Sanctuary 75 out now: Renovation & retrofit special

Bring on the retrofit revolution! In Sanctuary 75, we turn the spotlight on renovations and retrofits, for eco homes without starting over.

As architect Sarah Lebner says in our feature article, “retrofitting Australia’s existing homes is one of the most important opportunities we have to improve comfort, reduce energy use and respond to climate change.” She and two other members of the Sustainable Builders Alliance share their insights and advice on retaining and transforming existing houses into comfortable, climate-resilient sanctuaries.

We visit Wilam Ngarrang, a visionary retrofit to a 1970s apartment block, delivering improved amenity and reduced energy use and demonstrating what can be done in this space. There is also a rental home that was a reuse project from the beginning: a cottage was relocated for use as a secondary dwelling, then – years later – renovated to Passive House standard. Other profiled projects include the home of a Canberra family who changed their mind on their new-build ‘dream home’, instead lovingly rejuvenating a 140-year-old house and taking it from near zero to 6.7 Stars. In Brisbane, a character-filled house was judiciously extended to cater better for modern family life, and in Newcastle, a family opted to downsize rather than upsize: their pared-back extension to their tiny cottage on a tight site is aimed at ensuring daily life is connected to the elements. And in On the drawing board, architects Julie Borgelt and Deb Craig describe a project that saw a disused garage converted to a tiny beachside retreat.

Take a look inside Sanctuary 75

Alongside the reno projects, we showcase two beautiful new builds too: a modest yet satisfying 8.4-Star family home on a small Perth block, and the finely detailed Gold Creek House, nestled into the bush west of Brisbane. Also in this issue, Rachel Rose continues her series on indoor air quality, looking at volatile organic compounds and particulates and how to avoid them. Fiona Gray muses on the benefits of slow architecture. The team at Enfold Architecture help willing homeowners upgrade their Canberra rental property for greater flexibility and liveability for their tenants, and Jane Hilliard offers a guide to the important considerations when you’re choosing a block of land. We hope you love it.

Sanctuary 75 is arriving in subscribers’ letterboxes and on sale in newsagents now. You can buy a copy here, and if you haven’t already, subscribe to get every issue delivered. 

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