House profiles
Back to basics
Good design need not be expensive – as architect Andrew Kerr demonstrates with his Tassie ‘apple crate shack’ built to 7.1 Stars on a $100k budget.
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Sanctuary: modern green homes is Australia's premier magazine dedicated to sustainable house design.
Renovation
Passive resistance
A heritage house in Melbourne’s inner east has collected two major sustainability awards, just as a new report highlights the need for existing houses to be retrofitted to tackle climate change.
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Sustainable Design
Natural connectors: Biophilic design takes root
Bringing nature into our homes and building designs is shown to improve our health and wellbeing – so it’s little wonder leading sustainable designers are integrating natural systems into residential architecture and landscaping in Australia.
Read moreScenes from Sustainable House Day
How do you build or renovate a home for comfort and low bills? A record 33,000 people had such questions on their minds when they visited 226 exceptional sustainable homes open across Australia on Sustainable House Day 2018, held on Sunday, 16 September. Watch our video to see what these attendees in Western Australia got out of the day.
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Buyers guides
Cooling buyers guide: active cooling
Renew magazine's cooling buyers guide gives you all the info on effective shading, ventilation, fans and efficient air conditioning.
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News
Backdown on energy standards will hurt
Renew is disappointed at the deferral of a decision to raise the energy performance standards for Australian homes.
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News
Sanctuary 45: A house for $100k
Sanctuary 45 is here and is our experimental issue, full of designs that play with shape, budget, site and style.
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Research
All-electric solar homes save thousands over gas: report
New homes that are all-electric and have solar power will save their owners thousands of dollars according to a new report by Renew.
Read moreDesign advice
Sustainable Design
On the verge
Public meets private in that space between front fences and the road, which makes verge gardens a contested but exciting frontier for sustainable landscape design.
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Sustainable Design
Natural connectors: Biophilic design takes root
Bringing nature into our homes and building designs is shown to improve our health and wellbeing – so it’s little wonder leading sustainable designers are integrating natural systems into residential architecture and landscaping in Australia.
Read more
Outdoors
Getting rainwater collection right
During the millennium drought many people installed water tanks for the first time. Ten years on, as we face drought again, what more do we know about the best ways to optimise rainwater collection for your site?
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Sustainable design events
In focus
In focus
Get the most from your solar PV for summer cooling
Cooling your house using your rooftop solar system requires a bit of thought and planning, but when you get it right, the savings can be well worth it.
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In focus
Price is right: Is the market finally ready for energy-efficient design?
At Sanctuary we often hear from people struggling to build energy-efficient homes, without paying through the nose. We quiz trailblazing businesses on how they are delivering quality at affordable prices, and what they’re doing that’s different to the rest.
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In focus
Star-stuck? How to make the most of house energy ratings
House energy ratings are critically important for improving the quality and comfort of Australian homes – and yet many of us don’t really understand them. We look at the way ratings work in practice and how to interpret their documentation.
Read moreMore house profiles
House profiles
Back to basics
Good design need not be expensive – as architect Andrew Kerr demonstrates with his Tassie ‘apple crate shack’ built to 7.1 Stars on a $100k budget.
Read more
House profiles
Island off-grid
Fitted with a modern take on punkah fans and the latest in battery tech, an experimental off-grid house on South Stradbroke Island is the result of a dynamic collaboration between architects Tim Bennetton and Gabriel Poole.
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New build
Rising from the earth
Traditional local materials and an innovative spiral design with a green roof combine to offer a simple, sustainable lifestyle for this tree-changing family in Japan.
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