 Sustainable living...
Sustainable Design - What is it?Over the ages mankind has built shelters suited to their unique environments using locally sourced materials and labour. Their living spaces were so thoughtfully designed that there would have never been need for artificial forms of cooling, heating and complex gadgetry if they had been available at the time. A strong local community was essential to survival hence homes were designed to enhance sociability, not to shut it out. Sustainable design is not a new concept but unfortunately it has become a forgotten one. As we have progressed technologically we have been excited by the emergence of new materials and systems designed to enable us to be able to build anywhere in any manner. Building materials can be transported anywhere in the world and mass production has passed on cost savings to the consumer – but what have we really saved? We are already discovering the reality of our planet running out of non-renewable resources due to mass utilisation of raw materials. An increase in health issues are becoming apparent across the population due to the presence of volatile organic compounds, heavy metals and other toxic compounds present many of the materials that make up our homes. Water, a resource that we have so readily squandered is fast becoming a precious commodity. In addition to these already present burdens, modern products are designed to have very limited life spans, increasing our ongoing replacement and maintenance costs. What we may have saved initially has been lost many times over economically, environmentally and socially. We have collectively, through misinformation, constructed a style of living that requires increasing energy input for lesser benefits. To regain our equilibrium, a sustainable lifestyle becomes no longer an alternative choice made by a brave few but is a necessity to create a livable and balanced future. So where do we go from here? We can start investing in our future through rethinking how our houses work. A home that utilises the free resources we already have, solar energy, prevailing breezes, natural shade cover and local vegetation to name a few is much more energy efficient, low impact and cost effective than a typical new house. The key to sustainable design is to integrate positive environmental, social and economic aspects into a conventional style of house. << back to top Why build or buy a sustainable house?There is only one answer to this question… to improve our current lifestyle and that of future generations. Building or purchasing a new home is usually the greatest financial commitment that we make in a lifetime so it is important to build or buy a home with which the style reflects our personality and taste. Up until now the “look” has been the determining factor when designing a house while sustainability has had little or no attention within this process. As a result most people in the Redlands live in homes that haven’t been designed to embrace the desirable climatic aspects of our natural environment. In fact most homes shut these desirables out requiring the installation of high-energy usage, expensive systems in order to re-create the comfortable living environment that would otherwise be easily achievable through sustainable design. Generally, people are only starting to be exposed to the fact that a thoughtfully designed home can not only be individually beautiful and comfortable, but affordable even to the first home-buyer The current reality is that the mounting cost of running high maintenance “systems” working against nature rather than with it has placed pressure on the hip pocket and, due to these high ongoing living costs we now have less resources than ever with which to relax and enjoy life. Living in a “closed” system reduces our social involvement and hence sense of belonging, a precursor to a society we don’t want… A society falling into discontectivity, insecurity and disfunctionality. To address our increasing decline in lifestyle and community, the Queensland Department of Housing has implemented the Smart Housing initiative, which promotes a “triple bottom line” approach to sustainable design. The three key aspects of a sustainably designed home are to promote safe, happy and functional communities, to minimise environmental impact and for homes to be economically viable both initially and long term. Building a home using the “triple bottom line” approach not only saves our precious resources and finances but also provides a more appealing and comfortable local living environment. << back to top The Sustainable Design ProcessTo build a truly sustainable home needs to be passively designed, that is design that does not require the installation of artificial heating and cooling systems. Thermal comfort is gained by utilising the natural energy systems of the local environment. Clever orientation of the home on the chosen building site is paramount to maximising passive cooling and passive solar heating. Passive solar heating is simply achieved by designing the home to keep the summer sun out and to let the winter sun in. Dense materials such as concrete or bricks can be used in appropriate areas of the home to absorb, and re-release energy by moderating daily temperature extremes. Passive cooling is achieved by selecting appropriate insulation and glazing products to suit the local climate. Cooling can also be achieved through landscape buffer zones designed to shade those parts of the home that are exposed to undesirable climatic elements. Even a thoughtfully placed water-feature can further cool both indoor and outdoor areas. It is imperative the home is designed for the local climate and climatic changes. For example in the warm humid subtropical Redlands environment, summer cooling is further enhanced by capturing prevailing sea breezes through a design that encourages cross-ventilation and multiple breezeways. Importantly a sustainable home is also designed to reduce water demand by adding rainwater collection devices, water re-use facilities and the simple installation of AAA rated showerheads and taps. Maximising natural lighting through passively designed spaces and the addition of skylights in dark areas can reduce energy demand. The installation of efficient and cost effective compact fluorescent bulbs in preference to typical incandescent lamps will not only reduce greenhouse emissions but will also save you money. << back to top The Sustainable Building ProcessIn the past the construction industry has been responsible for consuming large amounts of non-renewable resources, generating toxic waste products, causing erosion and the pollution of catchments and waterways leading to reduced bio-diversity. Now the building industry is starting to rethink the way in which it approaches construction in order to assist in preserving and improving our environment. There are measures which builders can take to control and minimise the damaging results of construction, with great benefit to the community. These benefits include improving the health of our local aquatic and marine systems, improved water quality, reduced rubbish, increased protection of recreational fishing zones and reduced stormwater pollution. Some of the ways these benefits can be achieved are through the control of dust and litter during the excavation phase, limitation of site disturbance when entering and leaving the property by construction of a stabilised entry/exit point, use of sediment fencing, on-site storage of building waste, reduced consumption of building materials and the use of locally sourced products. << back to top Sustainability in the RedlandsThe Redland Shire forms part of the booming area of SouthEast Queensland and is nestled along the coastline of Moreton Bay. The region covers an area of 539 square kilometres and includes more than 50km of coastline and numerous islands, some of which are habitated. Redland Shire has grown to be a satellite of the much larger Brisbane environment. Over 60% of the population commute outside of the Shire to work, shopping and recreation. A constrained urban footprint and traditionally tight land ownership have seen dramatically increased land prices. Notwithstanding this, the Redland Shire continues to be among the fastest growing areas in Queensland. However, this growth is not balanced. It is overly represented in elderly/retirees and under-represented in the 20–35 age group. This is due to a lack of employment, services and affordability. We can address this imbalance by constructing cleverly designed, flexible and affordable sustainable project homes that are cost effective long-term. << back to top |
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