Sustainable Design
Window of opportunity: Costing the benefits of bushfire design
Almost a decade since Black Saturday and the subsequent introduction of Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) ratings, many people are still grappling with this aspect of the building regulations. Building designer Dick Clarke unpacks his experiences with the standard, and suggests ways to improve its workability.
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Building materials
Fair dinkum wood: Locally sourced ecologically sustainable timber
CERES Fair Wood has established itself as an honest broker, linking people seeking environmentally and socially responsible timber with small local farm foresters and salvage sawmillers who can struggle to find a market for their resource. While still small in scale, could this social enterprise’s local ‘chain of custody’ approach become a new model for sustainably sourced timber?
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House profiles
Cradle to cradle
Thanks to the choice of materials and construction techniques, this comfortable family house in western Victoria is almost entirely recyclable.
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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News
Advocating for sustainable housing
Anne Martinelli is Renew's new Sustainable Housing Advocate. Anne is in charge of advocacy for sustainable housing policy.
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News & events
Renew 145 out now – check out our new look!
Find all the info you need on optimising your water tank, waterwise gardening, stormwater reuse plus read more about a beautiful wetland. Get your copy now - free shipping in October.
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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.
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Renewable grid
100% renewable grid: just how feasible is it?
With ongoing discussion by government and media about the effect of renewables on the grid, Renew’s Andrew Reddaway and Damien Moyse consider the feasibility of 100% renewables for Australia.
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Design advice
Ideas & Advice
Finding your tribe: Navigating the owner-builder journey
Experienced owner-builder Megan Waru from Home Base explains how to get started, and the importance of like-minded support networks.
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Building materials
Hemp, hemp masonry and hempcrete
Why hemp is gaining recognition as a high-performance, low-impact and contemporary building product. Dick Clarke explains why.
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Sustainable Design
Choosing an architect
How a good architect can work with you to create a great design that is inspiring, meets your needs and is mindful of your budget.
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Sustainable design events
In focus
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.
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Energy & appliances
Solar sizing latest: ‘Go big’ with your PV system
Wondering what size solar photovoltaic system to install? The latest ATA modelling shows that bigger is better, even if you don’t use much electricity.
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In focus
Build without skip bins
Owner-builder Greg O’Byrne found he could all but eliminate landfill and even went without a skip bin when constructing his sustainable home.
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House profiles
Shedding light
Passive solar, 8.8 Stars and tucked neatly into the backyard in place of the original shed, this light-filled secondary dwelling on Sydney’s North Shore is an exemplar of sustainable downsizing.
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House profiles
Cradle to cradle
Thanks to the choice of materials and construction techniques, this comfortable family house in western Victoria is almost entirely recyclable.
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House profiles
A bold experiment
Having built one climate-ready house on an ideal site, this couple set out to prove they could achieve great ‘Mark II’ results on a poorly oriented block within an affordable budget.
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