The small big House - Sustainable House Day 2011, 11 Ross Street, Northcote

Our house explores various sustainability strategies to reduce its environmental impact:

Energy efficiency starts with a small physical footprint

We opted for smaller and more efficient spaces by reducing or deleting circulation areas and combining uses in one space.

Solar design only works when attention is paid to detail

The house is designed to benefit from solar gain in winter and maintain good thermal comfort in summer without air conditioning. This is achieved through appropriate zoning, the use of high thermal mass and insulation in the construction as well as controlled air exchange during use.

The stair is built as a thermal chimney that allows the bedrooms to benefit from passive heating in winter and draws hot air out of the building in summer before it can enter the rooms. The location and height of door and window openings were determined to optimize cross ventilation.

The building only works when it is complete and every important detail is attended to. We ensured the building was built to the standards specified, checked the certification of products and components and inspected the construction details at completion

Sustainability is dependent on appropriate use and operation

Sustainability comes down to use and a design is successful if it encourages sustainable use. In our house the spaces are laid out to exactly do that. All rooms can be opened up and closed to allow controlled air movement and heat transfer. This reduces heating and negates the need for cooling. An example includes the day bed under the stair, which is a lovely spot to sit and enjoy the briese in summer but also receives beautiful direct sunlight in winter, reducing the need for heating.  The bathroom can be used for passive cooling via a large openable window from the courtyard garden, allowing airflow over a filled cold bath. The house requires and is designed to encourage operation which will become second nature and prerequisite to enjoying sustainability.

If you would like to find out more how the house works, are intersted in other design features and products and are wondering about the do's and don'ts please visit us on Sustainable Hose Day on the 11th of September.