Sanctuary Issue 47

Issue highlights

  • Material stories from six outstanding sustainable homes
  • Cladding – how to get it right
  • Upswitch your lighting
  • Upcycled glasshouses: 5 stunning conservatories and greenhouses
  • Next level glamping – 7 tent-inspired getaways
  • Do you need MVHR (mechanical ventilation with heat recovery)?

House profiles

Tune up
A U-shaped house on a tight Gold Coast block optimises privacy and creates secluded spaces to sit, depending on the sun and season.

Urban lifecycle
Sustainably sourced materials meet passive solar design in the custom renovation and extension of a period Melbourne cottage

Raw materials
Raw and prefinished materials are used with great effect for a contemporary farmhouse near Margaret River.

An uplifting prospect
An exceptional block of land called for a special kind of home, and that’s what architect Brian Steendyk delivered at Bellbird Retreat in rural Queensland.

Elevated thinking
A compact family home is a striking anomaly in Perth’s beachside Coogee, where the trend is towards ever-larger houses on shrinking lot sizes.

Testing ground
Experimenting with hempcrete for a flexible studio has helped owner-builders finetune their design for a future family home.

Glorifying tents
Sustainable architects are drawing inspiration from age-old tent designs – including Moroccan Berber and classic pitched scout tents – and the results are spectacular.

Design features

Cladding: getting it right
What you should be considering when choosing the cladding for your sustainable home or renovation.

Upcycled glasshouses
Inside five home conservatories built using reclaimed materials, including single glazing.

Materials frontier
Dick Clarke uncovers new composites that reduce carbon, interrupt waste streams and reassemble themselves.

Deconstruction: From waste to product
How inventor Veena Sahajwalla is designing waste out of the economy.

Light saviours
Three lighting experts provide rescue remedies for poor lighting design.

Airtight design meets MVHR
Jenny Edwards explains when mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is really needed.

Buyer (still) beware
We have a new building code, so why are consumers still being short-changed?

Design workshop: Making space for family and friends
Paul Worroll of Reddog Architects suggests an alternative pavilion renovation idea for a 1950s brick home.