New build
Forest friendly
Discover how a surprisingly curvilinear home in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges achieved a 7.4 Star rating without heavy lifting from thermal mass.
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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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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.
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
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.
Read more
News
Advocating for sustainable housing
Anne Martinelli is Renew's new Sustainable Housing Advocate, in charge of advocacy for sustainable housing policy.
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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 moreIn 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.
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Sustainable design events
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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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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Renovation
About face
This mountain home demonstrates how you can achieve thermal comfort and energy efficiency despite being oriented to the east and unaided by thermal mass.
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House profiles
Hilltop hood
Built on an Adelaide Hills block no one else wanted, a small house draws on big design thinking to overcome several major site constraints.
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