting Right, and Where to From Here

The drive behind building more environmentally friendly residential homes is coming from individuals, not government bodies, and cookie-cutter developments are holding us back, according to a think tank assembled to address the issue of implementing sustainable design.

Peter Maddison (supplied)

The chair of the discussion, organised by LG Electronics, was architect and TV host Peter Maddison, who argued that changing our behaviour was key to these kinds of properties having their maximum benefit.

“In my view, sustainability is a lot bigger than just green stuff,” Maddison said.

“We can put the best solar panels in the world in our house, and that’s a terrific contribution,” he said. “But, if we leave the lights on all night, what’s that mean?”

He said that having travelled around Australia to document cutting-edge buildings, he’d seen individuals embracing sustainability as leading the way.

Edge Environment chief executive Jonas Bengtsson said much emphasis was put on improving operational efficiency and thermal performance, but building materials were a big blind spot.

“There is no regulation around materials,” he said. “Maybe 50 per cent of the energy is actually in the stuff that goes in, and we’re not even looking at that from a regulation perspective.”

Difficulties dealing with local councils and a lack of awareness around how people can partially embrace a more sustainable lifestyle, or take a standard-build and adapt it to its building location were raised also as impediments.

For many people, being sustainable was building a “big square house” and then putting solar panels on the roof rather than incorporating it into the design holistically.

Maddison said sustainable buildings needed to be tailored to their environment.

“The way we go about making shelter, making buildings, should be quite different, if you’re in Queensland or in Tasmania,” he said.

“We haven’t got a national style that we could say is Australian particularly and so it should be, because we have this incredible climatic difference that we’re dealing with.”

Maddison identified the Queenslander as a localised style of housing that was adapted to the climate, but one that had largely been left behind in the “mad development” of our suburbs,

The sizes of our homes was also a factor, although affordability was driving younger generations to smaller homes.

“The average Australian home is the biggest in the world. Bigger than the UK, bigger than the USA,” Maddison said.

“Why don’t you, instead of getting a 40-square metre home, think about living in a 20-square metre home? You can get an architect, and you can get all the whiz-bang stuff you want, and still coming out on top.”

Differences in the building codes between states and the limitations of star ratings systems were also considered roadblocks.

“In Victoria, you do six stars, but you don’t have very strict water and energy control,” said Tracey Cools, head of a sustainable building consultant firm. “But, NSW has some energy control which I think is really important.

“We’ve had a huge lift in targets of thermal comfort last year, and that has been a really big learning curve for the industry to meet those targets,” she said.

Technology expert Charlie Brown raised the issue of cost, in terms of a standard build versus a more sustainable home. Build costs for an architecturally designed home are about 30 per cent more than an off-the-shelf design.

But while solar installation costs and savings could be easily predicted, the “elastic” costs associated with home building and renovation made it hard to determine how much a project could wind up costing.

“We talk about these kind of thing things, and you all want to do better with it,” he said. “But, you just don’t know the steps of how to do it.”

But as electricity prices go up, installing solar systems at home would remain appealing for residents looking to save money.

This article was originally published by Domain. Click here to continue reading.

Have Your Say When it Comes to Sustainable Design

Submit your presentation to speak about all things sustainable (including architecture and design) at the 2019 National Sustainability Conference, held from 1-2 April in Brisbane.

Submissions closing Friday – get yours in here.

Living Pods and Naturescapes: Transforming Residential Areas into Sustainable Living Environments

As an Architect, I’m able to see a bird’s eye view of trends in design. A significant movement that continues to expand in our consciousness, is how to create a sustainable world (for ourselves and generations to come) amidst an expanding population and increasing use of natural resources.

Now more than ever, we see people responding to this challenge. We are re-discovering our fundamental connection with the earth and with each other and communities are being created around environments where food, nature and aesthetics are re-united.

Paul Barnett

My own work on “Living Pods”, a term I use to relate to home habitats, has developed over many years, as I acknowledge an increasing need to design and implement living environments that are in harmony with our beautiful world.

Living Pods are flexible living habitats that combine to create a diversity of living environments for couples, mixed family units, several groups or single people at any stage of their lives. The concept is based on single and multiple small buildings that enable privacy as well as social interaction. They are accessible, adaptable, natural and beautiful spaces to inhabit.

The Living Pod system sits at the pinnacle of sustainable design. Their footprint is small, requiring less materials and energy. Using Solar Passive and Passiv Haus design elements, the pods are carbon neutral and are built from sustainable and natural materials. The concept elegantly integrates greenhouse areas that connect interior space to nature and enable an indoor garden with extended growing seasons.

The Living Pod system is also perfectly designed to harmonise and integrate with natural, water harvested landscapes. Waterharvesting involves creating an underground river bed system that appears in the landscape as small creek beds. Tested over 25 years, waterharvesting has been shown to enhance subsoil environments for trees, shrubs, ground covers and edible gardens fed by rainwater and grey water. There is no maintenance of the waterharvesting system, it is natural and utilises microorganisms to digest greywater particles.

An environment created with living pods and naturescapes enables families and friends to grow through generations in a healthy, dynamic and sustainable living space, which supports the cycle of life with social enhancement, and connection to an abundant naturescape.

Paul Barnett is an Architect specializing in Sustainable Building and Naturescapes in Schools, Urban Spaces and Housing. He currently working on 10 star Living Pods and Naturescapes in Schools and urban areas.