Ideas & Advice Archives

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.

Outdoors

Treat your site right

If you protect, rather than neglect, your soil and vegetation you’ll reap the rewards in your new garden, writes landscape designer Michael Tanner.

Sustainable Design

The rise of the courtyard

As courtyards replace backyards as the primary outdoor space, architect Marie Carrel explains how they are best designed to maintain liveability.

Building materials

Changing phase: Are PCMs living up to their promise?

Richard Keech considers why you might choose to use phase change materials (PCMs)

Interiors

Stairs with flair

The humble staircase can do far more than provide access to your second floor. Stairs can fulfil multiple purposes from storage and thermal regulation to design feature or just sheer fun.

Subscribe to Sanctuary magazine