Sustainable House Day, Unley, SA

One of a pair of townhouses in the late stages of construction. The open design gives a spacious feel on a small suburban block. Effective solar-passive design with good summer shading. Extensive use of double glazing and Comfort Plus glass. Careful placement of windows for enhanced natural light and cross ventilation. Uses cooling effect of adjacent lap pool. Solar-tracking pergola for winter heat gain and summer heat rejection. Grid connect solar PV and solar water heating.

Type: New
Architect: Warwick O’Brien, Eco-logical

Unique Sustainable Elements featured in this home

Water Harvesting
Underground tank plumbed in to house. Used to top up pool, flush toilets, laundry and garden.

External Walls
Hebel Powerpanel (75 mm thick autoclaved aerated concrete) with Tontine insulation, 10 mm plasterboard lined. Total insulation value R2.0.

Internal Walls
Gyprock panels painted white for reflection of light enhancing natural lighting. R1.5 batts for sound insulation.

Roof
Colorbond sheet with R1.5 foil blanket and R3.5 batts. Light grey reflective finish for heat rejection. Pitch 7 deg with eaves allowing in the winter sun and providing shade in summer.

Floor
Polished concrete floors throughout for thermal mass, long life and ease of cleaning. Water based sealer minimises solvent emissions

Window Treatments
Double glazing with comfort plus glass in commercial aluminium frames. Blinds, aluminium sections, large overhangs and a solar-tracking pergola enhance passive solar heating in winter and very effective shading in summer.   

Solar or Wind Generation
9 x BP 170 W polycrystalline PV panels, grid connected.

Heating & Cooling
Designed-in cross ventilation, extensive shading and ceiling fans mean no air conditioning is needed.
Opening windows adjacent to external pool provide natural evaporative air conditioning. Air flows over water, is cooled and drawn into house due to cross-ventilation.
Reversing ceiling fans maximise effectiveness of gas heating system.

Water Heating
Dux solar with instantaneous gas boost.

Appliances
Appliance types to be determined.

Other
8 x 2 m lap pool in external courtyard, solar heated with liquid fill thermal blanket.
Timber decks next to windows reduce winter heat sinking and summer heat storage.
Courtyards provide flexibility of indoor/outdoor living. Low maintenance externally and internally. Sloping ceilings and high level windows exhaust hot air. Uplighters in living areas use ceiling to reflect light downward. Copious natural light reduces artificial lighting needs..