your abode ....environmentality

Building the eco friendly way - On the way to completion

2010-02-06T17:15:00.009+11:00

Above is a near complete progress shot of the front of the house. Painting is complete and the external paving and retaining works are underway. Note the photovoltaic panels just poking above the higher roof.

The house has many sustainable features and the rear wall of the house is the 'engine room' for most of them. In the image above from left to right:

To the very left is the 23,000 litre rainwater storage tank. This tank provides all of the potable water needs for the house, ie; drinking, cooking and showering water.
The vertical white rectangular box is the gas heating unit for the underfloor hydronic heating system
Next is the white vertical 'tube' which is the first flush system for the rainwater tank. A first flush system diverts the first flush of each rainfall away from the rainwater storage tank preventing any dust, silt or contaminants from making it into the houses water supply
The next three matching 'boxes' are the greywater recycling system. This system takes greywater from showers, basins and the washing machine and cleans and recycles it for re-use within the house for flushing toilets and back to the washing machine. It is also used for watering gardens and lawns
The next two items are part of the solar hot water system. On the ground is the hot water storage tank and on the wall is the gas heating booster which is used when there is insufficient sun to provide the solar heating for the hot water.
And finally on the ground is the start of the installation of the pumping system for sending the rainwater through out the house.

The front entry of the house has been designed to act as a two storey breezeway, circulating air throughout the house. At the top of the image you can see the louvre windows that form the main functional component of the breezeway, providing very fine control over airflow and direction. By selecting the right louvres to open it is possible to facilitate direct cross ventilation, diverted cross ventilation to another part of the house, and on still draw by opening all of the louvres, stack effect can be utilised by allowing hot air to rise and draw through cooler air from below.

Carpets can be a significant issue when it comes to green building. Many carpets and underlays have high VOC emissions, are made from non-renewables and are non-renewable at the end of their life, so it is important to select with care. The carpet we will be using is a low VOC 100% wool carpet which is laid on a underlay that is made from recycled clothing, shredded to from a soft underlay.
Towards the back of the image, the recycled timber architraves and skirting boards can be seen.

Building the eco friendly way - External cladding complete and internal fix out

2009-12-07T21:11:00.010+11:00

Above is a progress photo of the front/North of the house with all of the external cladding completed.

Keeping the summer solar heat gain out of large north facing windows can be a problem. We love providing lots of natural light into houses but are very conscious of the heat gain issues large areas of glass create. Even with high performance Low E glass, solar heat gain in summer can be a problem.

To manage this, we install retractable external venetian louvre blinds to the windows. When retracted the blinds are hidden in a pelmet box over the windows as you can see in the image above.

The blinds operate through a range of positions from being totally closed and providing full sun shading, to open 90 degrees to allow for increased light but still providing partial shading, right through to totally open as per the image above.

The internal fixout and joinery is well underway, as you can see from the image above the kitchen has been installed.

Achieving an eco-friendly kitchen is about choices of materials, products and appliances.

For the cupboards we have used sustainably forested and harvested Hoop Pine plywood, and for the island bench breakfast bar we have used solid reclaimed Spotted Gum. Wherever possible we prefer to avoid the use of manufactured board products such as MDF or particleboard, many of these products are very high in formaldehyde emissions, as well as contributing to the wood chipping and pulping of native forests.

The dishwasher and kitchen mixer tap are 4 star water efficiency rated and the electrical appliances are all 4 star energy rated. In our opinion 4 star energy and water efficiency is the minimum that anyone should settle for. The cost premium for this level of appliance is so minor compared to the water an energy saving over, say a two star rated appliance.

Heat trapped at the top of a room between the head of the door and the ceiling is a major contributor rooms heating up in summer. Even with good cross ventilation, if there is no way for this trapped heat to escape, then it will stay in the room.

The way we deal with this is by installing a small bank if timber louvres over each door, which can be opened or closed depending on the requirement to heat or cool a room. In the image above, the louvres can be seen over the two bedroom doors. Once the louvres are open, the trapped heat is free to continue on its breeze path and maintain full cross ventilation.

The strange thing about this, is that this sort of installation is a not a new concept. Victorian houses has openable highlight windows over many of their internal doors. What we don't understand is at what point did such a great idea disappear from standard construction?

We have commenced internal painting and are using Natural Paint from Murobond. We feel the name says it all. The paint contains milk, egg white, vinegar and linseed oil to name but a few ingredients which are all natural, bio-degradable and from renewable resources. NO petrochemicals or heavy metals can be seen. Beats me why anyone would use anything else but natural bio paints.

Good for your health and good for the earth.

Building the eco friendly way - Cladding and internal fix out

2009-10-19T21:46:00.009+11:00

Unfortunately when choosing to use a hardwood in their home, most people are not aware of the environmental issues associated with that choice. Although any tree that is cut down for timber can be replaced with another newly planted tree, most Australian hardwoods are slow growing and a lot of the timber that you may get from a timber yard could be from a tree 50 years old. There has been so much logging of old growth forests carried out in Australia over the years that we really are getting to the point where we should think about stopping.

Making the right sustainable choice for hardwood IS hard. As a minimum, if you are obtaining new timber, look for timber that has some from of chain of custody accreditation, such as FSC.

OR do what we do.

We only used reclaimed or recycled timbers.

The image above is of some Red Ironbark stair treads that were salvaged from a warehouse in Sydney.

Below are some recycled Bluegum posts and beams being used for some external pergolas and verandas.

Not only is reclaimed and recycled timber a very sustainable choice, it is also a much better timber. Newly logged timber is high in moisture and therefore very unstable. To reduce the moisture content in the timber, it is force dried in kilns to dry out and reduce the moisture content down to a stable level. The problem with such forced drying is that the timber is still prone to warping, cupping and twisting as it re-adjusts to it's new environment.

With recycled or reclaimed timber, because it is so old, it has dried out naturally and is a very stable timber.

Below is some more recycled Bluegum which has been used as feature wall cladding at the entry to the house.
Below is another progress photo of the front, or North of the house.

Keeping cool in summer is critical to a well designed green building, particularly when looking to avoid air conditioning.

To achieve this, cross ventilation and ventilation control is the key.

We find that louvre windows such as the one above below are the best way to achieve fine control over the amount of ventilation required.

Louvre windows are the only windows that allow you to open a window a full 100% for maximum cross ventilation of to feather that back to a fine opening of only 2% to ensure fresh air supply.

They look good, provide uninterrupted vision because there are no framing members and are very secure.

The old loose and rattly louvres of the 50's are a thing of the past. The louvres currently available seal so well that they are cyclone rated.

Building the eco friendly way - External cladding and building envelope

2009-09-23T21:01:00.011+10:00

As one can see from the image above, things are progressing along nicely. The external Fibre Cement cladding is nearing completion to the first floor, all windows are installed and some internal works have commenced. On the second floor roof a photo voltaic solar array is just visible above the roof sheeting.

The solar array, below, is a grid connected 3 kW system which we believe should look after all of the household power needs, making the house a genuine zero carbon or carbon neutral house.
The panels have perfect due north exposure and are mounted on support frames to bring them up to the optimal solar angle for Sydney's latitude, thus ensuring they generate the most energy possible.

An important but often overlooked aspect of good passive design is ensuring that a house is well insulated. Insulation products are available in various 'R' values. An R value represents the thermal resistance of the particular insulation product. So in theory the higher the R value, the greater the insulating properties.

However achieving a well insulated building envelope is not just a case of using the highest R value you can find. It is possible to have too much insulation. Insulation works on trapping air between the fibres, so good loft is required for the insulation to work properly. If insulation is squashed into a wall of roof to make it fit, then the insulation will not loft and won't perform to its optimum. If you don't get the full insulating value from your insulation product then you are simply wasting money.

Also, when creating a well insulated building envelope it is critical to provide adequate ventilation to roof spaces and wall cavities. It you don't, then you will create a moist and damp environment which will become a breeding ground for unhealthy moulds.

Above and below are the insulation product and installation that we typically use. We always choose to use polyester insulation because it very safe to handle when installing (it is just like installing fluffy pillows), contains no formaldehyde unlike most glass fibre insulation and is made from recycled materials such as PET bottles.

Something that we are big on is trying to re-use heat and energy twice. In the case of the ducting and fan in the image below, this is not air conditioning. The simple fan and duct system transfers warmed or cooled air from one part of the house to another. So in the case of winter, a well heated living space will create and element of 'wasted' heat which we duct off and transfer to the second floor bedrooms. Those bedrooms are there fore heated virtually for free. The fan uses less energy than a single light globe and is linked to a thermostat which controls the temperature

Most people fail to realise how much heat loss or heat gain occurs through the glass in their windows. Most windows as standard have nothing more than 3mm thick glass which has no more insulating value than cling film!. In our opinion, upgrading the glass in windows is one of the most important aspects of green building.

The first step up from standard glass is to install what is called a 'Low E' coated glass. This has an efficiency improvement of around 40% over standard glass. The next step up would be to double glass your windows.

In the case of this house, we have used a Low E coated glass, below, because it provides a great combination of cost and performance for a temperate climate such as Sydney.

We simply love the look of this shot. The cladding, roof line, exposed roofing timbers and shadows.

Building the eco friendly way - Roofing and cladding progress

2009-08-30T20:36:00.008+10:00

Progress from our previous post is obvious, we now have the roof on. The roof sheeting material we have used is Colorbond Customorb metal sheeting. We have a general preference to use this form of roof material because of it's low thermal mass as well as preferring the aesthetics afforded by the metal sheeting. The metal roof sheeting also has the added benefit of being lighter weight than lost other forms of roof covering, thus reducing the load on the roof framing and leading to a more economical structure.

Directly below the roof sheeting we have installed a 75mm foil faced insulation blanket which provides a R2.5 insulation value which well exceeds the minimum requirements.

For a roof/ceiling insulation system to work there must be two levels of insulation. One directly below the roof sheeting which works to prevent heat or cold from entering a house, and the other directly above the ceiling which works to prevent heat rising and being lost out of a house.

As part of creating a well insulated and sealed building, building wrap or sisalation is required behind any external cladding as we have used above. The building wrap serves two purposes:

it provides a vapor barrier to keep the wall cavity free of moisture
it is an integral part of any insulation strategy to achieve a high overall R value for a wall system

As part of a well designed wall system, building wrap can add up to R 0.5 to the overall wall insulation level.

Keeping a roof cavity well ventilated is key to reducing the heat gain in a house during the summer. Without the ability to escape, any heat that is built up in a roof space will transfer through the ceiling and into the house increasing the internal temperature. The system we use is a series of vents that are located on the low and high sides of the roof, see the black strips in the photo above, which extract heat from the roof via natural convection, ie heat rising. So as the heat within the roof increases it will naturally rise towards the higher vents whilst cooler replacement air is brought in via the lower vents.

The plumbing first fix out has commenced and in the image above the lilac recycled grey water pipework can be seen running to a new toilet cistern. The grey water treatment system being installed will treat grey water to a Class A standard which makes it acceptable to re-use for flushing toilets, in washing machines and for watering gardens.

Building the eco friendly way - Wall and roof framing progress

2009-07-31T08:35:00.009+10:00

We mentioned previously that the intention is for the house to be self sufficient for water. The tank above is where all the potable or drinkable water will come from for the house. Based on our calculations, the tank size of 24,000 litre should be adequate for our clients anticipated water usage. A grey water recycling system will provide the water for flushing of toilets, the washing of clothes and for garden watering. So the tank above will only supply water to bathroom and kitchen taps and showers.

The erection of the wall and roof framing is progressing well. The images above show the single level, north facing living areas virtually complete. Elements of structural steel were required to facilitate the large spans across some of the window openings.

Hyspan rafters have been used for the large span living area, as can be seen below. A hyspan rafter is essentially a plywood composite beam made using low grade plantation pine timber. The beams offer a very economical means with which to create large spans with timber. The adhesive used to bind the timber is rated as E0, which is the lowest VOC emission level available.

Having completed all of the ground floor framing, above you can see the first floor wall frames and some of the roof framing being erected.

Note in the for ground the timber waste stockpile. We are really anti the waste created during construction, and so are constantly looking for ways to try and reduce any material wastage. Any waste material created is being separated into like material groups ie, steel, timber, concrete etc so that recycling is as easy as possible. Irrespective of this, waste created during construction is a big environmental problem. It is estimated that demolition and construction creates around 25% of all waste created. So long before avenues for recyling are looked at, waste should simply be reduced. We feel that we are doing a really good job of this, but as you can see in the image, it still exists.

On top of the environmental concerns is the fact that waste such as the timber above has been paid for. One might as well simply throw money into the rubbish. So reducing waste also has a bottom line, it is good for your back pocket.

Building the eco friendly way - Wall framing commences

2009-07-08T17:36:00.009+10:00

The most efficient way for timber wall frames to be manufactured is pre-fabricated in a factory. Waste is kept to a minimum, there are substantial time efficiencies due to no wet weather delays as well as cost efficiencies over frames fabricated on site. Pre-fab wall frames are made in full or part wall sections, bundled together and delivered to site as shown above. All that is left to do is erect them.

You will also note that the wall frames have a blu-ish colour. The colour indicates that the timber has been treated with Permethrin, which is an organic termiticide and provides 25 year protection against termite attack. Termites are are perpetual problem in Sydney and in our opinion you can not protect a timber structure enough from them. Generally we are not in favour of any form of chemical treatment of construction products. However, there is absolutely nothing sustainable about having a timber structure attacked by termites and a house requiring substantial repair before the end of its useful life. The permethrin does not leach from the timber and remains encapsulated in the structure of the wood, so in theory the environmental impact is minimal.

The key to using timber is for it to be either recycled or sustainably forested. In the case of the wall framing timber we are using, as you can see above, it is plantation pine which comes from Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) or FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified plantations.

The first wall frames go up. Standing and fixing the pre-fab Wall frames is a little bit like building a house of cards. Each frame is akin to one of the cards and as each additional frame is erected it adds to the overall structural integrity of the house.

In the background you can see the 24,000 litre rainwater storage tank for the house. The aim for the house is to be self sufficient for water, so potable water for bathing, cooking and drinking will come from this tank.

Having spent so much time and effort polishing the concrete it deserved to be protected. Being the great recyclers that we are we came across recycled carpet that had been put out for a Council kerbside clean up. Unfortunately carpet is one of those construction products that seems to always end up as landfill. It seems that no-one has found a way to recycled it. So if we can give it one more use before it ends up there, then all the better. So in the image above you can see part of the main living area floor protected with the carpet.

Building the eco friendly way - Concrete polishing

2009-06-29T18:02:00.008+10:00

Now that the concrete has fully cured, we had to finish it to a standard that we are happy to leave exposed as the finished floor. The term polished concrete is actually a little deceiving. The concrete is not so much polished as 'ground' through various grades of 'polishing stones'. Starting with a diamond grinding stone and progressing through to fine grinding stones which are a bit like sanding concrete with sandpaper. The aim for us was to create a concrete surface with a uniform grey colour and some small aggregate exposed.

The shot above shows the grinding in process. Slow and laborious with many passes across the concrete as one moves through the 'polishing stones'. The grinding can be done dry or wet, we chose to grind it wet purely because the cement dust is a health hazard that we could do without.

The image below shows the concrete surface once we had finished 'polishing' the concrete. You can see the uniform colour as well as the exposure of some smaller aggregate...perfect.

From a negative perspective, concrete polishing has the effect of wearing the finished concrete surface, thus leaving the concrete exposed to staining from anything that might be dropped on it. So a sealer needs to be applied to provide a barrier that prevents the spilt red wine from leaving a stain!

Our choice of sealer is a water based sealing compound manufactured in Australia by a paint company called Murobond. We love both them and their stuff. They have a strong environmental bent both in the products they make and their company attitude. All of their paints and finishes are either low or zero VOC, perfect for anyone planning to building green.

After curing the sealer for a week, we will be straight onto the slab and erecting the timber wall frames. Watch for the next post.

Building the eco friendly way - Concrete slab pour

2009-05-19T21:24:00.004+10:00

Most people are not aware of the significant carbon impact that the production of cement has. Production of cement accounts for 5% of the worlds carbon. This is a significant figure for what seems to be an innocuous product.

Because cement plays such a significant part in the construction of any building , if one is to truly build green, then it is important to look at ways to reduce the amount of cement used.

And one of the biggest users of cement in construction is in the manufacture of concrete. Greener concrete suppliers have now started to deal with this issue but supplanting cement content with a product called fly ash. Fly ash is a by-product from the burning of coal and makes an excellent substitute for cement. By using fly ash in concrete, what has previously been seen as a waste product now has become a valuable asset.

For this project we have used concrete from a supplier who has replaced a portion of the cement content with fly ash, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the concrete we have used.

Because we intend to leave the concrete slab as an exposed element, it is crucial that the concrete is finished and trowelled well. Our requirement was for the concrete to receive a near burnished finish. A burnished finish is when the concrete is mechanically trowelled with a trowelling machine, as seen above, until it has cured sufficiently that the blades of the trowel are almost burning the concrete surface due to the friction of the steel blades on the concrete.

We have used a burnished finish because it provides a durable and hard wearing surface to the concrete as well as a subtle surface lustre.

Lastly, and most importantly is the curing of concrete once it has poured. Curing of concrete is one part of the concreting process that is often neglected. However, without proper curing, all of the earlier effort will be wasted. Curing it the process of preventing concrete from prematurely drying out due to exposure to the sun or wind. If freshly poured concrete is allowed to prematurely dry out, it will fail to achieve its final strength and the quality of the surface finish will suffer.

There are many ways to cure concrete, but the main methods are either the application of a chemical compound to the surface, covering the surface with plastic sheeting or permanently keeping the surface wet. We avoid the use of the chemical compound for environmental reasons and the plastic sheeting because it can mark the finished surface of the concrete. So we use a method of keeping wet hessian rolled out across the concrete surface, as you can see in the image above. Typically concrete should be cured for a minimum of 7 days, with up to 30 days ideal. Given that the finished internal floor will be the exposed concrete, we have chosen to cure the concrete for 30 days to ensure that we have the best quality surface finish.

Building the eco friendly way - Concrete slab preparation

2009-05-06T20:42:00.010+10:00

Like most concrete slabs, reinforcing bar is required to help give the slab it's strength. And like all material choices that can be made during the course of construction, one can choose to make a sustainable choice or not. In the case of the reinforcing bar we have chosen to use reinforcing bar from a supplier who uses 100% recycled steel. By using recycled steel, the environmental impact of the steel has been reduced. Recycling steel uses a lot less overall energy than mining ore, and precessing it in order to make new steel.

What is more, the strength and quality of the recycled material is the same as the new material.
The photo above shows the steel reinforcing being placed inside the form work for the concrete slab.

Timber wall and roof framing is still the dominant material for house construction in Sydney. Unfortunately this is the favorite food of one of our native creatures, termites. So it is necessary to have some form of termite protection when you build in timber in order to prevent your house being eaten out around you!

Termite protection can take many forms and more often than not involves some from of pesticide. The key is, to avoid spraying termite barriers on the soil and ground around your house. Not only are they toxic for termites, but they aren't particularly good for humans and the ground ecology.

Several new products on the market seek to address this issue by safely encapsulating a termiticide within a 'blanket' a bit like thick plastic, which can not leach the termiticide. These blankets are used to protect around pipes such as the one above, which prevent termites from entering your house by forming a physical barrier that the termites can not penetrate.

To heat the house in winter we have installed a 5 star gas in slab hydronic heating system. For those who don't know what I am talking about, a hydronic heating system is essentially heated water running through pipes, the pink ones in the photo above, which delivers heat to a location, in our case, the concrete slab.

Hydronic heating is very efficient because is works on the principle of radiant heat, which warms objects rather than convective heat which just warms the air. What is more, in slab hydronic heating is doubly efficient because the heat starts at the bottom most point in a room and rises to the top, heating everything along the way. Rather than air conditioning which generally tries to heat the air in a room from the grilles in the ceiling, down. One way is working with nature, heat rises, and the other is trying to fight it.

For in slab hydronic heating to work at its best, the floor should not have an insulating covering such as carpet or timber. So tiles or exposed concrete in our case, tend to be the best.

Above is the manifold which looks after the balancing of the hydronic heating pipework. Put simply, the two white pipes on the left are the flow and return from the gas boiler and the red is the heated water going out to the slab and the blue is the heated water returning back.

The heating system is designed as a closed loop, so the same water stays in the pipework getting heated at the boiler, then going through the red manifold and out to the slab, then back to the blue manifold and then on to the boiler to get heated and start again. Pretty simple really.

Building the eco friendly way - Ground works and in-ground drainage

2009-04-15T13:20:00.007+10:00

One of the key requirements for the project was to provide universal access for the clients. This is basically ensuring that as they grow older, they can still get about easily in their house. Keeping the main floor of the house at the one level is key to achieving this. So as you can see above, there has been some minor excavation and filling on site to create a level platform which will become the ground floor and main living area of the house.

The ground floor of the house will be a concrete slab on ground. The main reason behind this was that a concrete floor has excellent thermal mass. To explain thermal mass in simple terms, the concrete slab will be left exposed so that in winter it can absorb the suns heat and become a source of 'free' heating. In summer the reverse occurs, by keeping the slab shaded from the sun, it will become a source of 'free' cooling.

One of the key features of the house is the water saving and re-using strategies. As well as being self reliant for all potable water, the house also incorporates a grey water recycling and re-use system. Grey water is collected from all hand basins, showers, floor wastes and the washing machine and recycled through an OASIS grey water recycling system. The recycled water is then re-used for flushing toilets, in the washing machine and for watering the garden. In the case of the washing machine, the same volume of water will be in a perpetual cycle of use and re-use.

For a grey water recycling system to work however, the grey water needs to be separate from the black water. Put simply, black water is water from your toilet and kitchen sink and grey water comes from all of the other sources. So to keep these separate, two separate drainage systems needs to be installed, one to direct the black water to the sewer and the other to direct the grey water for recycling.

In the image above of the en suite, in the foreground is the waste pipework for the toilet which is being directed to the right to the sewer. In the back ground is the grey water pipework which is picking up the floor waste and hand basin in the middle of the image and the shower at the top of the image. The pipework then continues off to the left at the top of the image to the grey water recycling system. Simple really!

Building the eco friendly way - Recent press

2009-03-23T08:54:00.005+11:00

We were very please to receive some recent press about our green building project at Collaroy in the local Manly Daily.

We obtained Housing Industry Association (HIA) Greensmart accreditation for the project and it appears that it is the only accredited house on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

The HIA Greensmart accreditation recognises houses that are going well beyond mandatory energy and water efficiency measures, such as BASIX in NSW, and are seeking best practice.

We are driven towards best practice in Sustainable building and are very proud to be pioneering the way on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

Building the eco friendly way - Demolition complete

2009-03-21T15:16:00.005+11:00

Demolition, or should I say 'de-construction', of the existing house was completed recently. All materials salvaged from the building were segregated into like materials for easy recycling, or for un-recyclable materials, sent to landfill.

I believe that we managed to recycle around 60-70% of the materials from the old house. Not a bad effort considering that most house demolitions consist of 0% recycled!

The first image below shows in the foreground un-recyclable materials such as PVC, other plastics and some damaged timber which unfortunately had to go to landfill. In mid image is concrete and brickwork stockpiled for crushing and recycling, and in the background is a stockpile of green vegetation that will be sent for mulching and re-use in gardens.

A huge recycled success was the quantity of timber that we managed to reclaim from the old house. Below is just part of the timber that was salvaged. All this timber was sent to a recycling yard where it will be de-nailed and on sold.

I think that we have demonstrated how easily simple structures can be treated in a sustainable way through recycling. With the quantity of materials recycled, the cost to remove the house was no more than if it was all sent to landfill. The only trade off was the increased duration required to 'de-construct' the house rather than demolish. I would put this at around another two weeks.

Having just been through the process of 'de-constructing' a house it does raise the problem that when we build houses, we aren't building them to be easily pulled apart at the end of their life. This is definitely something that the Construction Industry has to change in order to become more sustainable, I know that we will start giving it greater consideration when we build. Green building isn't just about the building of things, it also needs to take into consideration the 'taking apart of them' as well.

The next couple of weeks will have some excavation and ground works and then the in-ground plumbing and drainage will be laid.

Building the eco friendly way - Demolition progress

2009-01-28T21:30:00.009+11:00

As you can see from the photos above and below, demolition work has commenced. Progress is slower than would normally occur for a typical house demolition due to the time and care being taken to 'pull the house apart' piece by piece.

House demolition contractors typically take no more than a week to bring in a large machine, flatten the house and then ship everything out to landfill. Every time I see it happen it makes me fume. What a total loss and waste of tonnes of good construction materials and what environmental negligence, sending a house to landfill purely because people can't look past the way they have always done it. This sort of wastefulness wouldn't happen in a developing country.

As we explained earlier, green building isn't just about the building, it is about the entire process of creating a new house. When we started demolition, the key was to reduce the amount of materials that would go to landfill.
Generally, I am happy with what materials we look like being able to recycle.

The images above and below show the inside of the house with the walls and ceiling partly stripped of the plaster lining. All of the wall, floor and roof framing timbers are in very good condition and will definitely be able to be recycled, great news.

With no recycling facility available for used plaster lining it looks like it will unfortunately be sent to landfill.

All of the windows and doors will be salvaged and sent for recycling along with several bathroom and kitchen fixtures and fittings.

Over the next week or so the brickwork should start to come down and be sent for recycling along with the concrete footings.

Building the eco friendly way - Live sustainable house case study begins

2009-01-19T21:41:00.016+11:00

Since we blogged a little while ago about our new sustainable house project in Collaroy Sydney, we have had a number of people ask us for more information about what sort of green initiatives we will use and how are we going to go about it.

So we had a bit of a think about the best way to help give people information and came to the conclusion that we would use the house as a live sustainable building case study to demonstrate to people how to go about building an eco-friendly, sustainable house.

So where do we begin?.....we have given you a bit of an outline about the project in an earlier blog post and more details and information will come out as the build progresses.

The new house is being built on a site currently occupied by an existing house, see below. The house was unusable due to it's location on the site and overall condition, so it had to go. So how does one get rid of an old, unwanted house in the most eco-friendly way?

YOU RECYCLE IT!!!! So that is what we intend to do. Having made a thorough assessment of what materials can be salvaged from the existing house we have come to the following conclusions:

The bricks and concrete can be sent to a crushing plant to be recycled as road base for road and pavement construction

The timber wall, roof and floor framing can be sent to a second hand building materials yard for future re-sale

The windows can be sent to a second hand building materials yard for future re-sale

The bathroom and kitchen fixtures and fittings can be sent to a second hand building materials yard for future re-sale

It looks like the only materials that we will need to send to landfill will be those that have to be by law, such as the asbestos roof sheeting, and those for which there is no industry re-sale or recycling system in place, such as used plasterboard wall and ceiling lining.

Recycling the house will definitely be a labour intensive exercise. This is probably the reason why the majority of houses that are demolished are knocked flat by a large excavator and sent straight to landfill, it is quick and easy.

So taking the most sustainable approach to the demolition of the existing house will have an effect on the timeline for the project, but in our opinion if we can actually manage to recycle the materials mentioned above , then it will have been worth it. The less building waste that goes to landfill, the better.

Demolition starts in a few days, sign up for regular updates and to follow how things progress...

your abode starts new sustainable house construction in Sydney

2008-12-08T21:44:00.006+11:00

Here is an image of our new sustainable house project in Collaroy, Sydney which we will commence building in early 2009. Green building is what we are about and this house typifies everything about our approach to sustainable houses.
The house will be very eco-friendly both in its design and construction. Water and energy consumption for the house will be very low due to the house:

being totally self sufficient for potable water. All water for drinking, cooking and showering will be collected on site and stored in rainwater tanks for re-use in the house
all grey water from showers, hand basins and the washing machine will be recycled through a grey water treatment system and re-used for flushing toilets and washing clothes in the washing machine.
not having any air conditioning because of the excellent breeze ways that provide for summer cooling
having high thermal mass in both the walls and exposed concrete slab for winter warming and summer cooling
using an in slab gas hydronic heating system for winter heating
using low-e thermal glass in all of the windows to reduce heat loss in winter and prevent heat gain in summer
having good eaves and sun shading to keep it cool in summer
being designed with good orientation and zoning of rooms

But we haven't only considered water and energy efficiency. Occupant comfort and materials sustainability are also high priority:

all internal paints and cabinetry will use low VOC products.
recycled Australian Hardwood will be used for the stair construction and for the skirting board and architraves around windows and doors
any waste created during construction will be separated into differing materials and recycled

This is a very exciting project for both us and our clients and we will post progress photos and updates as we move through construction.

PV panel feed in tariffs for NSW

2008-11-09T14:27:00.002+11:00

Carmel Tebbutt, the NSW Government Environment Minister, has given a pledge to introduce feed in tariffs for solar panels in NSW.

Many other states in Australia have had feed in tariffs for some time, notably South Australia, which this year started paying people double the market rate for feeding power back into the grid.

Apparently the NSW Government has grown tired of waiting for a National approach driven by the Federal Government, so they have decided to 'go it alone'.

Great news for those with panels and possibly just the incentive necessary for many to consider installing panels.

No word on when it will come into play or how it will operate, but first steps are good steps.

The Pope goes green

2008-09-30T17:37:00.010+10:00

The pope is on a drive to make the Vatican Europe's most energy efficient state.

Around 2,000 square metres of the Paul VI hall are being covered with photovoltaic panels, while the another 3000 square metres will be used as a screen to increase the amount of captured energy.

According to Mauro Villarini, an engineer who works for Vatican State's technical services, " The objective of our project is, in sum, to create an energy process from which, with the production of clean energy and its intelligent management, it is possible to supply in the first place these properties and, in the future, also the means of transport, making mobility sustainable from the environmental point of view".
" The challenge for Vatican City State to be the first in Europe to comply with European objectives, which foresee for 2020, obtaining at least 20% of consumed energy from renewable sources."

Villarini expects the solar panels to be functioning by the end of this year.

Grey water and your soil - does it cause any harm?

2008-08-31T11:48:00.003+10:00

There is a growing attitude in the water challenged times that we live in, that to waste any water is unacceptable. Out of this, simple grey water diversion systems such as the one above are becoming more prevalent and are being readily accepted by mainstream Australia.

But when looking to install some form or grey water diversion system, serious consideration has to be given to the effect that the nutrient rich water will have on the ecology of the soil that you are diverting the water to. Last thing anyone looking to reduce their environmental impact wants to do is, by do good on one hand (reducing water usage) they find themselves doing bad (damaging soil ecology) as a result of it.

RMIT Honours Student Farzarhd Namdarian recently completed a thesis in conjunction with the Alternative Technology Association titled 'The impact of grey water irrigation systems on domestic soil environments'.

Generally it is a fairly dry subject, but it does make for interesting reading. By researching and recoding data from 7 real life case studies in Melbourne, Farzarhd has been able to gather some useful information that should help anyone thinking about installing a grey water diversion system from causing any damage to their soil ecology.

Check it out here at the ATA website.

Recycling grey water - putting it to good use

2008-07-21T11:36:00.006+10:00

Up until now, anyone wanting to recycle grey water has generally been forced to redirect the water underground in irrigation systems because of archaic local health regulations. This forces us to continually water gardens when we have a shower, whether we want to or not.

Although technically the water is being recycled, sending it underground without another option is hardly a good use for Australia's most precious resource. What everyone recycling grey water has wanted is to be able to re-use the water again, above the ground.

Enter the people at Nubian Water Systems and their OASIS GT600 (sounds like a sports car). The OASIS is a fairly compact piece of equipment that stores the incoming grey water, filters and treats it and then stores the treated water again for later re-use. The real beauty of the product is that it treats the water to a standard that is acceptable for most Australian States to allow it's use above ground ie, it can be re-directed to toilet flushing or other non potable water uses.

The OASIS uses a three stage process to ensure that the water is treated to the required standard. The first stage is a filter screen that removes lint and other course materials, the second is a filter media that utilises physical removal, adsorption and microbial induced aerobic degradation to remove contaminants and the final stage is UV disinfection.

The unit is smaller enough to mount beside your house, requires very little maintenance and very little power to run.

This is a piece of equipment well worth checking out.

House energy star ratings - what do they mean?

2008-06-29T16:45:00.003+10:00

Many of you may be aware that the energy efficiency of new houses is measured using a star rating system. This system has existed for a number of years and rates houses on their energy consumption from one star at the lowest level through to ten stars at the highest. But what do these rating mean in reality for you, the consumer, home purchaser or new home builder?

NatHERS, or The National Home Energy Rating System, has a great on line description of each star rating in each locality in Australia, and what it means in terms of anticipated energy consumption in a house for heating and cooling.

For example in Sydney East, a 1 star rated house will use 230MJ/m2 and a 10 star house will use 6MJ/m2. This equates to the 10 star house using only 3% of the energy of a 1 star house or being 38 times more energy efficient than the 1 star house.

Something else to be aware of is that the ratings are not linear from the 1 star through to the 10 star. A 5 star rated house does not use half of the the energy of a 1 star house, 115MJ/m2, but only uses 50MJ/m2.

This is invaluable information for anyone trying to find their way through the maze of energy stars and ratings.

Now that you have collected your rainwater, what now?

2008-05-25T11:09:00.006+10:00

You live in the city and have put a lot of money and effort into installing a rainwater harvesting system, now what are you going to do with the water? The answer is, whatever you can.

One of the simplest a most effective uses for your collected rainwater is to use if for flushing your toilet. Toilets are responsible for using around 10% of the water used in your home, and depending on overall household water usage, this can be around 25 - 35 litres per day, or 9000 - 13000 litres per year.

But, for the water to be connected to your toilet cistern you will need to have a back up system in case your water tank level gets too low. Products such as the Davey Rainbank and the OngaWaterswitch are the answer.

Both products are connected to the pump which sends the water to your toilet cistern. When the water level in your tank gets too low, the Rainbank and Waterswitch sense the low water level and divert the water supply source from your rainwater tank, to the mains water. After rainfall and your tank has filled again, either unit will sense that the water level in your tank has increased and will switch back to your water tank to supply the toilet cistern.

This ensures that you will always have a water supply to fill your toilet cistern, but ensures that whenever possible, it will come for free from your rainwater tank.

Recycling bathroom sink grey water with the AQUS system

2008-04-28T20:40:00.009+10:00

The AQUS system by Watersaver Technologies is a fantastic example of green design and ingenuity. The Aqus system catches the water from your vanity basin, filters and disinfects it, and stores it until the next time you need to flush your toilet. The system then sends to stored water to your toilet cistern reducing the amount of town water necessary to simply flush your toilet. It is designed to be easily retrofitted into existing fixtures. Gravity and a small electric pump transport the water from the 21 Litre holding tank installed under the sink to your toilet cistern. A valve in the toilet cistern prevents fresh water inflow as long as sufficient water is available in the Aqus to do the job, when the Aqus runs low, the normal toilet valve for incoming water will serve the demand.

The system retails for about US$200, but unfortunately is only available in the US at the moment. Hopefully someone will look to import this to Australia because there is a definite market here for such a simple and inexpensive product.

Caroma in Australia have made a toilet suite called the Profile, see below, which achieves a similar result. But in our opinion there are significant psychological hurdles to over come with their cistern and the perception that one is washing their hands 'in the toilet cistern'.

In our opinion, the Aqus is the way to go.

Beware of manufacturers' claims to be green

2008-03-11T14:15:00.004+11:00

More and more consumers have a growing awareness of the larger environmental issues and are looking to make product choices with this in mind. However, beware, because companies are now aware of this and are 'dressing up' their old products in new 'greener' clothes.

'Greenwashing', as it known, is where a company markets a product squarely at the green consumer knowing that the claims it makes are untrue. This could be in the form of unsubstantiated 'eco' claims or using text and imagery to give the impression that the product is environmentally friendly when it is not.

We recently came across an example of this is some advertising for insulation products that you would use in your home.

The old Pink Batts, that we used to see the Pink Panther advertising, have now been re branded by the manufacturer, Insulation Solutions, under the umbrella of 'eco pink' along with the rest of their insulation products.

Whilst what insulation does can't be disputed ie, makes your home more energy efficient, reduces your energy usage and therefore your greenhouse gas emissions.

In our opinion the marketing of these products has the definite potential to mislead consumers into thinking that the batts themselves and the manufacture of them is environmentally friendly.

To be fair to Insulation Solutions, they do claim that their batts are made from 70% recycled glass, but to create a marketing campaign with such a 'green' tinge, there needs to be more substance to their eco claims, such as:

How are they manufactured?
What has Insulation Solutions done to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions?
What sort of waste is produced and what is done with it?
What is done with the waste left over after the batts are installed?

We will always advocate people installing insulation in the roof, walls and floors of their homes, however it is important to look closely at the products on offer and buy the best product for your circumstance, which may not necessarily be the one that looks the 'greenest'.

Cleaning up your collected rainwater

2008-02-17T21:26:00.003+11:00

Anyone who is recycling their rainwater for use in their washing machines and toilets will be aware of the problems that can occur when the harvested rainwater contains sediment or is coloured with tanin from leaves. Your whites are no longer white when washed and your toilet bowl stains.
Re-using harvested rainwater in such ways has to be commended, but we sympathise with anyone who has encountered the problem. Simply because you have decided to live a more sustainable life shouldn't mean compromising.

So what is the solution?. Install a filter between your water tank and the appliances and fixtures. Companies such as Rain Harvesting have simple and easy to use filter systems that remove sediment, colour and odour from the water.

For consumers to want to 'buy' into living more sustainably, it can't compromise their life and has to be easy and convenient. Products such as these help people to do things the way they always have, whilst the sustainability just goes on in the back ground.

Guilt free household downlighting

2008-02-17T15:02:00.007+11:00

The current fashion for peppering whole house interiors with low voltage downlights has a couple significant drawbacks, they are extremenly energy inefficient and have a very short lifespan. Most people wrongly presume that because the light fittings are low voltage, that means low energy use. This is not the case. Low voltage simply means that the voltage used at each light fitting has been reduced, this is then wasted as lost heat. Most of the standard downlight globes are 50 watt, only sligtly less than a normal 60 watt incandescent globe. So there is no energy saving there.

So what is the solution if you want guilt free downlighting?. Replace your standard downlight globes with compact fluorescent fittings from a company such as Megaman. Most compact fluroescent globes are only around 11 watts, 80% less than the standard downlight fittings and will have a life up to 10 times longer.

Get them from Neco

Building Green : an overview

2007-12-17T15:02:00.000+11:00

An eco-friendly home is better for the environment as well as your health.

Building green is about the way your home is designed, constructed and operates in order to reduce its impact on the overall environment whilst creating a healthy and enjoyable environment for you to live in. Key green building strategies include water and energy efficiency, sourcing sustainable products and materials, and using renewable energy.

The buildings we live and work in have a profound impact on the natural environment, the economy and our health. The built environment accounts for:

40 per cent of our total carbon emissions
33 per cent of all product and material resources consumed
42 per cent of our total energy consumed
12 per cent of water use.

In the past the building industry has been inherently wasteful, lagging behind other industries when it comes to sustainability. The statistics should be impetus enough for everyone involved in the building industry to accept a greater responsibility in adopting more sustainable practices.

But for green building to succeed it has to be mutually beneficial: there has to be something in it for consumers as well as for the environment.

And there is. The win for consumers is a more modern, healthier home with lower energy and water bills. A well-designed home can, without any change in occupant behaviour, reduce energy use by about 60 per cent and water use by about 30 per cent.

Research indicates homes that incorporate environmental initiatives now sell more quickly and command higher prices than those that don’t. The objection that building green is too costly has been overstated for far too long. Achieving the energy and water savings cited above need add no more than 5 per cent to the cost of construction.

Building in a more eco friendly way simply creates a better house to live in. Studies show that indoor air quality is usually about five times worse than outdoor air due to the pollutants given off by everyday household furnishings and products. By using eco-friendly materials you create a healthier indoor environment for you and your family.

The perils of vinyl flooring in your home.

2007-12-09T12:25:00.000+11:00

Vinyl flooring, made from PVC or Poly Vinyl Chloride, is one material that we believe should not be on the market. PVC is dangerous to human health and the environment throughout its entire life cycle, at the factory, in our homes, and when we throw it out.

During the manufacture of PVC, dioxins are a by-product due vinyl having a high chlorine content. There are also documented links between workers exposed to the manufacture of PVC and cancer.

Whilst installed in your home, PVC will off gass dangerous chemicals. That new vinyl floor smell, that's them. Also, in order to make PVC flexible, a chemical called phthalates is added. Phthalates are a suspected carcinogen and reproductive toxicant. Think about that next time your baby or young children are down playing on a vinyl floor.

And finally, recycling PVC has generally been a failure. Compared to other plastic type products, PVC contains far more chemicals and is therefore harder and more expensive to recycle. When inadvertently mixed with other easily recyclable plastics, whole batch lots of recyclable materials are rendered unrecyclable. When dumped into landfill, PVC leaches chemicals into the environment. And when burnt, as it is often for energy, it releases dioxins again.

The good news is that there are much safer, healthier and more environmentally friendly products on the market. Think about using Linoleum, cork, sustainable timber, stone or tiles and even natural rubber.

Rice stubble panel board - the future for your kitchen?

2007-12-09T11:54:00.000+11:00

Board products such as MDF and particleboard that are used to make your kitchen cabinets are typically made from wood fibres, particles or flakes bound into a flat board with a binder such as a formaldehyde based adhesive. Quite often the timber sources are not sustainable and the health effects from exposure to formaldehyde are well known.

AMPAN is a new Australian panel board made from the waste stubble from rice production bound into a flat board with non-toxic inert resin. The advantages are obvious, rice stubble is normally treated as waste and in burnt in the field, so finding a use for this makes good environmental sense. Rice being such a high water use crop, AMPAN also increases the value and usage of each litre of water used to grow the rice.

Also, any board product that is getting rid of formaldehyde is a good thing.

The board is still in development with RMIT and the CSIRO, so we're not sure when it is likely to come to market but let's hope real soon.

AMPAN certainly sounds like a win-win-win for both farmers, consumers and the environment.

Ten Shades of Green

2007-11-25T21:53:00.001+11:00

We have just finished having a read through the book Ten Shades Of Green. The book is the documentation of an exhibition of the same name by the Architectural League in New York in 2000.
The book shows you real project examples of green design and building as well as the strategies used in each project. The are some great sketches of various design strategies for creating good green passive design.

The local interest in the book is the Cotton Tree Pilot Housing project in Queensland by Clare Design. This is a fantastic project bringing back lost elements of vernacular Queensland architecture and re-interpreting them for modern living. The project hits the holy grail of being both green and affordable.

ASLA green roof project

2007-11-25T16:30:00.001+11:00

We've blogged about green roofs before and the benefits that they can provide to the occupants of a building, whether that is a place of employment or a house.

The American Society of Landscape Architects has been conducting a long term study into the benefits of installing a green roof.

Some of their ongoing results make for very interesting reading:

the green roof created a 10 percent reduction in building energy use during winter months and negligible difference in the summer

from July 2006 to May 2007 the green roof retained nearly 75 percent of the total rainfall

the roof typically retained 100 percent of a one-inch rainfall.

the green roof has been substantially cooler than conventional black roofs on neighboring buildings.

This is all very science based and doesn't take into account the advantages that green roofs provide for human amenity as well as for birds and other wildlife.

Someone really needs to try and come up with a good reason why we aren't doing more of this in Australia. There is no excuse for building a new building with a flat concrete roof and not doing this.

How eco friendly is bamboo?

2007-11-25T16:05:00.001+11:00

Bamboo flooring is being touted and the sustainable savior of the timber floor. It is fast growing, it takes around 5 years to be ready to harvest, and uses less energy to harvest than traditional forms of timber.

"C'mon everyone, here is the guilt free timber floor of the future" cries the marketing for bamboo flooring. However, do your homework before you buy.

As fast growing as bamboo may be, there are a lot of question marks over the remainder of it's green credentials.

most bamboo comes from China so it has to be shipped into the country
currently no bamboo on the market comes with any third part certification of the sustainability of their forestry and harvesting practices
because bamboo is an engineered product, most of them use formaldehyde (a known carcinogen) adhesives to glue the bamboo together
bleaching is necessary to provide the uniform appearance that most bamboo has
the working conditions of the bamboo producers employees is generally unknown, as is their exposure to these dangerous substances.

In many instances it is more sustainable to use a locally recycled timber floor or virgin timber from a certified sustainably managed forest.

We are not saying "don't use bamboo", our advice is to do your homework. Ask the hard questions before you get pressured by the marketing hype. What adhesives are used to manufacture the product? is it bleached during manufacturing? what can you tell me about the forestry practices of the producer?

If you are informed, you will get the best product.

Germany continues to set the pace for renewables

2007-11-25T15:09:00.000+11:00

Germany recently released a draft progress report on their Renewable Energy Sources Act which was adopted in 2000. The act established an advanced “feed-in tariff” that enabled any company or individual to sell renewable electricity into the power grid for a guaranteed, long-term price for each kilowatt-hour sold.

The report highlighted that:

electricity from renewable energy had increased from 6.3 percent in 2000 to 12 percent in 2006.
renewable energy used in Germany avoided the release of more than 100 million tons of CO2 in 2006.
there were 240,000 people employed in the renewable energy sector in 2006, representing a 40-percent increase over 2004. More than half of these jobs were created by the Renewable Energy Sources Act.

It is expected that renewables will provide about 14% of Germany’s gross electricity by the end of this year, well ahead of the targets for 2010. As a result of this success, in July the German government has chosen to increase renewable energy to 27 percent of electricity by 2020 and at least 45 percent by 2030.

With the recent change of government here in Australia, we can only continue to pressure for such leadership from government.

Creating healthy indoor environments for children

2007-11-04T15:31:00.000+11:00

Green building is not just about water and energy efficiency, indoor air quality and a healthy home are equally as important.

Traditionally the majority of the products and materials that were used to create homes and their interiors off gassed many toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, benzene, PBDEs and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These are really bad chemicals with a multitude of adverse effects from respiratory issues through to cancer. Children are are the greatest risk from exposure due to their size and immature bodies.

Healthy Child Healthy World is a US based not for profit who define their mission as "Healthy Child Healthy World is dedicated to protecting the health and well being of children from harmful environmental exposures.We educate parents, support protective policies, and engage communities to make responsible decisions, simple everyday choices, and well-informed lifestyle improvements to create healthy environments where children and families can flourish."

Check out their website, it is a wealth of information.

Solar in a box

2007-11-04T14:43:00.001+11:00

One of the major detractors for people wanting to install solar power on their homes is the difficulties and complexities associated with system design, what equipment is necessary and how to go about it. For solar power to move further into the mainstream it has to become convenient and easy for people to buy, just like walking into a shop and buying a new TV.

Ready Solar in the US may have the answer. Solar in a box is a "ready to install" complete package for a standardized 1kW system designed to bring solar energy to as many households across America as possible.

Ready Solar sees the advantages of a packaged solar system being lower installation cost, fast delivery (it is pre-designed product ready to ship to your home) and reliability (it is a pre-tested system that has been replicated many times without the unknowns of a custom solar solution).

We think this is a great way to bring solar power generation to the masses and are looking for an Australian company to follow the same lead.

Time Magazine Names Tim Flannery as “Hero of the Environment”

2007-11-04T12:36:00.001+11:00

Time Magazine has recognised Australian of the Year Dr Tim Flannery in their 2007 list of Heroes of the Environment. On an International level, the scientist Flannery is a big hitter, his name ranks along side Al Gore and David Attenborough on matters concerning the environment.

Tim Flannerys book "The Weather Makers", published in 2005, was at the leading edge of highlighting global warming and how humans have contributed to it.

Way to go Tim.

Time Magazine Names Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart “Hero of the Environment”

2007-11-04T12:10:00.002+11:00

Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart have been listed in Time Magazines 2007 list of most innovative and influential protectors of the planet.

Responsible 5 years ago for the seminal design book of the next industrial revolution, "cradle to cradle", Mc Donough, an Architect, and Braungart, a chemist, combined forces twelve years ago to form McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) to help businesses and governments to develop "cradle to cradle" solutions for their needs.

Some wonderful quotes that come from these guys include...

"A delightfully diverse, safe, healthy and just world, with clean air, water, soil and power- economically, equitably, ecologically, and elegantly enjoyed."

"waste equals food"

This is very well deserved recognition for a couple of pioneers who got up and actually did something about a problem.

Time Magazine Names Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart “Hero of the Environment”

2007-11-04T12:10:00.001+11:00

Green roofs Australia blog

2007-11-04T10:28:00.000+11:00

Green Roofs for Healthy Australian Cities is an organisation that was set up in 2006 by The Urban Agriculture Network-Western Pacific and Nettworx Publishing Pty Ltd. It is a membership based organisation with an elected committee that draws together government, businesses groups and individuals interested in green roofs.

They recently released a website/blog that is a great source of information of both local and international green roofs.

Interest in green roofs is very low in Australia currently and we hope that this initiative starts a growing awareness of green roofs and their benefits in Australia.

What you didn't know about cement and CO2

2007-10-22T17:58:00.000+10:00

Most of us tend not to give much thought to the production of cement, pretty boring stuff really. However when you take into account that the production of cement accounts for 5% of the worlds man made CO2 emissions, we think it is time to take a closer look at cement and it's production.

In simple terms cement is manufactured by blending crushed limestone with calcium, silicon, aluminium and iron oxides and heating them to 1500 degrees Celsius in, you guessed it, a coal fired kiln.

The resulting product is then crushed to form common old grey cement.

It seems that a significant number of cement manufacturers have seen the carbon tax train coming and have got together to form the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI). On the face of it this seems to be a good thing. The 18 manufacturers who make up the CSI account for around 40% of the world cement production and they are out to try and make things right.

Let's wait and see.

Accelerating green building

2007-10-17T12:30:00.000+10:00

As part of the Clinton Global Initiative 2007, a panel was brought together to discuss green building and how to take things forward.

Of note was Bill McDonough of Cradle to Cradle fame, and Australian Maria Atkinson who is the head of sustainability at Lend Lease. We were really impressed with contrary to a lot of opinions in the 'west', India is really making a huge effort.

The discussion is in two parts which you can check out below.

Husque bowls and table-wares

2007-10-17T12:11:00.001+10:00

The Husque range of products are the result of melding recycled macadamia nut shells with a polymer to form a dense mould able material similar to Bakelite from the 1930s.

The Australian design company was formed in 2003 by product designer Marc Harrison and architect/artist Paul Fairweather to develop the product into a range of product and architectural applications.

For those who don't know, the macadamia nut is a native to Eastern Australia.

Their products are available in Australia, Canada and Singapore.

Quarella composite stone products

2007-10-17T11:41:00.000+10:00

Quarella Australia is a subsidiary of Quarella Italy, who are the largest producer of composite stone products in the world.

Quarella has a large range of stone products that are suitable for counters, bench tops and tiling applications.

What impressed us the most was their environmental attitude. Most of their products are made from recycled marble. quartz or limestone which is mixed with a polyester resin, creating a hard wearing natural looking product. The water used in their manufacturing processes is filtered and recycled, the slurry from their cutting process is sent onto other companies for use in cement and off cuts of their products are either given to consumers as product samples or used as a base for roads or industrial floors.

Australias largest windfarm

2007-10-17T11:27:00.000+10:00

Epuron, a subsidiary of German renewable energy group Conergy AG, is planning to build Australia's largest wind farm near broken hill. The farm will have as many as 500 turbines, generating enough electricity for 400,000 homes. This will double the number of turbines currently operating in Australia and provide as much electricity as a large coal-fired power station.

The CSIRO has found that the area has wind speeds comparable to wind farms in better known wind regions such as Tasmania and South Australia.

Negotiations with landowners are currently underway and construction is expected to start in 2009.

See and interview with Martin Poole from Epuron here.

DeMaria Design - Redondo Beach House

2007-09-30T13:11:00.000+10:00

The Redondo Beach House is a project by DeMaria Design Associates in California. The house utilises shipping containers as the basic construction system for the house, mixing in conventional stick frame construction and prefabricated assemblies.

This mix of materials and methodologies results in a house that is affordable and nearly indestructible. The modified containers are mold proof, fire proof, termite proof, structurally superior to timber framing and along with the other “components” come together to create a system/kit of parts that is cost affective, achieves construction time savings, and is energy/environmentally conscious.

70% of the house was built in a factory environment and brought to site to be "assembled". This can help to ensure that quality control is kept to a high standard.

With the quantities of unloved shipping containers cluttering up all of our docks, they are the ideal module for building. just like LEGO for adults!

DeMaria Design are also involved in a new residential housing system called Packaged Architecture which they will be launching through Logical Homes.

Solar generated feed in tariff

2007-09-30T12:43:00.000+10:00

Both the ACT and South Australian Governments have recently announced that they will be implementing generous feed in tariff schemes for domestic photo voltaic systems. The South Australian scheme will pay 0.44c per KWh and the ACT scheme will pay 0.52c KWh. Queensland has had a scheme for a little while but the rate is a lowly .015.5c KWh.

Like all government initiatives, the devil is in the details. The ACT scheme will pay the tariff on the gross power output, whereas the South Australian scheme will only pay on the net power export. The difference could be significant.

In any case, it has been a long time coming for Australian State Governments to start taking feed in tariffs seriously and incentivising homeowners to consider switching to solar power generation.

William McDonough: The wisdom of designing Cradle to Cradle

2007-09-30T12:29:00.001+10:00

We love William McDonough and his Cradle to Cradle philosophy for design. We came across this presentation he made at the 2005 TED conference in Monterrey, California.

If you want to get a good understanding what Cradle to Cradle is all about, start with this video.

Renewable energy search engine

2007-09-30T10:45:00.000+10:00

AEoogle is a new search engine focusing on alternative and renewable energy searches. AEoogle is powered by Google and uses Alternative Energy News for its searches.

MIO design

2007-09-16T15:35:00.000+10:00

MIO is a design company based out Philadelphia in the US who describe their philosophy as being driven by 'responsible desire'. Run by Jaime and Isaac Salm, all of their products use materials that can be easily recycled within existing infrastructures, fit into closed loop manufacturing systems available today or fit seamlessly with natural ecosystems. Their capsule lamp above is made from 100% wool felt and is recyclable and compostable.

Most of they products are well designed and make good use of sustainable materials, such as the ModuTiles above which are made from reconstituted cork and the Nomad System wall dividers below which are made from recycled kraft paper.

Green Painters helping consumers go green

2007-09-16T15:23:00.001+10:00

It Is great to see another trade in the building industry seeing the benefits of going green. The Green Painters Association is a non-profit organisation of professional tradesmen providing advice, knowledge and skills to help get the best environmentally-friendly, non-toxic coating for painting and decorating projects around Australia.

A Greenpainter can help consumers achieve the look they want while being environmentally sensitive and health-conscious. Greenpainters can also help projects achieve the Green Building Council's Green Star certification by advising on what products to use.

Green Plumbers helping consumers go green

2007-09-16T15:08:00.000+10:00

The Green Plumbers initiative was created by the Master Plumbers association as a series of workshops designed to enhance plumbers skills and knowledge about the environmental considerations of their work.

These training opportunities place plumbers in a better position to advise and inform consumers on topics such as: the benefits of energy efficiency; water conservation or the most appropriate and cost effective appliances to suit individual needs.

Green Plumbers should be able to provide their customers with up to date information and advise on:

latest technology and energy saving appliances
practical appliances & installation knowledge
environmental impacts of plumbing services, appliances and household practices
consumer information
energy/water/cost savings (short term and long term cost comparisons and environmental benefits)

To date there has been more than 5,000 plumbers who have completed the courses nationally, so look out for the Green Plumbers logo when getting plumbing work done.

The costs for building green overstated

2007-09-16T14:38:00.000+10:00

A recent report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development has confirmed what many of us have believed for a long time, that the real cost for a more environmentally friendly building is likely to be under 5%.

The report outlines how a widespread 'opinion' of many industry professionals is that the cost is around 17%. This explains why in most consumers minds an environmentnally friendly building is beyond their means.

We were pleased to see that our own experience is in line with the report. We have found that depending on the project value, 5% is the maximum that is necessary to create a more environmentally friendly house. According to our figures, this can be achieved for around $5-10 per week spread across a mortgage.

Induction cooktops - the most energy effecient cooking

2007-09-16T13:22:00.000+10:00

Induction cooktops have been relatively common overseas for years, but they’re only just beginning to make a dent in the market here in Australia compared to the more common gas and electric options.

An induction cooktop looks fairly similar to an electric ceramic cooktop, what is different is the way they work. Each ‘element’ on the cooktop generates a magnetic field that induces heat in steel cookware placed on top of it. In essence the saucepan or pot becomes the element, so the cooktop surface doesn't get as hot as other cooktops.

Because most of the heat and energy are produced directly in the saucepan, the heat response is quicker and more efficient. With more conventional electrical cooking, the heat first has to be transferred from the element, then to the saucepan and then to its contents.

The performance of an induction cooktop is far superior to other forms of electric cooktops and about comparable to gas. Where they stand out is in their energy efficiency. An induction cooktop is around 85–90% energy efficient compared to 65–85% for other electric cooktops and about 40% for gas. A significant downside at the moment is the cost, they typically cost around $3,000 each!

What this now creates is a very difficult environmental decision for anyone choosing a cooktop. Should you choose the greenhouse friendly but inefficient gas or the less greenhouse friendly but more efficient induction cooktops?

Herman Miller talks about being green

2007-09-10T20:58:00.000+10:00

Metropolis magazine had a great article recently with Scott Charon and Susan Lyons from Herman Miller where they discussed Herman Millers' attitude towards the environment.

This is an impressive interview revealing some of the fundamental processes and attitudes that permeate everything that is done at Herman Miller.

For example the Celle chair above is made from 33% recycled materials, is 99% recyclable and can be dismantled in minutes, leaving no excuse not to recycle the chair at the end of its life.

Their stoplight approach —green, yellow, red, orange—used in assessing a material is an example for all manufacturers. Herman Miller obtains the chemical information for a product from their supply chain and it is rated based on this scale. Green is ranked as little or no hazard, yellow is low to moderate hazard, red would be a high hazard such as PVC and an orange material would be if a chemical company put a new chemical on the marketplace that just hasn’t gone through all the proper assessments.

Anything that is green or yellow we will be used in their products, anything that is red or orange they will try and eliminate from their products.

And hand in hand with this is their adoption of the cradle to cradle approach to doing business.

Harvesting wave energy for Australia's electrical needs

2007-09-10T20:30:00.000+10:00

CETO is a new system that generates electricity from wave motion. A prototype has been in operation off the coast of Western Australia for several years, but the parent company, Renewable Energy Holdings is now ready to start heading into full production.

Most wave generation systems sit on the water's surface, whereas the CETO system collects energy by tethering rows of buoys to the sea floor. As the buoys sway, they pump high-pressure water to shore and spin turbines for power.

And because CETO sends water - not electricity, as other systems do - it can also be used for desalination, which requires high pressure to force water through the membranes used in reverse-osmosis desalination.

Apparently a 'field' of the buoys the size of a football field will generate enough electricity for around 25,000 houses.

Their website has a great little animation of the buoys in action.

Turning Sydneys' rooftops green

2007-09-10T18:11:00.000+10:00

There was a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald about a group or architects and environmentalists who want to make use of all of the unused rooftops in the city and turn them into 'green rooves'.

For those who aren't aware, a green roof is basically a rooftop garden that can be used as somewhere for food production or planted out as a cool place to hang out. They have very good environmental credentials providing an excellent insulation layer helping to evenly balance a buildings internal temperature. They have been used for centuries in Europe but for some reason haven't been taken up in Australia.

As Sydney becomes more densely populated such green spaces are going to become more and more important in providing respite for its inhabitants.

cradle to cradle design

2007-09-10T17:50:00.000+10:00

We have both just finished reading Architect William McDonoughs & Chemist Michael Braungarts fantastic book, cradle to cradle.

The book has been internationally released for a few years but it only JUST starting to get noticed in design circles in Australia.

Where to start...this book should be a must read for all students of design and architecture, it should become a course book.

The basis of McDonoughs and Braungarts argument is that we require a new industrial revolution, one that gives back to nature, not just takes, one that does not design products with a 'cradle to grave' mentality but a 'cradle to cradle' attitude. All products and materials should be able to either be recycled or upcycled forever, and if we have waste, it should give back to nature as a nutrient not as a pollutant.

And it is not just talk, McDonough and Braungart have created a company called McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) who are working with clients such as Ford, BP and Herman Miller, whose Celle chair is a direct result of their partnership. The Celle chair has 33% recycled content and is 99% recyclable.

Bring on the revolution we say!

Alowood - the future of hardwood?

2007-08-27T21:15:00.000+10:00

Alowood is FSC certified plantation timber that is treated with an agriculturally grown product called Everdex, which is vacuum and pressure injected into the timber.

The Everdex is then thermally cured in the timber, permanently bonding to the cells of the timber.

The result is Alowood, what they call an entirely new wood, capable of surpassing other medium- to high-density hardwoods for durability, strength.

It is available in a range of colours and styles as shown below.

We are normally fairly sceptical about products like these and their claims of being good for the environment. However, with Alowood, the manufacturers seem to have done their homework, the product is FSC sourced, is Greenguard certified and is formaldehyde free.

Maybe there is a possibility for everyone to have their exotic hardwood without the guilt.

Celery - green kids furniture

2007-08-27T21:02:00.000+10:00

Celery makes cool modern and green kids furniture. All of their furniture has a modern simplicity about it.

The furniture is made from sustainable bamboo or formaldehyde free medium density fibre board, uses no screws or glues, and has low/no voc finishes.

The rocking chair and rocking pony above are typical of their product range.

Windside silent wind turbines

2007-08-27T20:43:00.000+10:00

Windside of Finland have been making their vertical wind turbines since 1982. The turbines have no sound emission they claim, 0dB due to their vertical arrangement rather than the traditional horizontal propeller arrangement.

They have eight models available, ranging from a small model to suit buoys through to larger commercial models.

Due to their configuration they will take up less space than a propeller type and certainly look better.

Their homepage has a cool little video of one of the turbines in action.

No prices seem to be on their website, so you will have to contact your nearest supplier.

Shipping Container Homes by Container City

2007-08-26T13:18:00.001+10:00

We recently came across this great video on you tube for the container city in the UK. Photos and details of the city have been around for a while, but the video gives some great insights into living there from some of the residents.

Amongst other things, the unbelievable cheap rent that the residents pay for a great space so close to London is genuine food for thought in the affordable housing stakes.

It has been said plenty of times, but surely shipping containers will come in from the fringe soon and become a genuine low cost housing system.

Farming and rainfall

2007-08-21T21:35:00.001+10:00

A recent article and photo in the New York Times ( god only knows why this wasn't big news here in Australia) highlights how land clearing can affect rainfall patterns. The rabbit proof fence that was built across part of Western Australia in the early 20th century to try and keep the rabbits out of farmland has inadvertently highlighted stark differences between the way native vegetation and cleared farmland affect rainfall patterns.

The sky on the side of the fence with the native vegetation is rich with rain producing clouds, where as on the farmland side, the sky is clear.

Scientists are not entirely clear why this has happened, but it highlights how important sustainable farming practices are to such an arid country as Australia.

The lesson, clear all the land of native vegetation and the rain goes away!

Who on earth cares?

2007-08-21T21:06:00.000+10:00

The Australian Conservation Foundation has just announced its latest initiative, who on earth cares, with their star recruit being Cate Blanchett. Who on earth cares is about making a public announcement and commitment to reduce your environmental impact via a voluntary online registration system.

The websites home page has a cool graphic of Australia showing where all the 'caring' people are, a running tab of the number of people who care as well as an assessment of how many cars this equates to being taken off the road.

Cate's commitments are:

Switch my household power supply to accredited GreenPower
Install a water efficient shower head
Set my washing machine to wash my clothes in cold water
Check and install adequate roof insulation
Avoid one domestic air flight this year and purchase carbon offsets
Drive 20 kilometres less each week
Reduce my household electricity and gas usage by 20%
Install a solar hot water heater

Although one might look at these and think 'so what, these are no big deal', the truth is that plenty of people aren't even making efforts as simple and easy these.

So anyone with a profile who wants to stand up and take a lead, bring it on we say.

Forbo Marmoleum click

2007-08-21T18:37:00.000+10:00

We have been big fans of marmoleum for some time due to its green attributes. The mix of natural materials used in its manufacture such as linseed oil, wood flour, rosin, jute and limestone as well as its hard wearing properties make it a highly underrated flooring material. One of the problems we have always had is that generally most of the product range is targeted and commercial and industrial uses, not residential.

Not anymore, Forbo has now come up with Marmoleum click.

Marmoleum click is a range of marmoleum floor tiles that come in 300mm x 300mm tiles or 300mm x 910mm panels, specifically aimed at the residential market. The tiles join together using a unique click system and come in a broad range of funky colours.

Perfect for anyone wanting the ability to personalise their space using a green flooring material.

Quiet revolution wind turbine

2007-08-21T17:51:00.001+10:00

Generating wind power in an urban or built up environment has always been a problem due to the noise created by the traditional 'propeller' like wind turbines and the variability of wind direction and speed. Quiet Revolution in the UK seems to have come up with the solution with their qr range of helical wind turbines.

The qr5, for 5m, is the first model in their range which will ultimately include a 2.5m and a monster 12m turbine. The qr5 is claimed to produce 10,000Kwh per year in a good wind site, this is enough to power 5 low energy houses. They anticipate that the qr2.5 will generate 2.5Kw and the qr12 will generate 30kw.

The qr5 is only available in the UK, but Quiet Revolution are planning to export them in 2008. The qr5 will be available in 2008 and the qr12 made to order.

Currently priced at £25,000 plus around £8,000 for installation. So £33,000 is no bargain. However if you can get together with a five of your neighbours, £6,600 each, now it starts to stack up as a viable renewable power option.

The Green Studio Handbook

2007-08-19T15:55:00.001+10:00

We have just finished reading The Green Studio Handbook. This is a great reference book for Architects, Designers and Builders as well as providing good information for anyone wanting a knowledge of green building strategies.

The book is focused on good green design strategies that should be integrated into projects very early on and breaks them down into:

Envelope
Lighting
Heating
Cooling
Energy Production
Water and waste

Included at the back of the book are some great case studies showing how various strategies can be used and how they perform.

Highly recommended reading.

Australians embrace green power

2007-08-19T15:40:00.000+10:00

Recent statistics have highlighted that Australians are embracing green power at an unprecedented rate. The additional cost for green power can be anywhere up to $400 per year, so by choosing green power, people are making a strong financial commitment towards the environment.

Customers for green power are increasing at a rate of nearly 1000 customers per day, with a total number of green power customers in Australia nearing 600,000.

This is great news, paying for green power provides no additional benefits for the customer, so the choice to go green is very much an example of consumers growing awareness of renewable energy and its advantages over fossil fuels.

Euopean passive houses

2007-08-19T12:37:00.001+10:00

There is a real drive in Europe to create what they are calling passive houses. A passive house can be defined as a house that:

reduces heat losses through improved insulation;
reduces heat losses by improved air sealing of the building;
has improved air quality due to ventilation systems with highly efficient heat recovery;
uses passive energy
has a low energy demand through using efficient appliances.

The aim is to create a house that is able to guarantee a comfortable indoor environment without needing a conventional heating system. The building is no longer heated actively and is then called a 'passive house'.

The people behind the initiative are using the term 'passive house' to refer to construction standards that goes further than what would be classified as low-energy house.

They have an event on in September in Brussels Belgium that seeks to expand upon knowledge of passive houses as well as an interactive presentation outlining the broader issues of passive houses.

Germany leads the world for solar energy production

2007-08-12T21:34:00.000+10:00

I was impressed to read an article in last Saturdays Sydney Morning Herald about Conergy AG from Germany who is planning to build the largest solar plant in the world in East Germany.

The Australian Government is a constant source of disappointment when it comes to their attitude to renewable energy. The irony of this situation is that we live in a country with seemingly endless sunshine, yet a central European country with far less sunshine leads the world for solar energy production.

One of the Australian governments arguments against a stronger commitment to renewables is the damage reducing our reliance on coal for power generation will have on our economy. As the German example shows, the number of jobs in their sun-power sector is predicted to double to 90,000 over the next five years, surely filling any economic void that might be created by reducing our demand for coal.

Pollution eating cement

2007-08-12T20:48:00.000+10:00

Pollution is a major problem in most cities and affects the health of its inhabitants. The italcementi group in Italy has come up with a product called TX Active which uses a photocatalytic process for its cement products which can reduce organic and inorganic pollutants that are present in the air.

The town of Segrete in Northern Italy has repaved a street with TX Active and has measured a 60 percent reduction in nitric oxide on that particular street.

According to the company, the photocatalyzer speeds up the natural oxidation process of pollutants in combination of natural or artificial light. The pollutants are converted into less harmful compounds like water, carbon dioxide or nitrates.

Its fantastic to see building material producers taking pro-active steps to help the environment.

via got2begreen

Pharos green building materials wiki

2007-08-12T19:02:00.001+10:00

Over the past decade there has been an enormous amount of discussion and debate over what makes a building material “green.”

Manufacturers have created a plethora of new products, new marketing claims and a myriad of green rating systems, and with it the ubiquitous 'greenwashing'.

How does one decide between a product that has a high-recycled content and one that is made of virgin materials but claims to be non-toxic and healthy? And who do you trust in a field where most of the information and rating systems come from the industry selling the products?

The Pharos Project aims to put the control back in the hands of owners and the design and construction communities mapping a 360° view of green material attributes and putting those claims in context and testing them against verifiable data and user community consensus of ideal goals.

The centre of the project is their Pharos wiki and product directory. The product directory uses an assessment tool called the Pharon lens, above, to rate the environmental performance of each material. The wiki is an information source for all aspects of building materials.

The project has only been running for around 6 months, so it is still early days, but I see this being a fantastic tool.

Pharos green building materials wiki

2007-08-12T19:02:00.000+10:00

Over the past decade there has been an enormous amount of discussion and debate over what makes a building material “green.”

Manufacturers have created a plethora of new products, new marketing claims and a myriad of green rating systems, and with it the ubiquitous 'greenwashing'.

The Pharos Project aims to put the control back in the hands of owners and the design and construction communities mapping a 360° view of green material attributes and putting those claims in context and testing them against verifiable data and user community consensus of ideal goals.

The centre of the project is their Pharos wiki and product directory. The product directory uses an assessment tool called the Pharon lens, above, to rate the environmental performance of each material. The wiki is an information source for all aspects of building materials.

The project has only been running for around 6 months, so it still early days, but I see this being a fantastic tool.

Dayray flexible daylighting system

2007-08-07T21:43:00.001+10:00

Skydome the skylight people have recently released a new product, the Dayray flexible lighting system. The idea behind the system is to provide natural daylighting to rooms and spaces within a building without easy access to natural lighting. A much larger benefit we see is that it could be used across a whole office building to reduce energy demand from powered lighting, as well as providing a better environment for people to work in.

Similar to the Parens system we blogged about previously, collector panels are located on the roof or external face of the building and fibre optics carry the light to the internal light fittings.

The system is easy to install and has minimal impact on the structure of the building.

Summer sun can provide winter heat

2007-08-07T21:28:00.000+10:00

There was a recent article in New Scientist about an experimental solar water heating system in Anneburg Sweden.

The system being used on 50 units, pumps water through rooftop solar heaters in summer to warm it, before being stored in pipes embedded in granite 65 metres below ground. The water is kept hot by the rock, and is then pumped back up to heat homes in winter.

The technical specs for the system are 2400 m² of solar collectors provide the heated water to the in ground storage area of about 60,000 m³ of crystalline rock with 100 boreholes drilled to 65 m depth and fitted with double U-pipes.

It Is claimed that the system has reduced reliance on conventional heating by nearly 25 per cent and this could rise to 70 per cent over the next few years as the storage rocks get hotter.

Skystream wind generator

2007-08-07T20:49:00.000+10:00

We recently came across this residential wind generator, the Skystream 3.7. The skystream takes the usual selection of wind power products to a new level. It looks good, has noise levels well below a lot of the others and has the controls and inverter built in, rather than being separate bits of equipment.

There is a lot of talk about the benefits of PV solar panels for residential renewable energy, but very little about wind power. In our opinion, wind power represents a better return on investment compared to PV panels. The equivalent generation capacity in wind can be up to 50% less expensive than PV panels. As long as you have got the space and reliability of wind that is.

To balance out seasonal fluctuations, a hybrid system of wind and PV panels is the way to go.

The Skystream isn't available in Australia until late 2007.

Felipe Assadi and Francisca Pulido deck house

2007-07-29T17:39:00.000+10:00

We have written a few posts recently about Chilean architecture because there are some fantastic young Architects there. Felipe Assadi and Francisca Pulido and their deck house is just another fine example.

The house is unapologetically modern, but sits very comfortably in its natural surroundings. A combination of the use of natural materials and working with the natural fall of the ground, not against it, have made for an excellent example of siting a house for minimal impact on the environment.

Inside, the interaction with the natural environment continues with masses of natural light and the unavoidable views and blurring of the lines between what is inside and what is outside.

F3 architectos forest house

2007-07-29T16:20:00.000+10:00

The forest house is another fantastic project from Alejandro Dumay Claro, Nicolás Fones Claro and Francisco Vergara at F3 architectos in Chile.
The house is an excellent example of design living with, and accommodating the natural environment. The house not only has had a minimal impact on the natural environment, but has been built around it, with trees forming an integral part of the aesthetics of the structure. The house has the appearance of having grown in place along with the trees.

Alejandro is also involved with the design of the espacio minga prefab building, below, which is now at the prototype stage.

Environmentally certified timber veneers

2007-07-29T13:15:00.001+10:00

If you are looking for environmentally friendly timber veneer products, then look no further than Briggs Veneers. Briggs Veneers has become one of the first timber veneer suppliers in Australia to be certified to meet both Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) chain of custody standards. This is your guarantee and proof of origin for the timber veneer you are buying or using.

Briggs currently has 30 timber veneers in their range that they are calling Eco-Cert, ranging from local Australian timbers such as Tasmanian Oak, through to European Oak and White Sycamore.

If you are considering having any timber veneered cabinetry made, insist upon the highest environmental standards you can find, this is the only way the manufacturers will start to take up initiatives such as Briggs has done.

Improved efficiency solar hot water panels

2007-07-29T12:38:00.001+10:00

The standard flat plate style solar hot water panels have been around for decades, with very little improvement in their efficiency. Evacuated tube technology is now becoming more widely available and more cost comparative with the flat plates.

Flat plate solar water heaters are only at their maximum efficiency in the middle of the day. A great deal of the sun’s energy is simply reflected off the flat glass panels, especially in the morning and afternoon.

Because evacuated tubes are cylindrical, they are always facing the sun and therefore they can absorb more of the sun’s energy.

The manufacturers claim the evacuated tube collectors will absorb up to 40% more of the sun's energy that a comparably sized flat plate solar collector. The chart below clearly demonstrates the improved efficiency of the tubes, particularly mornings and afternoons where the sun will not be directly above the panels.

The tubes consist of 2 layers of toughened glass with a vacuum between these 2 layers. This evacuated layer in the tubes acts much like a thermos flask, retaining about 97% of the energy absorbed from the sun. This helps increase the efficiency of the collector and also protects it from the effects of cold air (the water in flat plate collectors can freeze in very cold areas). This makes evacuated tube solar collector the perfect system for very cold areas.

Check them out at Endless Solar

Enviromission solar tower on the Discovery Channel

2007-07-29T10:48:00.000+10:00

Australian company Enviromission was recently on the Discovery Channel discussing their proposed solar tower in central NSW. Enviromission is run by Paul Davey who has been passionately pursuing the concept of a massive solar tower for power generation in NSW since 2001.

They are well underway on the project, nearing completion of the final feasibility phase prior to commencing construction.

Generally speaking the project is massive, truly massive. The central tower will be 600m high, taller than the tallest building on earth and will generate enough power for 100,000 homes.

The principle utilises natural convection created by the massive area of glass across the ground, creating hot air that will be drawn towards and up through the central tower driving 32 turbines that generate the power.

Asserbo summer house

2007-07-12T15:18:00.000+10:00

Christensen & Co architects in Denmark has come up with this wonderfull piece of modern design, the Asserbo summer house. At 64m2 (704ft) it barely qualifies as a house, but it everything that is good about Scandinavian design.

A finely crafted pavilion, the structure seems to hover over the ground, giving the building even greater connection with the surrounding environment. Simple materials used well will win out every time.

I challenge anyone to not enjoy summers with a building like this to pass away the time.

ACF names and shames conspicuous consumption

2007-07-12T14:56:00.000+10:00

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has recently put up a consumption atlas on their website. The atlas provides information on the greenhouse pollution, water use and eco-footprint for each Australian postcode,

What shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone is that those who live in the wealthiest suburbs, had the highest consumption. Some of the richest suburbs had water consumption, greenhouse emissions and eco footprints 50% higher than the national average.

This is a great tool which should be made mandatory viewing for all Australians. Guilt can be an excellent motivator for change.

Toma House modular buildings

2007-07-10T20:54:00.000+10:00

TomaTech are the manufacturers of a range of prefab houses and buildings called The TomaHouse. TomaTech seems to be based in Indonesia and Spain. Their main business angle for their products to date is in tourism resorts. However they have a range of modern house designs which can be purchased in kit form online.

The TomaHouses are made from an easily erected aluminium framing system. Nothing more than simple hand tools is required to bolt the whole system together. Their site claims that a couple of men can built one of the house framing systems in a couple of days. Due to the inherent light weight of the structures, the foundation support consists of nothing more than screw piles.

The system is well thought out and utilises a plug and play style of connection for electrical wiring between modules. The first house shown above, known as the Bauhaus 2 is available as displayed for 310,000 euros.

Although it is hard to argue that virgin aluminum is a green material due to the energy required in its manufacture, a light weight and easy to erect structure such as the TomaHouse will require minimal foundation disturbance and consequently reduce their impact of the immediate environment.

via equitygreen

The Wall House in Santiago de Chile

2007-07-07T21:46:00.001+10:00

In the wall house, Frohn & Rojas Architects in Santiago de Chile have created a fantastic example of how to interact with the outdoor environment through the creative use of materials.

The house has several 'layers' of skin, each reducing in substance as one moves towards the outside of the house and interacts with the outdoors. The architects have described these layers working outwards as the 'concrete cave, stacked shelving, the milky shell and the soft skin'.

What we love about it is that it is breaking down the formality of a house and making it more akin to camping. It is the sort of house that would go someway towards reconnecting humans to where we belong, in the natural environment and away from where we don't belong, in a heavily built up environment.

The external 'skin' also allows wonderful filtered light into the house and externally cuts a cool geometric shape.

via dezeen

Wambamboo

2007-07-07T21:05:00.000+10:00

Wambamboo is sustainable furniture designed by Kent Gration in Queensland Australia.

His Wambamboo range of furniture uses sustainable production methods including recyclable materials, water-based finishes, energy-saving fluorescent lamps and ballasts and where possible, natural fibres.

The Costello seat, below, is an ergonomically designed prototype seat. Its form creates a mosaic of cross-laminated bamboo which highlights the exotic nature of the material.

The Abbott lamp is a bamboo veneer shade which emits a warm natural glow in any space it illuminates. The structural frame is produced from cross-laminated bamboo and all components are flat-packable for easy erection. The lamp also incorporates energy-efficient bulbs and universal electronic ballasts.

The ZEDfactory

2007-07-01T18:54:00.001+10:00

Bill Dunster Architects is the ZEDfactory. They have been around since the late 1990's specialising in Zero fossil Energy Developments (hence the ZED in ZEDfactory). We have had an interest in their work since they first really came to everyones attention in 2002 when they completed the highly acclaimed BedZED (above) for the Peabody Housing trust in Surrey UK. At the time it was the UK's largest carbon neutral eco community.

Their recently completed Jubilee Wharf project in Cornwall (above and below) is another fine example of a carbon neutral eco community containing homes, workshops, bar/cafe, offices and a nursery.

The project features a wood pellet boiler and 4 wind turbines. The wind turbines will generate most of the expected electrical demand, whilst all the space heating and hot water will be met by solar thermal and the wood pellet boiler. The project also used local, reclaimed or recycled materials wherever possible.
The business plan for the ZEDfactory also extends beyond design services and includes ZEDprojects, sustainable property development, and ZEDfabric, a supply chain management system designed to procure products and components for the sustainable building industry that aren't readily available or cost effective at this stage.

via FUTURE HOUSE NOW

Solar products keep getting better

2007-07-01T12:22:00.001+10:00

Heliotube is a new sun tracking form of solar panel due for release this year by Solient Energy. The Helio tude uses 88% less PV cells than a traditional PV solar panel and replaces them with more cost effective optics that concentrate the sun onto smaller PV cells. The obvious upside of this is that the cost of solar panels will come down.

Further maximising the panels potential, it has a built in tracking system that rotates the collectors to follow the sun, as apposed to the majority of tracking systems that rotate the entire panel to track the sun.

On top of all this, the panels look good and are a vast improvement on the aesthetics of the majority on the market.

They are due for release in commercial application this year, with residential due in 2008.

Via FUTURE HOUSE NOW

The beach shack is back

2007-07-01T11:35:00.000+10:00

Whilst we are talking about plywood houses, we thought it was important to talk about a house we haven't blogged about before, The Parish House on the Central Coast of NSW.

Conceived by Jeremy Edmiston and Douglas Gauthier of SYSTEMarchitects in New York in collaboration with Robin Edmiston and Associates in Australia. The Parish House, or Burst 003 as they call it, is built entirely from laser cut plywood pieces.

Burst is a kit house with a difference, steer ring prefabrication towards product design and manufacturing. According to SYSTEMarchitects, it is a prototype of a prefabricated, affordable housing system that they plan to launch in the American market called “Burst”.

The plywood was laser cut to produce 1,100 nonidentical plywood pieces, each cut, drilled, and etched to determine its location in the house. These arrived flat-packed in on site, where a team of 12 students from the architecture program at nearby Newcastle University was prepped for a fast-build process that the architects likened to a barn raising.

The frame came together in three weeks, built initially atop a scaffolding platform, and then lowered into place on the footings. The project was delayed, however, when SYSTEM determined that a large amount of additional blocking and cross-bracing was needed to support the structure. This, along with the general prototype nature of the project, blew the budget out by 100%, final cost around $250,000.

To add further credibility to the project, it was joint awarded the Wilkinson Award last year by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, their highest award for residential architecture.

Structural support for house frame above.

Internal shot showing the plywood panels

The flatpack shelter

2007-07-01T11:03:00.001+10:00

Gregg Fleishman is an Los Angeles based architect, designer, artist and inventor who is driven by a desire to make building easier. His two flat pack shelters, Shelter system 01 (above) and DH1 Disaster Housing (below) are good examples of his approach to simplicity in construction.
They are both made from sustainable European birch plywood with phenolic resin finish both sides. The structures are router cut from sheet plywood making them easy to ship and transport. They assemble without any fasteners, by using integral slots and notches, even employing wood springs and wood hinges. To complete the structures, some form of weatherproof covering such as canvas is required externally.

Spanish wind power - an example to follow

2007-06-30T21:19:00.001+10:00

Spain now ranks as the world's second biggest producer of wind energy after Germany and is a front runner in other renewable energies including solar power and bio fuels. Because of this, Spanish energy companies have become world leaders in terms of global investment, installed capacity and technological innovation.

A case in point was March 20 this year. A typically windy day for most people, but for the Spain's renewable energy sector it was an unforgettable day when favourable gusts from the Atlantic increased wind energy production to a new record.

Spain's wind turbines produced 8,375 megawatts of power, representing 27 per cent of the countries total electricity. Just over 72 per cent of the country's total installed wind capacity of 11,500MW was pumping power into the national grid. The savings in terms of imported coal and gas along with the reduced CO2 emissions would have been significant.

An important factor in the growth of renewables has been Spain's early adoption, in common with Germany, of tariff premiums. The system provides renewable producers with a guarantee that all the electricity they produce will be purchased by distribution companies at different premiums over the market price depending on the type of renewable energy involved. By offering producers an attractive return and providing a guarantee of stable income for them to raise bank finance, the system has encouraged big investments and resulted in remarkable growth, particularly in wind energy.

Why the Australian Government struggles to come to terms with the enormous impact that renewable energy can have on the energy supply mix remains a mystery to us. With Australia's climatic variations the options for solar and wind are enormous.

via Treehugger, FT

Clapham London meets Villa Mairea

2007-06-30T17:22:00.000+10:00

The Tree House in Clapham London (above) is one of the most sustainable houses recently completed in London. Inspired by Alvar Aalto's Villa Mairea (below), the house takes the tree which occupies the site as an integral part of the design and works in sympathy with it. Conceived and owned by Will Anderson and designed by Constructive Individuals, the project has been a true labour of love.

The green credentials for the house include compressed newspaper insulation, the stairway supports are tree trunks, and the floors, window frames and cladding are make use of reclaimed timber.

The energy efficiency of the house is such that the house uses one seventh of an average house's energy and generates all its power on site. Heat is created through a ground source heat pump, electricity and hot water from the solar panels on the roof, and to date Will has not received a utility bill.

The project has been of such interest in the UK that it featured in a Guardian Newspaper video on the house of the future.

Worlds first commercial current tidal power system

2007-06-26T21:34:00.000+10:00

Marine Current Turbines (MCT) from the UK has just announced that the installation of their SeaGen tidal energy system will commence on 20th August this year. The SeaGen will be the world largest ever tidal current energy system and will generate 1.2MW of clean energy for approximately 1000 homes. It is a prototype for commercial technology that can be replicated on a larger scale.

The Managing Director of MCT, Martin Wright, says they intend to develop a 10MW farm in the UK within the next few years. With the right funding and regulatory framework, Martin Wright believes that 500MW will be possible by 2015.

With the right environmental controls in place, this has got to be another sensible renewable energy option.

Building thermal mass into lightweight buildings

2007-06-26T21:16:00.001+10:00

Energain is a new product from DuPont that introduces a new concept in thermal mass to lightweight buildings built from framed timber, steel or aluminium construction.

DuPont Energain is an aluminium-laminated panel, containing a co-polymer and paraffin wax compound. Installed on the interior walls and ceilings of a building, behind the plasterboard lining, together with a mechanical ventilation system, the Energain thermal mass panels absorb and release heat, as a result of temperature fluctuations, which cause the compound to react, bringing about a 'phase change' at molecular level.

Energain significantly slows down temperature increases within a room, reducing temperature peaks by as much as 7°C, providing greater comfort levels and lessening the need for air conditioning. Conversely, as temperatures drop, the absorbed heat in the panels is released, warming rooms and lessening the need to use heating systems.

They have a great video online that demonstrates clearly how the product works and its benefits.

I don't think it is available in Australia yet, but lets hope so soon.

QUON modern modular prefab

2007-06-20T16:49:00.000+10:00

QUON Modular is the prefab housing work of Australian Architect Andrew Maynard. Fabrication has commenced on his first project in Borogrove, Victoria, so this is the real deal.

QUON is based on a system of breaking a house down into modules for each living activity in the house, multipurpose module, bedroom module, bathroom module etc. A house can then be custom designed to suit a clients requirements with as many modules as required and configured to suit the site, orientation and topography.

The QUON website claims the modules average a 6 star energy rating, about as good as it gets at the moment. The actual project they are fabricating in Victoria is claimed to achieve just under 8 stars, putting it up there with worlds best practice.

Helping you choose green energy...

2007-06-20T12:46:00.002+10:00

For anyone who has looked into it, deciding to switch to a green electricity supplier is a mire of complex and difficult choices. Accredited or not accredited, solar or wind or hydro or a combination, 10% through to 100% green power, these are just some of the options that will present themselves to you. Where do you start?

Green Electricity Watch was established in 2002 by Australian environment groups to help consumers choose those products that made the most difference to Australia's and their own greenhouse gas emissions.

Their website is a fantastic resource with easy to read and understand information to help people make informed choices. They recently released their 2006 Green Electricity Watch report which has surveyed the 44 green energy products currently on offer in Australia. This is must read for anyone contemplating changing over to green electricity.

We recently switched both our office and home over to Origin Energy's 100% accredited wind green energy. We found their report invaluable in helping us make the right decision.

Our tip is, always look out for the Green Power logo, this is your guarantee that what you are buying is actually green power.

New 'green' magazine launched

2007-06-20T12:09:00.001+10:00

A new quarterly magazine on sustainable architecture and landscape design has just been released. The magazine aptly titled 'green', targets the growing number of homeowners demanding information and inspiration on sustainable architecture and landscape design.

First edition is on sale from June 8. Their website is also worth a look, although it doesn't have much content at this stage it has the making of a good resource.

FSC launches in Australia

2007-06-20T11:54:00.001+10:00

The Forest Stewarship Council (FSC) officially launched in Australia in March 2007.

For those who aren't aware, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international network that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests.

According to their website : "Responsible Forest Management Australia Limited (RFMA) trades as FSC Australia and its mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests in Australia and countries supplying the Australian forest products market"

This is great news, the forests of Australia have needed an international defender for some time and with the weight of the FSC finally arriving, we have a group that will keep both the Government and Forestry Industry honest. As their logos says "because forests matter".

The UK's first new zero carbon house

2007-06-17T21:38:00.001+10:00

OFFSITE 2007 is a recent event in the UK which explored how modern construction and advanced technologies are coming together to deliver higher performing, more sustainable and smarter housing. OFFSITE was also a showcase for the UK's Governments new Code for Sustainable Homes. The new standard is voluntary at this stage, but the bigger picture is for the UK to head towards zero carbon emitting housing by 2016.

One of the houses at the event is being lauded as the UK's first zero carbon emission house. The Lighthouse designed by Sheppard Robson and built using the Kingspan Off-Site TEK system of SIP panels.

The green credentials of the house include solar panels (2), rainwater harvesting, biomass boiler (4), plenty of natural light and a windcatcher for ventilation (1). Sustainable materials are used where practicable and the design maximises the feeling of space from a small footprint.

Nu-lok roofing system solar panels

2007-06-17T20:41:00.001+10:00

A solar panel installation on your roof is not normally an aesthetic highlight. The solar panel installation is typically a collection of large bulky square or rectangular panels collected on top of the existing roofing material.

The Nu-lok roofing system is designed to bring modern installation methods to traditional slate roofing. They have recently introduced a PV solar panel system that blends seamlessly into their roofing, without any of the bulky panels.

The installation looks great and not like some sort of bolted on after thought.

Valchromat coloured panel

2007-06-17T18:26:00.000+10:00

Valchromat is a new board product made from natural dyed wood fibre. A low VOC resin is used to bind together timber waste product to create a panel of uniform colour throughout.

The panel is available in six colours and its uses are only limited by your imagination. Uses could include benchtops or table tops, cabinetry, wall panels or even ceiling panels.