House profiles
Flood-fast
With living zones above the high water level and water-resistant materials below, this small house and studio in flood-prone Newcastle provides flexible, comfortable and climate-resilient living for three generations of a family.
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House profiles
Renovated delight
This family’s desire for a rich indoor-outdoor lifestyle and love of recycled and reclaimed materials characterise their sustainable renovation in Launceston, Tasmania.
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Ideas & Advice
Better together: exploring collaborative housing in Australia
From a couple of households to large ecovillages with a raft of shared facilities, collaborative housing projects come in many sizes and types, but they all offer the social, financial and environmental benefits of sharing resources and building community. We look at what’s involved in setting one up, and get advice from people around the country already doing it.
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On the drawing board
On the drawing board: Passive House meets multi-residential
The Fern serviced apartments in Sydney’s Redfern are the first Passive House-certified apartments in the southern hemisphere. Architect Oliver Steele explains why he chose this approach for the project, the challenges they faced and what they learned about the potential of Passive House principles for delivering more sustainable multi-residential buildings.
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House profiles
Fair share
When Deb Shand downsized to her comfortable new eco home in central Victoria, she got a ready-made sustainability-minded community too.
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Building a 'suburban beach house'
Watch our webinar with building scientist Jenny Edwards of Light House Architecture and Science, whose Canberra house is featured in Sanctuary 50. We hear about how she and her partner achieved a high-performing family home on a budget, using standard materials, a modular design approach and careful attention to detail. Subscribe to Renew on YouTube to keep up with our future videos.
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Research
Evaluating The Cape
Research by Renew alongside RMIT looked at the performance of highly efficient homes built in the eco-village at Cape Paterson, Vic pre- and post-occupancy. The research includes interviews with occupants as well as analysis of energy use and home temperatures.
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News
Sustainable New Year’s Resolutions for 2020
This year, why not make a resolution to alter your impact on the world and environment at large?
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Research
The Value of Higher Efficiency Homes
The rise of rooftop solar, high efficiency electric technology and low cost thermal efficiency can lead to substantial energy and financial savings for new homes.
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Submission
Consumers speak up on new building standards
Renew and our community partners have responded to options for efficiency improvements for new homes
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Ideas and advice
On the drawing board
On the drawing board: Passive House meets multi-residential
The Fern serviced apartments in Sydney’s Redfern are the first Passive House-certified apartments in the southern hemisphere. Architect Oliver Steele explains why he chose this approach for the project, the challenges they faced and what they learned about the potential of Passive House principles for delivering more sustainable multi-residential buildings.
Read more
Ideas & Advice
Better together: exploring collaborative housing in Australia
From a couple of households to large ecovillages with a raft of shared facilities, collaborative housing projects come in many sizes and types, but they all offer the social, financial and environmental benefits of sharing resources and building community. We look at what’s involved in setting one up, and get advice from people around the country already doing it.
Read more
Ideas & Advice
Ask our experts: Life cycle analysis
The Architects Declare Australia movement, launched last year in response to the growing climate emergency (see Sanctuary 49), now has nearly 900 signatories. One of the commitments is the inclusion of life cycle analysis to measure and reduce the carbon impact of design and construction projects; we asked Clinton Cole of Sydney’s CplusC Architectural Workshop to explain what his practice is doing to contribute to positive change in this area in alignment with their pledge.
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Sustainable design events
Design workshop
Ideas & Advice
Design workshop: Down by the river
Having lived in their beloved riverside suburb of Melbourne for ten years, Rowan Doyle and Fiona Cock are planning an updated, more flood-resilient home to accommodate changing family needs. They are interested in prefabrication and Passive House; Sven Maxa of Maxa Design is knowledgeable about both, and gives them some pointers.
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Design workshop
Design workshop: new house from the old
On Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Lisa Hartmann and Kurt Weinert are planning to deconstruct their ageing, inefficient house and use the materials to build a sustainable new family home. Experienced in the use of recycled materials, Peter McArdle of ptma Architecture gives the couple some pointers.
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Design workshop
Design Workshop: Garage to granny flat
Alicia Brown and Marc Horler are planning to retrofit the red brick garage in their backyard as a temporary living space for their family during house renovations, with an eye to creating a useful ‘granny flat’ for the future too. Building designer Elizabeth Wheeler of Future Focused advises them on a workable layout and what they can achieve with their budget while complying with local regulations.
Read moreMore house profiles
House profiles
Fair share
When Deb Shand downsized to her comfortable new eco home in central Victoria, she got a ready-made sustainability-minded community too.
Read more
House profiles
Renovated delight
This family’s desire for a rich indoor-outdoor lifestyle and love of recycled and reclaimed materials characterise their sustainable renovation in Launceston, Tasmania.
Read more
House profiles
Flood-fast
With living zones above the high water level and water-resistant materials below, this small house and studio in flood-prone Newcastle provides flexible, comfortable and climate-resilient living for three generations of a family.
Read more