Ideas & Advice Archives

On the verge

Public meets private in that space between front fences and the road, which makes verge gardens a contested but exciting frontier for sustainable landscape design.

Sustainable Design

Natural connectors: Biophilic design takes root

Bringing nature into our homes and building designs is shown to improve our health and wellbeing – so it’s little wonder leading sustainable designers are integrating natural systems into residential architecture and landscaping in Australia.

Outdoors

Getting rainwater collection right

During the millennium drought many people installed water tanks for the first time. Ten years on, as we face drought again, what more do we know about the best ways to optimise rainwater collection for your site?

Sustainable Design

Mind the gaps: Passive House from the inside

Certified Passive House is gaining traction in Australia, especially with sustainable designers and builders. But why are people embracing a voluntary building standard, and what does it offer that passive solar design does not?

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Energy & appliances

Case study: Energy renovation

Retrofitting a 0.8 Star brick veneer unit to achieve an 8.4 Star rating proved to be a savvy investment in energy efficiency and better health.

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