Indholdsfortegnelse for #94 Nov-Dec 2023 i Green Magazine

green partner profile As a leader in authentic, original and sustainable furniture, Living Edge takes careful consideration into its footprint within the Australian furniture market. While only the best-of international and local brands are hand selected by the company, Living Edge also encourages responsible product procurement and lifecycle management methods. Being renowned as home to the best designer furniture is one thing (and a remarkable thing at that), but behind the designs that delight are environmental values that are setting an industry benchmark. Created in 2008 by Living Edge, LivingOn is a sustainability program that shapes the business’ growth according to a triple bottom line approach revolving around people, planet and prosperity. In the words of Living Edge's Sustainability Strategist, Guy Walsh: “The main motivation for this approach came from…

Upfront Solidwool is a new way of working with wool. Think fibreglass, but with wool. Made in the UK, Solidwool uses the wool from two iconic British sheep breeds (Herdwick and Welsh Mountain) as the reinforcing material, and bio-resins as the binder. Their collection of furniture showcases this innovative material, including the “Hembury Chair” (pictured) and “Hembury Side Table”. Composite material made using Herdwick wool is a deep charcoal tone, with fine white ‘guard hairs’, while using Welsh Mountain wool produces a distinctive marbling that tells the story of this unusual breed where the majority are white with a few born totally black. solidwool.com…

• Architect Anna Black of Kuzman Architecture had known marriage celebrant Hester Brown and her partner, AFL footballer Ben Brown, for quite a while before taking on the renovation of their two-bedroom duplex in Moonee Ponds four-ish years back. It helped. Like the young couple, she saw huge potential in their dark, disconnected cottage with doorways and rangehood that Ben – “two metres, plus hair” – had to duck to use. Not simply to open up the entire cottage to light and space at the north-facing rear, but to imbue a simple, sustainable renovation with some of the character that made both the house and its owners fun to be around. “We definitely took a cue from Ben's and Hester's personalities,” Anna says. “They were willing to be playful with…

Architect Placement placement.net.au Builder and joiner Original Projects originalprojects.com.au Location Wurundjeri Country. Parkville Victoria, Australia Passive energy design Existing Victorian terrace is double brick so has good thermal mass, but the plan needed to be unlocked to create better cross flow ventilation from the front to the back. Working with the existing footprint, the priority was capturing good northern light for better aspect and thermal mass. Double-glazed windows in the new large kitchen window and the children's rear bedroom desk/bay window. External shading was installed to the west-facing front. Materials Low formaldehyde MDF used for internal carcasses and low-VOC paints used on the walls. Recyclable Tinos Marble used in the kitchen with taps in “Brass” by local tapware manufacturer Par. Dining table by Made Studio. Natural stone where used. Flooring…

Having witnessed Jo Barrett's passion and enthusiasm in the kitchen of her restaurant Little Picket in Lorne, and her tireless effort at the Future Food System in Melbourne's Federation Square, it was inspirational to have her guide us through the bountiful kitchen garden at Bells Harvest in the hinterland behind the famed surf break. Jo has distilled her knowledge from her experiences and mentors into Sustain: Groundbreaking recipes that could save the planet, her recently released book of insightful cooking skills and recipes. Having been influenced by growing up alongside a creek and surrounded by market gardens on the outskirts of Melbourne, Jo always wanted to be a chef. Her collaborations with Joost Bakker and Matt Stone at Greenhouse, Brothl and the zero waste Future Food System on the banks…

In this issue we look at five very different renovations. All seek to improve access to light and fresh air, and aim for greater energy efficiency and livability. One goes well beyond all of this via a retrofit that deserves a lot of attention. Transforming a typical 1970s apartment block from an undesirable and energyconsuming building into one that is comfortable and cheaper to run was a task taken on by environmental advisors Finding Infinity, alongside architects Kennedy Nolan and Wilderness Building Co. Not just a case study in transforming an energy intensive building into an energy positive one, the Willam Ngarrang apartments retained their embodied energy through a focus on reduction and re-use, thereby ensuring that the project stuck strictly to its intentions – repeatability and affordability. This model…

Upfront Studio Edwards has seamlessly integrated sustainability and innovative architectural design in their 900-square-metre workspace transformation for digital agency Today Design. Hidden within a 12-storey Coiiingwood office block, the design and build for Today Design Workspace minimised its ecological footprint by eschewing traditional materials like plasterboard, laminate and MDF, instead opting for raw timber framing and oriented strand board (OSB) infused with translucent corrugated sheeting. Human experience is at the forefront; a graceful timber entry portal welcomes guests and staff alike, with a circular reception desk cocooned in recycled denim. Collaboration and inclusion are fostered through informal layouts, adaptable walls, flexible configurations and abundant wall space for whiteboards and a magnetic panel system. A dynamic work hub for Today Design, and a triumph in sustainable office design and collaborative innovation…

Upfront Tracey Deep's works spring forth from nature, through collecting on her travels, bushwalks, frequented markets and favourite suppliers. In her latest body of work Tracey pays tribute to her own mother: “MOTHER NATURE is dedicated to and in honour of my beautiful mother ‘Mumma Deep’, my ‘tree spirit’ whose roots run Deep within me… My mother, my lifetime apprentice, my teacher, with our interwoven connection, our rhythmic pattern making, now my nature spirit whom I see at one with nature and now a part of me, the full circle of life, in total harmony with Mother earth.” Tracey is represented by Paddington studio. Saint Cloche. saintcloche.com @floralsculptures…

Architect Kuzman Architecture kuzman.com Builder Sargant Constructions Joiner PKP Cabinetry Location Wurundjeri Country. Moonee Ponds, Victoria, Australia Landscape architect Three Acres Landscape Architecture Passive Energy Design The front heritage section of the house had high-level insulation added to the ceiling and windows were replaced with double glazing to meet modern energy efficiency standards. The addition is north-facing, with large expanses of glass for maximum solar gain. The floor layout has an abundance of window openings that enable good ventilation and cross flow. The addition has high-level insulation in walls, ceiling and the concrete slab and double glazing throughout. The orientation, double glazing and thermal mass from the polished concrete floor makes for a warm house in winter that barely needs mechanical heating during the day. The house uses LED lighting…

Gardens With the benefit of lots of talks with both the architect and her clients over time, Christina Nicholson of banksia and lime landscape architecture could fine tune the design for this innercity garden. Some for now, and some for later. The clients, Tim and Anna, were true friends of her work and when they agreed on a budget for the renovation of the house, Christina worked closely with architect Simon Pendal to get cracking. Simon's resulting design follows his passion for inviting the garden into the house – mostly through views, but he also encourages a blurring of architecture and landscape with plants and shrubs spilling up and over the verandas. Sliding windows and close-to-house planting ensure a restful outlook, and he loved the idea of transforming a pretty…

Upfront Light and colour is an exhibition that showcases an ambitious body of sculptural glasswork by Adelaide-based artist, Liam Fleming, who began working in glass at the age of 16. In 2021 Fleming was the recipient of the Guildhouse Fellowship, awarded annually to mid-career South Australian artists and generously supported by the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation. Including three sequences of works – Trichrome (RGB), 2023; Resting in colour, 2023; and the TRANSITORY FORM, 2023 series – Light and colour is a meditation on the physical and metaphorical nature of colour and light. liamfleming.com.au jdrfoundation.com.au…

Profile Intuitively we know homes and social spaces that make us feel safe, happy and closer to nature, each other and our essential selves are good for us. Individually and collectively. They increase our sense of belonging. Connect us to our community. Build our sense of purpose. Study after study shows the health benefits of increased wellbeing and, conversely, the personal, social and financial costs of epidemics like social isolation and loneliness. So how hard can it be to quantify the impact of the specific design features that create happiness-inducing, connective places? Then calculate the monetary value of the social benefits accrued over time, thus giving governments, private developers and investors evidence these projects will help them meet their ESG (environmental, social and governance) commitments? Pretty tricky, as it turns…

Tucked behind a brick wall in the inner-west of Sydney, this house unfolds gradually, first revealing rooms on a mezzanine, before opening out to an expansive living space at the back. Also at the rear, on the floor above, the main bedroom opens out to a hidden garden full of calm and wonder, a city oasis. With the exterior brick wall thought to have originally been part of stables, the house itself was built in the 1980s and renovated in the 2000s, but it needed architect Sam Crawford and team to help rationalise the plan and create an energy-efficient home. And all this was achieved without adding floor space. The exterior brick wall opens to a small garden at the front of the house, then, coming inside, you reach a…

• “Architecturally it was very refreshing working with clients who knew the size of the house was fine and that magic could happen within the existing walls,” says Placement director and co-founder Jacqueline O'Brien of the double-story terrace opposite Royal Park her practice has recently transformed with a light, playful touch. “We didn't need to knock down and waste materials. We could work with the bones and just improve them.” Architects and clients had worked together on a previous home, and builders Original Projects are regular Placement collaborators. This familiarity and a focused, slightly unusual brief made for a clear project vision and tight teamwork, which served the project well when construction uncovered some structural problems no one was expecting. The clients knew their double-storey, double-brick Victorian terrace's 229-square-metre footprint…

This is a travel story with a significant difference. Like recent trips, we were fortunate to be visiting a fascinating part of Australia. On this journey we were to spend our days listening intently as we learnt about caring for the environment from First Nations participants at the National Custodians of Country Gathering at Tjapukai in Cairns. Launched in 2004 by Victor Steffensen of Firesticks Alliance, the first gathering was a small group of some 30 practitioners. Since then, the annual conference has grown in its reach and influence across Australia as Victor has promoted the sharing of knowledge among Traditional Owners. This year, in partnership with Landeare, Firesticks Alliance brought 600 delegates together at Tjapukai, a purpose-built cultural centre, to hold workshops, yarning sessions and share experiences. Over several…