Ideas & Advice
On the drawing board: Testing out 10 Stars
What does it look like to aim for the top of the Star rating scale, and can it be done without costing an arm and a leg? Builder Craig Riddle set out to design and build a very high-performing house using iterative energy rating assessments, careful construction and standard, readily available materials.
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Ideas & Advice
A knotty issue: Responsibly sourced timber
While timber is a renewable resource, its harvesting is often associated with deforestation practices that are harmful to the environment. We look at the current state of sustainable timber in Australia, and how to make sure the wood you use for your build is as responsible as possible.
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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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On the drawing board
On the drawing board: Analysis of a bushfire loss
Late last year, a house designed by Dick Clarke of Envirotecture burnt to the ground in the Gospers Mountain bushfire. Dick investigates why the house burned, and what can be learned to help rebuild it and other houses in fire-prone areas so that it’s less likely to happen again.
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On the drawing board
On the drawing board: Nineties townhouse turnaround
Houses only 30 years old shouldn’t need major renovations. But many 1990s townhouses, often built cheaply and poorly insulated in this pre-energy ratings era, are not ageing well. Melbourne architect Ben Callery tackled one recently, demonstrating what can be done to turn these homes around.
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On the drawing board
On the drawing board: Of lovable, well-made things
Inaugurating our new series On the drawing board, architect Matt Elkan muses about beauty and quality in the built environment, how they contribute to longevity, and how an appreciation of both has informed his recent work.
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Ideas & Advice
A new solution to our waste crisis
Creating new materials from waste products is essential if we’re to solve the global recycling, waste and emissions crisis.
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Ideas & Advice
Materials frontier: Composites reforming the way we build
Sustainable designer Dick Clarke explains some of the new developments reshaping the way we build in Australia and around the world, including composite materials that reduce carbon, interrupt waste streams and even re-assemble themselves.
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Outdoors
Upcycled glasshouses
Are we in a new golden age of conservatories? Secondhand glazing is being given a new life as greenhouses – but far from being plant-only spaces, we visit five conservatories which double as cosy extra rooms for relaxation.
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Building materials
Thin skin: getting cladding right
Cladding has become controversial, but every building needs a skin. What should you consider when choosing cladding material?
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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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