Sustainable House Day Urangan, QLD

 

  Ecolab   The Brief was a “Mainstream Sustainable” contempory architecturally designed home, with multi purpose spaces that are easily added onto at a later stage.   New Build: Floor plan suggested by owners, fine tuned by Architect   Unique Sustainable Elements featured in this home: Design Efficiencies Steel frame home, set approx 600mm off the ground. Passively designed so no need for artificial heating or cooling. All in one roof/insulation/ceiling providing R rating 3. (corrolink)   www.apsversiclad.com.au All exterior walls are panels with Styrofoam core insulation R rating 2.58. Floor fully insulated with Green Insulation (Protherm) www.greeninsulation.com.au Ceiling ranging from 2.4 to 4.8m raked ceilings incorporating clearstory windows to release hot air and create cross ventilation. Decks in northern, southern and eastern aspects. There has been no need to include heat sync or thermal mass. (See Explanation below) All 900mm overhangs, (eaves) correctly positioned windows for best sun usage in winter, and summer.   Wall Materials All exterior walls (around the perimeter of the buildings) are whole of wall construction. This means that the panel is factory made with fibre cement sheeting on the outside, with Styrofoam core (to provide insulation) and gyprock/villaboard on the internal. www.apsversiclad.com.au All internal walls of the house are timber frame and sheeted with gyprock/villaboard. Exterior walls are painted Dulux “Oyster Linen” a light base to reflect heat.       Roof Materials There are no roof trusses used in this home, the roof sections are self supporting and are all in one, factory made comprising of colorbond external, foam internal, and a white textured metal ceiling, all is prefinished. www.apsversiclad.com.au Roof colour is Colorbond “Evening Haze” (a light colour to reflect heat)   Floor Yellow tongue sheeting, fully insulated underneath with Green Insulation (Protherm). “Karndean”, lino planking has been chosen for main flooring areas inside, for its longevity and wearability. Carpet for bedrooms, and tiles for wet areas.   Window Treatments Layering of window treatments is the goal. Starting with a combination of roller blinds and roman blinds. The next stage will be curtaining with pelmets when budget allows.   Solar or Wind Power Generation Wind generation is the goal, waiting for Australian standard and council approval of a  3kw Helix wind generation unit. www.helixwind.com   Heating and Cooling The home is oriented to capture year round prevailing breezes. There are high raked ceilings to most areas. Window and door glazing is G James Series 2 factory tint. Windows and louvres are positioned to provide good cross flow ventilation, regardless of wind direction. All living spaces have ceiling fans. There are limited windows on the western side, preventing excessive heat gain in summer along with large robes. All eaves are 900mm overhangs to provide shading. There are no airconditioners or heaters, but can be added later if necessary.    Water Heating 315 litre Dux 2 panel Solar Hot Water system Dux Readyhot recirulating system so that hot water to the retreat/office building is recirculated until hot (not wasted by letting cold water run until shower is hot enough)     Gardens A designated Fruit and vegetable garden at the front of the house, following permaculture principles. All of the other plants are low maintenance and drought tolerant.   Water Harvesting 1 x 5000 litre water tank connected to laundry, toilets and an outside tap. At later stage, Modtank modules will be added for additional water tank capacity.   Energy Efficient Appliances Fisher & Paykel Upright Gas/Electric 900 Cooker Fisher & Paykel Double Dishwasher Draws Front Loading Washing Machine   All Energy efficient lighting, CFL and LED’s   Other Sustainable Features All fans and internal lights back to one main switch at front door so that it can all be turned off on leaving the house. Centimetre energy evaluation device installed.    Paints, Finishes and Floor Coverings Internal Paint is Dulux low VOC E2. Exterior Decks coated with water based protectant “Ultra Deck” Decks and screen slatting is Merbau timber.     Thermal Mass Lightweight construction has traditionally been used in extreme cold climates because of its high insulation factor. Any heating produced inside the house is then used cost effectively because the heat doesn’t escape easily. Too much thermal mass is also a problem because you can use up a lot of heating costs trying to heat up the thermal mass if it is not in the correct position. Example: a concrete slab in the southern side of the house where it stays cold all day in winter, more artificial energy will be used to get that room warm in winter.