Innehållsförteckning för #69 September-October 2019 från Green Magazine

“WHEN YOU BUY LOCAL, THE TIMBER IS FROM A NEARBY FOREST AND NOT BEING TRANSPORTED ACROSS THE WORLD.” Specifiers and consumers want to be assured that timber products are coming from responsibly and sustainably managed forests. But with multiple certification schemes available in Australia, how do you know what the best environmental choice is? Forestry expert Andrew Morgan, Director of SFM Environmental Solutions, a national forest management company, explains. “When looking into timber products, the first thing specifiers should be looking for is certification, regardless of which system. Secondarily, buy local,” explains Morgan. The two largest internationally recognised forest certification schemes are PEFC (Responsible Wood in Australia) and FSC. While these two accreditations hold slight differences, the two certifications almost mirror one another. The Most Responsible Choice? Buy local. Aside…

Architect Studio Bright studiobright.com.au Builder Build2 Passive energy design Sustainability is addressed with an approach of quality over quantity with passive solar design principles at the heart of the planning and design. The house is orientated for maximum solar gain with the deep eaves providing shade in summer. Material selection is durable and long-lasting; bricks have been recycled and reused from demolition and any waste going to landfill was minimised. Cross ventilation and getting light into the living spaces were crucial design elements. Materials The quest for light-filled spaciousness ruled every aspect of design resolution. Ruthless paring back reduced the scheme to this: two white brick garden walls, running uninterrupted at constant height from interior space to garden extent, and a singular dark brick form balancing gently above. Solidity was…

Architect Olaver Architecture olaver.com.au Builder Frameworks frameworks.net.au Joiner Inner West Joinery Passive energy design Living spaces are orientated to the north and feature large Victorian ash timber sliders with highlight windows above. Shading is provided by an eave and external blinds over the windows, which blocks harsh summer sun and allows winter sun to penetrate into the living spaces. Windows and doors are positioned for effective cross-breezes. Insect screens on highlight windows and some of the lower openings make them practical to use for longer. The design provides comfortable living with low energy use year-round. Materials The ground level has a concrete slab for thermal mass. The lightweight cladding and concrete block are highly insulated. Windows and doors are timber-framed with double glazing. Flooring A polished concrete floor was added…

Architect Six Degrees Architects sixdegrees.com.au Development manager and project manager HIP V. HYPE hipvhype.com Builder Atelier Projects Landscape architect SBLA Passive energy design Environmentally sustainable design is a fundamental aspect of the project, including a highly efficient thermal envelope, good insulation, solar access, double-glazed windows and doors and thermal breaks. This building has no internal corridors, providing all apartments with cross-flow ventilation, significantly reducing energy consumption and improving liveability. Engaged thermal mass, through the use of exposed concrete, further reduces energy consumption. Materials Materials, structure and other non-essential building systems have been minimised wherever possible. Energy intensive and high-VOC materials have been minimised and replaced with unplated brass tapware and door hardware, FSC-certified timber framing, durable class-one timbers, BPA-free pipework, low-VOC paints, plasterboard and concrete. The building is predominantly precast…

In the inner suburb of Paddington, Brisbane, a subtropical, domestic landscape engulfs gully and hillside. Slender palms push through mango tree canopies while poincianas extend elegant limbs with scarlet blossoms. In the backyard of this 1920s weatherboard home, a magnificent jacaranda tree casts dappled shade across the north-east corner of the garden, blanketing lawn with lavender blooms each spring. It’s the home of architect, Scott Petherick, his wife Emma and children Jacob and Eleanor, who settled here recently from Melbourne. Their move north coincided with Scott establishing his practice, SP Studio, and the family embracing a subtropical way of life, where living is encouraged in the balmy outdoors. As a means to transition the historic Queenslander to a contemporary home engaged with the garden, Scott proposed a series of built…

Architect Folk Architects folkarchitects.com Builder Moon Building Group Passive energy design Like all Folk Architects buildings, sustainability is at the core of Storybook House. Although the site is small, natural light and air are maximised to all spaces. The need for air conditioning is eliminated through active management of shade, and passive ventilation. White roofs and glazed terracotta tiles drastically reduce urban heat sink and heat transfer internally. A large water tank has been integrated into the garden, roof water is captured and reused to flush toilets and water the garden. Solar panels with microinverters cover the new roof. Materials The ground level has a concrete slab, ground and clear-sealed for improved thermal mass. The main volumes are of highly insulated, lightweight, timber-framed construction, with no steel structure. The exterior…

Spring is the peak planting time in the vegetable garden, so put some time aside to get your patch prepared. Weeds need to be thoroughly removed, soil needs to be readied for planting and, importantly, your planting records need to be checked so you know what you’ll be planting where this season. Crop rotation is an essential practice for any serious organic vegetable gardener, as it helps to prevent last season’s problems returning. By choosing and rotating different plant types each season for each garden bed, you minimise the carry-over of pests and diseases that target those types of plants. To practice crop rotation, you therefore need to understand the plant groupings used in each method. The simplest, and perhaps most suitable for small spaces, is the three-bed rotation, which…

With relaxed clients and architectural elements to bring to life, Mira Martinazzo and Aimee Howard of Mud Office have created a perfect working garden on this small suburban site. A few specific requests have been met with simple solutions that tie the zones together, giving the garden a coherent flow that will become more marked over time. The addition to the house was designed by Melbourne-based BKK Architects and holds their signature love of bold shapes and solid masonry. A fine example of collaboration between like-minded local firms, Mud Office got the job after commenting on an Instagram post. “We commented on a BKK Instagram post during construction … ” recalls Mira. “… Not long after, we got a call from them. The post showed an excavator digging up bluestone…

Designbook is a digital resource for homeowners and specifiers with over 150 projects from the pages of green magazine and an extensive listing of supplier products and services to search, collate and share efficiently. designbook Birdbaths and waterbowls designed for Australian gardens birdbaths.malleedesign.com.au Beautiful, sustainable modular architecture. Fixed time, fixed cost modscape.com.au Aesthetically unique, sustainable design and construction modhouse.com.au Strong, sustainable, smart kitchen and bathroom surfaces paperock.com.au Architect designed. Built in weeks. Installed in days prebuilt.com.au Free Hot Water Powered By Your Solar powerdiverter.com.au Everything you need for interior and exterior timber protection whittlewaxes.com.au Multi-Award Winning Fire & Storm Resistant Homes designology.com.au We design beautiful sustainable homes ProjectHabitation.com.au Solid timber lighting crafted in Currumbin, QLD fluxwoodlighting.com.au   High performance and energy efficient double glazed windows winsulation.com.au…

Architect Downie North downienorth.com Passive energy design The house is oriented to an existing eastern-facing courtyard with floor to ceiling glazing to the ground floor living area maximising light and air movement. The upper floor overhangs and an external pergola provide summer shading. In winter the sun can penetrate well inside the living room, warming the floor slab and internal brick walls. Operable, north-facing skylights with blinds are positioned for effective cross-breezes. The design provides comfortable living with low energy use year-round. Materials The renovated portion of the ground level features a heli trowelled concrete waffle slab, with underfloor insulation for improved thermal performance. The original double-cavity brick walls were retained throughout, and the original plaster removed to expose and express the brick as seen in the double-height volume of…

Root to Tip “Lumen” was designed in Australia and is formed from a single piece of glass. This sweet vessel can hold small plants, flowers, open-air terrariums and other objects – we particularly like the way in which its contents appear suspended in midair. ivymuse.com.au Rekindle Designed by Adam Goodrum, the Scape Collection is a “family of playful and flexible outdoor elements”, inspired by emerging rock masses and created to foster connection to the natural environment and each to the other. madebytait.com.au Updated After the original back-country toilets built in Colorado, USA, in the 1980s began to deteriorate, the National Park Service collaborated with ColoradoBuildingWorkshop to design and construct new privies that better minimised the impact of human waste in the area. The updated design is made up of…

Since time immemorial, Gariwerd (or more recently the Grampians) has held people in its awe with majestic sandstone escarpments dominating the horizon on approach. The main north-south ranges create their own climatic conditions with orographic uplift that determines the endemic flora and fauna and the produce that can be harvested. The Southern Grampians region surrounded by the great basalt plain of western Victoria offers a bounty of local produce, treks and expansive views. The owners of Dunkeld’s Royal Mail Hotel have been instrumental in ensuring the extended Grampians Peaks Trail will reach all the way to the regional town. Hikers will be able to tackle a 13-day trek across the ranges and vast valleys from the trail-head near Halls Gap via epic views and local watercourses, all the way to…