News
Sanctuary 53 coming soon: Prefab and modular special
This issue, we profile a collection of sustainable homes that make the most of prefabricated and modular construction. We also look at retrofitting homes for bushfire resilience and present a roadmap for carbon zero homes, plus much more.
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Sanctuary: modern green homes is Australia's premier magazine dedicated to sustainable house design.
House profiles
More than a pretty face
A beautiful, modern Perth home on a tiny and challenging block shows that the Passive House standard can be achieved on a modest budget.
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House profiles
Positive energy home
This straightforward family home in the Gold Coast hinterland is the second 10-Star house the owners have built, fine-tuning their learnings to great effect.
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House profiles
A place of their own
For this family in coastal Victoria, a set of freely available sustainable home plans was the perfect solution to achieving a cost-effective and high-performing home.
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House profiles
Project home powerhouse
This Melbourne couple worked with their volume builder to improve the sustainability of their standard project home, achieving an energy-efficient and spacious 7.5-Star family home.
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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
Ideas & Advice
In the line of fire: Garden design to reduce the threat of bushfire
Increased risk of bushfire may be the new normal in many parts of Australia. Still, there are plenty of things you can do in your garden to give your house a better chance of survival if a fire does hit.
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Ideas & Advice
Closing the performance gap: Passive House for schools
Australian schools are underperforming in terms of energy efficiency and indoor environment quality. We talk to some architects who believe that the rigorous Passive House standard could help turn that around.
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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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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
Project home powerhouse
This Melbourne couple worked with their volume builder to improve the sustainability of their standard project home, achieving an energy-efficient and spacious 7.5-Star family home.
Read more
House profiles
More than a pretty face
A beautiful, modern Perth home on a tiny and challenging block shows that the Passive House standard can be achieved on a modest budget.
Read more
House profiles
A place of their own
For this family in coastal Victoria, a set of freely available sustainable home plans was the perfect solution to achieving a cost-effective and high-performing home.
Read more