Above is a near complete progress shot of the front of the house. Painting is complete and the external paving and retaining works are underway. Note the photovoltaic panels just poking above the higher roof.


The house has many sustainable features and the rear wall of the house is the 'engine room' for most of them. In the image above from left to right:

• To the very left is the 23,000 litre rainwater storage tank. This tank provides all of the potable water needs for the house, ie; drinking, cooking and showering water.
• The vertical white rectangular box is the gas heating unit for the underfloor hydronic heating system
• Next is the white vertical 'tube' which is the first flush system for the rainwater tank. A first flush system diverts the first flush of each rainfall away from the rainwater storage tank preventing any dust, silt or contaminants from making it into the houses water supply
• The next three matching 'boxes' are the greywater recycling system. This system takes greywater from showers, basins and the washing machine and cleans and recycles it for re-use within the house for flushing toilets and back to the washing machine. It is also used for watering gardens and lawns
• The next two items are part of the solar hot water system. On the ground is the hot water storage tank and on the wall is the gas heating booster which is used when there is insufficient sun to provide the solar heating for the hot water.
• And finally on the ground is the start of the installation of the pumping system for sending the rainwater through out the house.
  

Above is a progress photo of the front/North of the house with all of the external cladding completed.

Keeping the summer solar heat gain out of large north facing windows can be a problem. We love providing lots of natural light into houses but are very conscious of the heat gain issues large areas of glass create. Even with high performance Low E glass, solar heat gain in summer can be a problem.

To manage this, we install retractable external venetian louvre blinds to the windows. When retracted the blinds are hidden in a pelmet box over the windows as you can see in the image above.

The blinds operate through a range of positions from being totally closed and providing full sun shading, to open 90 degrees to allow for increased light but still providing partial shading, right through to totally open as per the image above.


The internal fixout and joinery is well underway, as you can see from the image above the kitchen has been installed.

Achieving an eco-friendly kitchen is about choices of materials, products and appliances.

For the cupboards we have used sustainably forested and harvested Hoop Pine plywood, and for the island bench breakfast bar we have used solid reclaimed Spotted Gum. Wherever possible we prefer to avoid the use of manufactured board products such as MDF or particleboard, many of these products are very high in formaldehyde emissions, as well as contributing to the wood chipping and pulping of native forests.

The dishwasher and kitchen mixer tap are 4 star water efficiency rated and the electrical appliances are all 4 star energy rated. In our opinion 4 star energy and water efficiency is the minimum that anyone should settle for. The cost premium for this level of appliance is so minor compared to the water an energy saving over, say a two star rated appliance.


Heat trapped at the top of a room between the head of the door and the ceiling is a major contributor rooms heating up in summer. Even with good cross ventilation, if there is no way for this trapped heat to escape, then it will stay in the room.

The way we deal with this is by installing a small bank if timber louvres over each door, which can be opened or closed depending on the requirement to heat or cool a room. In the image above, the louvres can be seen over the two bedroom doors. Once the louvres are open, the trapped heat is free to continue on its breeze path and maintain full cross ventilation.

The strange thing about this, is that this sort of installation is a not a new concept. Victorian houses has openable highlight windows over many of their internal doors. What we don't understand is at what point did such a great idea disappear from standard construction?

We have commenced internal painting and are using Natural Paint from Murobond. We feel the name says it all. The paint contains milk, egg white, vinegar and linseed oil to name but a few ingredients which are all natural, bio-degradable and from renewable resources. NO petrochemicals or heavy metals can be seen. Beats me why anyone would use anything else but natural bio paints.

Good for your health and good for the earth.

Unfortunately when choosing to use a hardwood in their home, most people are not aware of the environmental issues associated with that choice. Although any tree that is cut down for timber can be replaced with another newly planted tree, most Australian hardwoods are slow growing and a lot of the timber that you may get from a timber yard could be from a tree 50 years old. There has been so much logging of old growth forests carried out in Australia over the years that we really are getting to the point where we should think about stopping.

Making the right sustainable choice for hardwood IS hard. As a minimum, if you are obtaining new timber, look for timber that has some from of chain of custody accreditation, such as FSC.

OR do what we do.

We only used reclaimed or recycled timbers.

The image above is of some Red Ironbark stair treads that were salvaged from a warehouse in Sydney.

Below are some recycled Bluegum posts and beams being used for some external pergolas and verandas.




Not only is reclaimed and recycled timber a very sustainable choice, it is also a much better timber. Newly logged timber is high in moisture and therefore very unstable. To reduce the moisture content in the timber, it is force dried in kilns to dry out and reduce the moisture content down to a stable level. The problem with such forced drying is that the timber is still prone to warping, cupping and twisting as it re-adjusts to it's new environment.

With recycled or reclaimed timber, because it is so old, it has dried out naturally and is a very stable timber.

Below is some more recycled Bluegum which has been used as feature wall cladding at the entry to the house.
Below is another progress photo of the front, or North of the house.


Keeping cool in summer is critical to a well designed green building, particularly when looking to avoid air conditioning.

To achieve this, cross ventilation and ventilation control is the key.

We find that louvre windows such as the one above below are the best way to achieve fine control over the amount of ventilation required.

Louvre windows are the only windows that allow you to open a window a full 100% for maximum cross ventilation of to feather that back to a fine opening of only 2% to ensure fresh air supply.

They look good, provide uninterrupted vision because there are no framing members and are very secure.

The old loose and rattly louvres of the 50's are a thing of the past. The louvres currently available seal so well that they are cyclone rated.

As one can see from the image above, things are progressing along nicely. The external Fibre Cement cladding is nearing completion to the first floor, all windows are installed and some internal works have commenced. On the second floor roof a photo voltaic solar array is just visible above the roof sheeting.

The solar array, below, is a grid connected 3 kW system which we believe should look after all of the household power needs, making the house a genuine zero carbon or carbon neutral house.
The panels have perfect due north exposure and are mounted on support frames to bring them up to the optimal solar angle for Sydney's latitude, thus ensuring they generate the most energy possible.

An important but often overlooked aspect of good passive design is ensuring that a house is well insulated. Insulation products are available in various 'R' values. An R value represents the thermal resistance of the particular insulation product. So in theory the higher the R value, the greater the insulating properties.

However achieving a well insulated building envelope is not just a case of using the highest R value you can find. It is possible to have too much insulation. Insulation works on trapping air between the fibres, so good loft is required for the insulation to work properly. If insulation is squashed into a wall of roof to make it fit, then the insulation will not loft and won't perform to its optimum. If you don't get the full insulating value from your insulation product then you are simply wasting money.

Also, when creating a well insulated building envelope it is critical to provide adequate ventilation to roof spaces and wall cavities. It you don't, then you will create a moist and damp environment which will become a breeding ground for unhealthy moulds.

Above and below are the insulation product and installation that we typically use. We always choose to use polyester insulation because it very safe to handle when installing (it is just like installing fluffy pillows), contains no formaldehyde unlike most glass fibre insulation and is made from recycled materials such as PET bottles.



Something that we are big on is trying to re-use heat and energy twice. In the case of the ducting and fan in the image below, this is not air conditioning. The simple fan and duct system transfers warmed or cooled air from one part of the house to another. So in the case of winter, a well heated living space will create and element of 'wasted' heat which we duct off and transfer to the second floor bedrooms. Those bedrooms are there fore heated virtually for free. The fan uses less energy than a single light globe and is linked to a thermostat which controls the temperature

Most people fail to realise how much heat loss or heat gain occurs through the glass in their windows. Most windows as standard have nothing more than 3mm thick glass which has no more insulating value than cling film!. In our opinion, upgrading the glass in windows is one of the most important aspects of green building.

The first step up from standard glass is to install what is called a 'Low E' coated glass. This has an efficiency improvement of around 40% over standard glass. The next step up would be to double glass your windows.

In the case of this house, we have used a Low E coated glass, below, because it provides a great combination of cost and performance for a temperate climate such as Sydney.




We simply love the look of this shot. The cladding, roof line, exposed roofing timbers and shadows.

Progress from our previous post is obvious, we now have the roof on. The roof sheeting material we have used is Colorbond Customorb metal sheeting. We have a general preference to use this form of roof material because of it's low thermal mass as well as preferring the aesthetics afforded by the metal sheeting. The metal roof sheeting also has the added benefit of being lighter weight than lost other forms of roof covering, thus reducing the load on the roof framing and leading to a more economical structure.

Directly below the roof sheeting we have installed a 75mm foil faced insulation blanket which provides a R2.5 insulation value which well exceeds the minimum requirements.

For a roof/ceiling insulation system to work there must be two levels of insulation. One directly below the roof sheeting which works to prevent heat or cold from entering a house, and the other directly above the ceiling which works to prevent heat rising and being lost out of a house.

As part of creating a well insulated and sealed building, building wrap or sisalation is required behind any external cladding as we have used above. The building wrap serves two purposes:

• it provides a vapor barrier to keep the wall cavity free of moisture
• it is an integral part of any insulation strategy to achieve a high overall R value for a wall system

We mentioned previously that the intention is for the house to be self sufficient for water. The tank above is where all the potable or drinkable water will come from for the house. Based on our calculations, the tank size of 24,000 litre should be adequate for our clients anticipated water usage. A grey water recycling system will provide the water for flushing of toilets, the washing of clothes and for garden watering. So the tank above will only supply water to bathroom and kitchen taps and showers.



The erection of the wall and roof framing is progressing well. The images above show the single level, north facing living areas virtually complete. Elements of structural steel were required to facilitate the large spans across some of the window openings.



Hyspan rafters have been used for the large span living area, as can be seen below. A hyspan rafter is essentially a plywood composite beam made using low grade plantation pine timber. The beams offer a very economical means with which to create large spans with timber. The adhesive used to bind the timber is rated as E0, which is the lowest VOC emission level available.



Having completed all of the ground floor framing, above you can see the first floor wall frames and some of the roof framing being erected.

Note in the for ground the timber waste stockpile. We are really anti the waste created during construction, and so are constantly looking for ways to try and reduce any material wastage. Any waste material created is being separated into like material groups ie, steel, timber, concrete etc so that recycling is as easy as possible. Irrespective of this, waste created during construction is a big environmental problem. It is estimated that demolition and construction creates around 25% of all waste created. So long before avenues for recyling are looked at, waste should simply be reduced. We feel that we are doing a really good job of this, but as you can see in the image, it still exists.

On top of the environmental concerns is the fact that waste such as the timber above has been paid for. One might as well simply throw money into the rubbish. So reducing waste also has a bottom line, it is good for your back pocket.

The most efficient way for timber wall frames to be manufactured is pre-fabricated in a factory. Waste is kept to a minimum, there are substantial time efficiencies due to no wet weather delays as well as cost efficiencies over frames fabricated on site. Pre-fab wall frames are made in full or part wall sections, bundled together and delivered to site as shown above. All that is left to do is erect them.

You will also note that the wall frames have a blu-ish colour. The colour indicates that the timber has been treated with Permethrin, which is an organic termiticide and provides 25 year protection against termite attack. Termites are are perpetual problem in Sydney and in our opinion you can not protect a timber structure enough from them. Generally we are not in favour of any form of chemical treatment of construction products. However, there is absolutely nothing sustainable about having a timber structure attacked by termites and a house requiring substantial repair before the end of its useful life. The permethrin does not leach from the timber and remains encapsulated in the structure of the wood, so in theory the environmental impact is minimal.


The key to using timber is for it to be either recycled or sustainably forested. In the case of the wall framing timber we are using, as you can see above, it is plantation pine which comes from Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) or FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified plantations.


The first wall frames go up. Standing and fixing the pre-fab Wall frames is a little bit like building a house of cards. Each frame is akin to one of the cards and as each additional frame is erected it adds to the overall structural integrity of the house.

In the background you can see the 24,000 litre rainwater storage tank for the house. The aim for the house is to be self sufficient for water, so potable water for bathing, cooking and drinking will come from this tank.


Having spent so much time and effort polishing the concrete it deserved to be protected. Being the great recyclers that we are we came across recycled carpet that had been put out for a Council kerbside clean up. Unfortunately carpet is one of those construction products that seems to always end up as landfill. It seems that no-one has found a way to recycled it. So if we can give it one more use before it ends up there, then all the better. So in the image above you can see part of the main living area floor protected with the carpet.

Now that the concrete has fully cured, we had to finish it to a standard that we are happy to leave exposed as the finished floor. The term polished concrete is actually a little deceiving. The concrete is not so much polished as 'ground' through various grades of 'polishing stones'. Starting with a diamond grinding stone and progressing through to fine grinding stones which are a bit like sanding concrete with sandpaper. The aim for us was to create a concrete surface with a uniform grey colour and some small aggregate exposed.

The shot above shows the grinding in process. Slow and laborious with many passes across the concrete as one moves through the 'polishing stones'. The grinding can be done dry or wet, we chose to grind it wet purely because the cement dust is a health hazard that we could do without.

The image below shows the concrete surface once we had finished 'polishing' the concrete. You can see the uniform colour as well as the exposure of some smaller aggregate...perfect.

From a negative perspective, concrete polishing has the effect of wearing the finished concrete surface, thus leaving the concrete exposed to staining from anything that might be dropped on it. So a sealer needs to be applied to provide a barrier that prevents the spilt red wine from leaving a stain!

Our choice of sealer is a water based sealing compound manufactured in Australia by a paint company called Murobond. We love both them and their stuff. They have a strong environmental bent both in the products they make and their company attitude. All of their paints and finishes are either low or zero VOC, perfect for anyone planning to building green.

After curing the sealer for a week, we will be straight onto the slab and erecting the timber wall frames. Watch for the next post.

Most people are not aware of the significant carbon impact that the production of cement has. Production of cement accounts for 5% of the worlds carbon. This is a significant figure for what seems to be an innocuous product.

Because cement plays such a significant part in the construction of any building , if one is to truly build green, then it is important to look at ways to reduce the amount of cement used.

And one of the biggest users of cement in construction is in the manufacture of concrete. Greener concrete suppliers have now started to deal with this issue but supplanting cement content with a product called fly ash. Fly ash is a by-product from the burning of coal and makes an excellent substitute for cement. By using fly ash in concrete, what has previously been seen as a waste product now has become a valuable asset.

For this project we have used concrete from a supplier who has replaced a portion of the cement content with fly ash, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the concrete we have used.


Because we intend to leave the concrete slab as an exposed element, it is crucial that the concrete is finished and trowelled well. Our requirement was for the concrete to receive a near burnished finish. A burnished finish is when the concrete is mechanically trowelled with a trowelling machine, as seen above, until it has cured sufficiently that the blades of the trowel are almost burning the concrete surface due to the friction of the steel blades on the concrete.

We have used a burnished finish because it provides a durable and hard wearing surface to the concrete as well as a subtle surface lustre.

Lastly, and most importantly is the curing of concrete once it has poured. Curing of concrete is one part of the concreting process that is often neglected. However, without proper curing, all of the earlier effort will be wasted. Curing it the process of preventing concrete from prematurely drying out due to exposure to the sun or wind. If freshly poured concrete is allowed to prematurely dry out, it will fail to achieve its final strength and the quality of the surface finish will suffer.

There are many ways to cure concrete, but the main methods are either the application of a chemical compound to the surface, covering the surface with plastic sheeting or permanently keeping the surface wet. We avoid the use of the chemical compound for environmental reasons and the plastic sheeting because it can mark the finished surface of the concrete. So we use a method of keeping wet hessian rolled out across the concrete surface, as you can see in the image above. Typically concrete should be cured for a minimum of 7 days, with up to 30 days ideal. Given that the finished internal floor will be the exposed concrete, we have chosen to cure the concrete for 30 days to ensure that we have the best quality surface finish.

Like most concrete slabs, reinforcing bar is required to help give the slab it's strength. And like all material choices that can be made during the course of construction, one can choose to make a sustainable choice or not. In the case of the reinforcing bar we have chosen to use reinforcing bar from a supplier who uses 100% recycled steel. By using recycled steel, the environmental impact of the steel has been reduced. Recycling steel uses a lot less overall energy than mining ore, and precessing it in order to make new steel.

What is more, the strength and quality of the recycled material is the same as the new material.
The photo above shows the steel reinforcing being placed inside the form work for the concrete slab.

Timber wall and roof framing is still the dominant material for house construction in Sydney. Unfortunately this is the favorite food of one of our native creatures, termites. So it is necessary to have some form of termite protection when you build in timber in order to prevent your house being eaten out around you!

Termite protection can take many forms and more often than not involves some from of pesticide. The key is, to avoid spraying termite barriers on the soil and ground around your house. Not only are they toxic for termites, but they aren't particularly good for humans and the ground ecology.

Several new products on the market seek to address this issue by safely encapsulating a termiticide within a 'blanket' a bit like thick plastic, which can not leach the termiticide. These blankets are used to protect around pipes such as the one above, which prevent termites from entering your house by forming a physical barrier that the termites can not penetrate.




To heat the house in winter we have installed a 5 star gas in slab hydronic heating system. For those who don't know what I am talking about, a hydronic heating system is essentially heated water running through pipes, the pink ones in the photo above, which delivers heat to a location, in our case, the concrete slab.

Hydronic heating is very efficient because is works on the principle of radiant heat, which warms objects rather than convective heat which just warms the air. What is more, in slab hydronic heating is doubly efficient because the heat starts at the bottom most point in a room and rises to the top, heating everything along the way. Rather than air conditioning which generally tries to heat the air in a room from the grilles in the ceiling, down. One way is working with nature, heat rises, and the other is trying to fight it.

For in slab hydronic heating to work at its best, the floor should not have an insulating covering such as carpet or timber. So tiles or exposed concrete in our case, tend to be the best.

Above is the manifold which looks after the balancing of the hydronic heating pipework. Put simply, the two white pipes on the left are the flow and return from the gas boiler and the red is the heated water going out to the slab and the blue is the heated water returning back.

The heating system is designed as a closed loop, so the same water stays in the pipework getting heated at the boiler, then going through the red manifold and out to the slab, then back to the blue manifold and then on to the boiler to get heated and start again. Pretty simple really.

One of the key requirements for the project was to provide universal access for the clients. This is basically ensuring that as they grow older, they can still get about easily in their house. Keeping the main floor of the house at the one level is key to achieving this. So as you can see above, there has been some minor excavation and filling on site to create a level platform which will become the ground floor and main living area of the house.

The ground floor of the house will be a concrete slab on ground. The main reason behind this was that a concrete floor has excellent thermal mass. To explain thermal mass in simple terms, the concrete slab will be left exposed so that in winter it can absorb the suns heat and become a source of 'free' heating. In summer the reverse occurs, by keeping the slab shaded from the sun, it will become a source of 'free' cooling.


One of the key features of the house is the water saving and re-using strategies. As well as being self reliant for all potable water, the house also incorporates a grey water recycling and re-use system. Grey water is collected from all hand basins, showers, floor wastes and the washing machine and recycled through an OASIS grey water recycling system. The recycled water is then re-used for flushing toilets, in the washing machine and for watering the garden. In the case of the washing machine, the same volume of water will be in a perpetual cycle of use and re-use.

For a grey water recycling system to work however, the grey water needs to be separate from the black water. Put simply, black water is water from your toilet and kitchen sink and grey water comes from all of the other sources. So to keep these separate, two separate drainage systems needs to be installed, one to direct the black water to the sewer and the other to direct the grey water for recycling.

In the image above of the en suite, in the foreground is the waste pipework for the toilet which is being directed to the right to the sewer. In the back ground is the grey water pipework which is picking up the floor waste and hand basin in the middle of the image and the shower at the top of the image. The pipework then continues off to the left at the top of the image to the grey water recycling system. Simple really!

We were very please to receive some recent press about our green building project at Collaroy in the local Manly Daily.

We obtained Housing Industry Association (HIA) Greensmart accreditation for the project and it appears that it is the only accredited house on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

The HIA Greensmart accreditation recognises houses that are going well beyond mandatory energy and water efficiency measures, such as BASIX in NSW, and are seeking best practice.

We are driven towards best practice in Sustainable building and are very proud to be pioneering the way on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

Demolition, or should I say 'de-construction', of the existing house was completed recently. All materials salvaged from the building were segregated into like materials for easy recycling, or for un-recyclable materials, sent to landfill.

I believe that we managed to recycle around 60-70% of the materials from the old house. Not a bad effort considering that most house demolitions consist of 0% recycled!

The first image below shows in the foreground un-recyclable materials such as PVC, other plastics and some damaged timber which unfortunately had to go to landfill. In mid image is concrete and brickwork stockpiled for crushing and recycling, and in the background is a stockpile of green vegetation that will be sent for mulching and re-use in gardens.


A huge recycled success was the quantity of timber that we managed to reclaim from the old house. Below is just part of the timber that was salvaged. All this timber was sent to a recycling yard where it will be de-nailed and on sold.

I think that we have demonstrated how easily simple structures can be treated in a sustainable way through recycling. With the quantity of materials recycled, the cost to remove the house was no more than if it was all sent to landfill. The only trade off was the increased duration required to 'de-construct' the house rather than demolish. I would put this at around another two weeks.

Having just been through the process of 'de-constructing' a house it does raise the problem that when we build houses, we aren't building them to be easily pulled apart at the end of their life. This is definitely something that the Construction Industry has to change in order to become more sustainable, I know that we will start giving it greater consideration when we build. Green building isn't just about the building of things, it also needs to take into consideration the 'taking apart of them' as well.

The next couple of weeks will have some excavation and ground works and then the in-ground plumbing and drainage will be laid.

As you can see from the photos above and below, demolition work has commenced. Progress is slower than would normally occur for a typical house demolition due to the time and care being taken to 'pull the house apart' piece by piece.

House demolition contractors typically take no more than a week to bring in a large machine, flatten the house and then ship everything out to landfill. Every time I see it happen it makes me fume. What a total loss and waste of tonnes of good construction materials and what environmental negligence, sending a house to landfill purely because people can't look past the way they have always done it. This sort of wastefulness wouldn't happen in a developing country.

As we explained earlier, green building isn't just about the building, it is about the entire process of creating a new house. When we started demolition, the key was to reduce the amount of materials that would go to landfill.
Generally, I am happy with what materials we look like being able to recycle.

The images above and below show the inside of the house with the walls and ceiling partly stripped of the plaster lining. All of the wall, floor and roof framing timbers are in very good condition and will definitely be able to be recycled, great news.

With no recycling facility available for used plaster lining it looks like it will unfortunately be sent to landfill.

All of the windows and doors will be salvaged and sent for recycling along with several bathroom and kitchen fixtures and fittings.

Over the next week or so the brickwork should start to come down and be sent for recycling along with the concrete footings.

Since we blogged a little while ago about our new sustainable house project in Collaroy Sydney, we have had a number of people ask us for more information about what sort of green initiatives we will use and how are we going to go about it.

So we had a bit of a think about the best way to help give people information and came to the conclusion that we would use the house as a live sustainable building case study to demonstrate to people how to go about building an eco-friendly, sustainable house.

So where do we begin?.....we have given you a bit of an outline about the project in an earlier blog post and more details and information will come out as the build progresses.

The new house is being built on a site currently occupied by an existing house, see below. The house was unusable due to it's location on the site and overall condition, so it had to go. So how does one get rid of an old, unwanted house in the most eco-friendly way?


YOU RECYCLE IT!!!! So that is what we intend to do. Having made a thorough assessment of what materials can be salvaged from the existing house we have come to the following conclusions:

• The bricks and concrete can be sent to a crushing plant to be recycled as road base for road and pavement construction
  

• The timber wall, roof and floor framing can be sent to a second hand building materials yard for future re-sale
  

• The windows can be sent to a second hand building materials yard for future re-sale

• The bathroom and kitchen fixtures and fittings can be sent to a second hand building materials yard for future re-sale

Here is an image of our new sustainable house project in Collaroy, Sydney which we will commence building in early 2009. Green building is what we are about and this house typifies everything about our approach to sustainable houses.
The house will be very eco-friendly both in its design and construction. Water and energy consumption for the house will be very low due to the house:

1. being totally self sufficient for potable water. All water for drinking, cooking and showering will be collected on site and stored in rainwater tanks for re-use in the house
   
2. all grey water from showers, hand basins and the washing machine will be recycled through a grey water treatment system and re-used for flushing toilets and washing clothes in the washing machine.
   
3. not having any air conditioning because of the excellent breeze ways that provide for summer cooling
4. having high thermal mass in both the walls and exposed concrete slab for winter warming and summer cooling
   
5. using an in slab gas hydronic heating system for winter heating
6. using low-e thermal glass in all of the windows to reduce heat loss in winter and prevent heat gain in summer
7. having good eaves and sun shading to keep it cool in summer
8. being designed with good orientation and zoning of rooms

But we haven't only considered water and energy efficiency. Occupant comfort and materials sustainability are also high priority:

1. all internal paints and cabinetry will use low VOC products.
2. recycled Australian Hardwood will be used for the stair construction and for the skirting board and architraves around windows and doors
3. any waste created during construction will be separated into differing materials and recycled

This is a very exciting project for both us and our clients and we will post progress photos and updates as we move through construction.

Carmel Tebbutt, the NSW Government Environment Minister, has given a pledge to introduce feed in tariffs for solar panels in NSW.

Many other states in Australia have had feed in tariffs for some time, notably South Australia, which this year started paying people double the market rate for feeding power back into the grid.

Apparently the NSW Government has grown tired of waiting for a National approach driven by the Federal Government, so they have decided to 'go it alone'.

Great news for those with panels and possibly just the incentive necessary for many to consider installing panels.

No word on when it will come into play or how it will operate, but first steps are good steps.

The pope is on a drive to make the Vatican Europe's most energy efficient state.

Around 2,000 square metres of the Paul VI hall are being covered with photovoltaic panels, while the another 3000 square metres will be used as a screen to increase the amount of captured energy.

According to Mauro Villarini, an engineer who works for Vatican State's technical services, " The objective of our project is, in sum, to create an energy process from which, with the production of clean energy and its intelligent management, it is possible to supply in the first place these properties and, in the future, also the means of transport, making mobility sustainable from the environmental point of view".
" The challenge for Vatican City State to be the first in Europe to comply with European objectives, which foresee for 2020, obtaining at least 20% of consumed energy from renewable sources."

Villarini expects the solar panels to be functioning by the end of this year.

There is a growing attitude in the water challenged times that we live in, that to waste any water is unacceptable. Out of this, simple grey water diversion systems such as the one above are becoming more prevalent and are being readily accepted by mainstream Australia.

But when looking to install some form or grey water diversion system, serious consideration has to be given to the effect that the nutrient rich water will have on the ecology of the soil that you are diverting the water to. Last thing anyone looking to reduce their environmental impact wants to do is, by do good on one hand (reducing water usage) they find themselves doing bad (damaging soil ecology) as a result of it.

RMIT Honours Student Farzarhd Namdarian recently completed a thesis in conjunction with the Alternative Technology Association titled 'The impact of grey water irrigation systems on domestic soil environments'.

Generally it is a fairly dry subject, but it does make for interesting reading. By researching and recoding data from 7 real life case studies in Melbourne, Farzarhd has been able to gather some useful information that should help anyone thinking about installing a grey water diversion system from causing any damage to their soil ecology.

Check it out here at the ATA website.

Up until now, anyone wanting to recycle grey water has generally been forced to redirect the water underground in irrigation systems because of archaic local health regulations. This forces us to continually water gardens when we have a shower, whether we want to or not.

Although technically the water is being recycled, sending it underground without another option is hardly a good use for Australia's most precious resource. What everyone recycling grey water has wanted is to be able to re-use the water again, above the ground.

Enter the people at Nubian Water Systems and their OASIS GT600 (sounds like a sports car). The OASIS is a fairly compact piece of equipment that stores the incoming grey water, filters and treats it and then stores the treated water again for later re-use. The real beauty of the product is that it treats the water to a standard that is acceptable for most Australian States to allow it's use above ground ie, it can be re-directed to toilet flushing or other non potable water uses.

The OASIS uses a three stage process to ensure that the water is treated to the required standard. The first stage is a filter screen that removes lint and other course materials, the second is a filter media that utilises physical removal, adsorption and microbial induced aerobic degradation to remove contaminants and the final stage is UV disinfection.

The unit is smaller enough to mount beside your house, requires very little maintenance and very little power to run.

This is a piece of equipment well worth checking out.

You know I'm a huge fan of Japanese modernist houses. This one is genius.

'Penguin House' (aka Skin House Project #2) by Yasuhiro Yamashita of Atelier Tekuto.

Via the girl in the green dress

Tired of uninspiring, consumptive, toxic homes? Tired of the traffic jams, ugly mini-malls, crowded burbs and urban sprawl? Then check out Project Outrage from Slow Home. Sign their online declaration. Join others in voicing your disdain for the bad development. It's a cool project, and if nothing else, a great example that people are finally realizing how bad our housing and community planning really is, and are standing up for better.

This is the first coffee table I've seen in ages that I actually like. Pretty cool, though not cheap at $3,500.

I am thankful for ...

The extremely generous support of architect Greg La Vardera, Matt Olson of rolu|dsgn, Max Mead of Building Green, and Justin Anthony of materialicio.us - cool people I have come to know through this blog, and the many other people I have met via blogging. That's the best part, for sure.

My wife (who is too good to me) and my wonderful kids, Owen and Parker. Unfortunately, Owen broke his arm a little over a week ago. He was so brave. He never cried, not when it happened, not on the way to the emergency room, not when the doctors were poking him and putting in an IV, or when they set the bones. That little five year old has more guts and composure than almost any adult I've ever met. He's doing great, even with a heavy cast on up almost to his shoulder. I am sooo thankful that he is okay.

Modernist Japanese residential architecture - for challenging and inspiring me always. So much good stuff.

The Detroit Lions, my football team who I get to watch on Thanksgiving day. A really nice tradition for us Lions fans. Let's hope they win one for a change (doubtful).

Dwell and Pugh+Scarpa's entry to the Dwell Home II Competition, both of which inspired me to start this blog. My inaugural post is still the beacon.

Thanks everyone for visiting my site.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Modern farmhouse sounds like an oxymoron, but I've seen more than a few great looking modernist takes on the American homestead. One of my favorites is Farmhouse One, by the architecture firm of Durkee, Brown, Viveiros and Werenfels. It's a simple, traditionally inspired Rhode Island farmhouse with modern twists. Take a look.




And if you're in to modern farmhouses you'll also be pleased to know there's a great blog dedicated to the genre - the appropriately named Farmhouse Modern. It's definitely worth a look (I found it on the LiveModern Blog Directory, where Future House Now is also listed).

If you want to completely overdose on cool modern farmhouses, pick up the book Farm Houses: The New Style by Neill Heath. It features the houses I mentioned above, and many more, in 185 full color pages. Great book.



Image credits - Durkee, Brown, Viveiros & Werenfels site, Amazon.com Listing

Just a couple of quick things:

The wonderful blog DO Research has closed shop - it is already missed. The upside is they've bought land and are building a Flatpak. I am wildly jealous!

Read the story behind the sea container Holyoke Cabin on the Hive Modular blog. So cool.

Skinny Japanese Houses on eye candy (via Things Magazine). Only in Japan [sigh].

The amazingly hip Alan Family Happy New House is complete. Check it out in The New York Times. It turned out just like the renderings - very, very cool. It shows you just how much you can do with a remodel.

I just picked up a good book, Small Eco-houses. Loaded with interesting, green, modern homes from all over the world. Two thumbs up!

image credit - Amazon.com listing

Another Japanese wonder, HOUSE kn by Kochi Architect's Studio. Beautiful [sigh]. The floor plan is very nice and the outdoor space is wonderful.


Nice treatment of parking space too. My pet peeve is nice homes ruined by ugly attached garages and bad driveways. HOUSE kn gets it right.

Via the girl in the green dress. It's a wonderful design blog, so please do click over and take a look. You'll be delighted.

Image credit - Kochi Architect's Studio site.

A week ago or so the good folks at DO Research posted a nice pic of a new weeHouse they drove by. I think it must be the Oeschger house shown on the Alchemy site. Sure looks like it.

I've never been to the Twin Cities but it occurs to me that most of my favorite modernist architecture and related firms and websites are based there:

DO Research - A favorite Minneapolis-based modernist blog
rosenlof/lucas - the hippest modern landscaping duo going, with a cool blog to boot
Alchemy Architects - you cannot resist the appeal of their weeHouses
Flatpak - I drool over these Eamesish beauties
City Desk Studio - recently in Dwell, awesome Skyway Retreat
Bark Design - I'm in love with Doris
Hive Modular - The B-Line is an instant classic modern prefab

Today is Blog Action Day, a single day for all bloggers to post about one important issue, the environment. Most people think that Future House Now is a green site. It isn't. My primary focus is interesting modern homes, particularly those that are in the realm of realistic affordability for real families. But having said that, I frequently post about "green homes," and today is a good day to clarify my views on the subject.

First of all, why do I often post about green homes, even when my site is not purely focused on green issues? Well, for starters, green makes a lot of practical sense. It's laughable how much emphasis we put on greening our cars when we spend way more energy in our houses. It should be obvious every week when we take out the trash that our homes are the epicenter of our consumption habits. And I care about my family's health. I want them to live in a safe household environment, not one that is riddled with toxins and allergens.

Second, green isn't that hard to do anymore. You don't have to live in an Earthship made of tires pounded full of dirt, and old aluminum cans to be green (though that's pretty cool if you ask me). You also don't have to be an eco-warrior living off the grid in Northern California, growing all your own food and living off $10,000 worth of yearly organic produce sales. I guess what I mean is that being "green" isn't really an extreme lifestyle choice, it's part of everyday life for everyday people all over the USA. We have to stop treating green as extreme. Frankly, I think that alienates more people than it attracts. That's why I try not to overplay my green views, just as I don't downplay them either. To me, the important thing is that we're all constantly raising our awareness and incorporating green practices in our lives one little step at a time.

There are so many good ways to green any home, any style, old or new, anywhere. How about more efficient appliances, compact fluorescent light bulbs, better insulation, and low-VOC paints? These are pretty easy things that can make a big difference. How about not using those toxic cleaners in your kitchen and bathroom? Use good ol' white vinegar - it works great and is non-toxic. Inexpensive too. And great technology is here, with real strides in renewable energy being made every day. The reasons for not taking advantage of better technology for greener homes are becoming fewer and fewer. We're pretty much at the point where going green isn't about making tough choices, it's about making smart choices. The difference now isn't as much about toughness as it is about awareness.

I like to show interesting modern homes, and some of them are not particularly green. But lots of them are, in lots of different ways. Some are green just because they are compact. Some are green because they have a broad sheltering roof and good insulation. Some are green becaues they make good use of recycled materials, or new materials like steel framing that will last a long, long time without a lot of costly maintenance, and that can be recycled someday if need be. Maybe they aren't all perfect, but we can learn something from them. My site is about ideas. Some of the good ideas I like to show are about environmentally friendly homes, and some of the ideas are about other things. They're not mutually exclusive. And we have to stop thinking in those terms. Green fits with modern because they are both about good design. Good design has logic, economy and beauty all rolled into one. I see green as a part of that, not a whole unto itself.

Don't get me wrong, I don't take green for granted. I accept green as a matter of fact. That's how it should be - a natural part of life, not a radical philosophy. I view the recent mainstreaming of green as a sign that we've finally turned the corner. It won't be long now before we build the momentum to make lasting positive change. The challenges are real, but humanity, in spite of itself, is a problem solving species. We can do it.

I have an announcement to make. I'm in love with Doris. Actually, I should point out that Doris is not a woman, Doris is a house. And she's beautiful.

Doris is the work of Bark Design, a firm with a modern bent that FHN reader Mike was kind enough to point out (thanks again, Mike!). Doris is swell gal, with lots of attractive features. In particular, I adore her flat roof, her expansive banks of windows - and she's got a carport! Oh, I really like carports.




Doris also has a wonderful floor plan with possibly the greatest kitchen in the world - made so by the overhead door out to the patio. It incorporates a screen that can be rolled down when the door is up to keep bugs out while letting breezes flow. Perfecto! My wife would love that.





Doris has a brother, Boris, and a good friend in Leroy G. Cooper.




Here are a few pics Bark shared with me of the Burbank, another model that isn't shown on their site yet. I really like the window placement on this house - it looks like it has pretty good solar orientation.





I must say, I find a whole lot to like aesthetically about Bark's homes. There's definitely a signature style with the flat roofs, carports, window arrangements and the way outdoor living spaces are approached. But what I like most is their attitude and approach to bringing modern homes to the market. I e-mailed Bark, and was very impressed with what they had to say about their direction.

"We are a team consisting of a developer, architect, and
contractor who were getting frustrated by the dismissive response to
modern design by clients and real estate professionals in our area,
so we decided to do our own thing with incredibly positive results.

We couldn't understand why people would seek out the latest design
and technology in cars, electronics, etc., but new builder/spec. home
construction seemed to be stuck in the year 1900. How many people
would go to a store for a new computer and happily walk out with a
univac the size of a refrigerator that only did addition and
subtraction? Yet people were making a similar decision every day with
a new home. We just didn't get it.

So, we design and build homes that respond and complement modern
life, are extremely efficient in terms of energy, space, livability,
constructability, and are affordable."

Image credits - Bark Design

I complained the other day about not having seen anything really interesting in a while, and then my buddy Justin at Materialicio.us answers the call with this amazing find - the Stroh Haus by Swiss architect Felix Jerusalem. This home has several things going for it that really appeal to me. First, it has a simple, clean plan. Second, that green exterior is my favorite color. Third, I am fascinated with translucent panels, and the Stroh Haus uses them as exterior sheathing to groovy effect. Lastly, the house utilizes a really interesting type of construction material - straw pre-formed into structural elements. That's a slick approach that ought to have some legs.








Thanks Juzz!

Image credits - Stroh Haus site

Finally, someone is building Greg La Vardera's intriguing Porch House plan. I always pictured this house in my home state, Michigan, as a summer camp on a lake up north, but this one is being built in Texas! It sounds like a neat project, one with some nice green touches, and the possible addition of a Plat House down the road. Nice.



Via Materialicio.us (here and here).

Image credit - LamiDesign Modern House Plan Blog

I hate to say it, but I haven't spotted anything really interesting in a while that I wanted to post on. Yes, things have been going on. I check my feed readers every day, I see them. But I've sort of found it to be more of the same. Nothing really turned my head.

Finally, I saw something that sparked a little daydreaming again, which is really what I'm after. It's "House t" by Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office (HAO) of Tokyo, Japan. Of course, it's Japanese. Is there any place in the world that produces more unique, original, thought provoking houses than Japan? NO WAY!





The approach to a second story and the division of spaces in the home is totally different. I get lost just looking at the roof line and the placement of the windows. It's bright, clean and sculptural in a way that only Japanese houses are.

Via Things Magazine (October 3rd, 2007)

Image credits - HAO site

If you're into rammed earth building, don't miss this blog: Rammed Earth is for Everyone. You can't beat the enthusiasm of that name! The site highlights rammed earth projects all around the world, offers nice Youtube and Flickr finds, and has a great selection of links in its sidebar. It's proprietor is a rammed earth consultant who shares both interesting technical information as well as an intriguing and thought provoking world view. Definitely worth a look if you're an earth building enthusiast and/or you find yourself pondering the nature of man's impact on the Earth on a regular basis.

Via Earth Architecture (of course!).

Without question, the coolest thing about doing Future House Now has been hearing from people who share my interest in better family homes, modern design, and greener living. I really didn't expect that when I started blogging but it's definitely got me hooked. And sometimes I'm fortunate enough to hear from someone who already took the plunge and is building their modern dream home.

That was the case again this week when I got an e-mail from Ben, who pointed me to his site, Bare Hill Barn House. Ben's blog chronicles his very cool project of dismantling, moving and then transforming a once forgotten barn into a totally hip modernist house.

What a fabulous study in recycling and reclamation. America is dotted with old barns, full of big hardwood timbers you can only buy at very high prices today. I really enjoy seeing someone make good use of these materials. There's an old barn not too far from where I live and every time I pass by it I look at those heavy oak beams and think "hmmm ... what if." Ben and his family have taken that idea to reality, and with a modernist twist.

Ben's site is really great. He does a wonderful job telling the story of what it's like to take on a project like this. He has lot of thoughtful posts about the nature of the project and some of the choices they've made, as well as the inspiration behind it. And besides seeing pics of the house's progress you'll also find video as well as great links to barn home resources.

Ben and his family should be in before year end. I know I'll be following along on Ben's site, watching as things progress. I can't wait to see the finished home!

By the way, Ben is working with JASONOAH Design Build on this project. The firm does some really unique and interesting work. Their theme is "designing and building for healthy, inspirational living." You can't beat that. Very nice. It's awesome to see yet another firm promoting great green design. Definitely check their site, especially their Chatham House. Really nice.

Image credits - Bare Hill Barn House site and JASONOAH Design Build for elevations and renderings (copyright).

One of my dream homes is for sale. Sadly, it's in California, is listed for $849k, and only has one bedroom and one bathroom - while I live in Michigan with a family of four and a budget smaller than a postage stamp.

The luscious 745 Navy is on the market. Here are a few pics from the real estate site Curbed LA, and a few more from The Value of Architecture - Los Angeles, a site that showcases architectural properties with the goal of raising awareness of the value of good design. For the best pics, though, check out this excellent slide show from Bulldog Realtors.




745 Navy is a bright and breezy little bungalow of just 700 square feet. It's clean and casual. Just look at that translucent wall! Amazing! I just love that. I also like the concrete floors, the funky carpet treatment in the bedroom, and the fact that it's a remodel of an existing home. It's the kind of place I can easily imagine myself living in.

However, it's not quite the kind of place I can imagine my wife and two kids living in with me, although apparently there's an existing, approved plan for a two-story addition! But for now I think I'll just have to be impressed with it's sunny, groovy design and store away a few ideas for another day.

I just wanted to take a minute to share a little furniture shopping experience I had this week. I have two small children, Owen (5) and Parker Jane (3). P.J is way overdue on getting out of her crib, and Owen needs a bed frame to spruce up his room. We've been putting off a lot of other furniture purchases in order to save up and buy some nice beds for the kids. The time had finally come.

We wanted something modern and cool, and a little more substantial than a regular "kids bed." There are a lot of neat beds on the market but the modern offerings tend to be really pricey and are too often the kind of thing that will look silly in your kids' rooms by the time they're ten. My wife and I finally settled on a pair of these great-looking platform beds from TrueModern. They cost more than we wanted to pay, but were priced reasonably compared to a lot of other modern offerings on the market (many not as nice), and I think they look great, look well made, and will last the kids a long while.



Now, you can get these from a lot of places but for whatever reason we ordered ours from Design Public. I'd never bought anything from them before, but I'm one of those people who shops online a lot and it's not a really big deal for me to try a place completely new, even for a big purchase - throw caution to the wind, reckless abandon, all that jazz. I really don't recall why I picked them for my order.

So anyway, the beds get ordered, it takes about two weeks for them to ship, and then I get the call from the freight company who will deliver them. Long story short, there is a problem, possibly some confusion, and I am concerned about it. The problem was the freight company, not Design Public or TrueModern, but rather than tackle it solo I decide to call Design Public for help.

I must say, I was absolutely impressed by the extremely friendly and helpful response. I won't get into the details, but I thought that the Design Public staff went above and beyond the call of duty in helping me. I spoke to Jonathan, who was unfailingly courteous and diligent in his follow-up on my issue. I felt like they really cared, that I was valued as a customer, and that Design Public genuinely wanted to take care of me. It was really nice!

Like I said, I shop online a lot without giving it much thought. And I guess I've learned not to expect too much. But really, I thought Design Public were wonderful to deal with. If you want some really cool modern stuff, check out their site. It is loaded with amazing furniture, accessories, lighting, gifts, etc. - you name it. Very nice. It's a small company that's really living up to its mission. I was totally impressed.

Bravo and thanks!

Image credit - Design Public site

On Saturday I was hanging around the architecture section of my local Barnes & Noble, looking for something new. I found a nice book on houses by Tom Kundig of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects. I also just caught this post on Shedworking covering several of the firm's brilliant cabin-like houses.

Tom Kundig: Houses

"The form is essentially a cast-in-place concrete box, intended to be a strong yet neutral background that provides complete flexibility to adapt the space at will." - OSKA site

Image credits - Amazon listing (book), OSKA Architects site

I got really fired up this morning after I read a great post in architect Greg La Vardera's blog. In "Our Remodern Movement - the tipping point?" Greg suggests that now might finally be the time for modernist homes to find a place in the mainstream. I really hope so. I see the momentum. And I believe in "tipping points." I know exactly what the tipping point was for me personally, the one thing that got me really excited about modern homes. I picked up a copy of Dwell at the newsstand for the first time, the April/May 2005 issue with Charlie Lazor's Flatpak house on the cover.

I had always been interested in homes. I always dreamed of something better and more exciting than the standard fare of suburban cul-de-sacs, though I wasn't totally hooked on modern yet. But when I saw this cover, with a real family in a cool-ass house, it was like a lightning bolt. I can't tell you how badly I'd like to live in a Flatpak. It's one of the top three contenders for me. It just fits me and my family so perfectly. When the time finally comes to really build a new home I will be giving them a call to talk.

It's funny though, how "weird" most people think modernist homes are. My mother said "you want to live in a white box?" with a look on her face that was pure disbelief. Talking houses with some neighbors I could detect their nervous smiles when I mentioned concrete and steel, as in "uh, okay, sure, as long as it's not next door to my house." And look at the real estate markets. That's all you need to know. You don't see a lot of developers building modernist spec homes. Just pick up a real estate magazine and thumb through it for a minute. How many cool modernist homes will you find in the listings. Maybe one or two in a hundred page book. And they're mostly really big, expensive houses, probably built in the eighties after watching too many episodes of Miami Vice. Good, simple, modern homes for real families are hard to come by. Your best bet is a fifties ranch. Even those are a minority in the market compared to the grand total of everything else.

But I think Greg is right. This is the right time. Dwell has been so successful that some other similar publications have started to appear. Blogs like mine are popping up like daisies. Sarah Susanka's "Not So Big House" movement has a lot of followers (because it makes a lot of sense). Or consider John Brown's Slow Home Movement. And green is suddenly king. People finally realize that their choices have a real impact. Now is definitely the time of Less is More, and modernism fits that bill perfectly.

Probably the biggest helper in all of this, in my opinion, is going to be the bursting of the real estate bubble. I say that for one simple reason: it will make people change their view as to what their home really is - a home to live in and not an investment to make a fortune off of. I really believe that people won't/can't build what they really want because they are too hung up on resale value and growing massive equity. I don't know if this attitude caused the housing bubble or vice versa, but either way they combine to create an effect where the resultant high cost of housing distorts our views, closes our minds to new ideas, prices lots of people out of the market for a good home, and places too much power in the hands of developers, not in the hands of consumers where it should be. And so, here we are. With the bubble busting and home prices correcting I think we may also see home buyers making very different decisions about what they want to live in. I know this is the case for my wife and I, and I hope, at least, that this is the case for others.

It's definitely time for America to focus its attention on things like better homes, greener communities, reliable energy, even better communications technology, education and health care. These are the things that make up the infrastructure of this country. We won't have to worry about foreign threats for long if we allow ourselves to fall apart from the inside.

This whole country is at a tipping point, or near one. Modern homes are just a tiny, tiny part of that. We can choose a better way to live without giving up all the really great things we already enjoy.

Better living through design. Work smarter, not harder. Find the holistic solutions.

We can do it.

Books are very important to me. I'm one of those people who would rather sit at home reading than go to a party. I get lost in stories, and read coffee table books over and over again, scanning pictures repeatedly to glean every last detail. Books are good friends. They deserve good homes.

The Maison de Verre in Paris (via NY Times via rolu|dsgn). This house is absolutely brilliant.

Image Credit - NY Times

Image Credit - Bates Masi Architects

Image Credits - Arkin Tilt Architects

The Wall House by FAR - unusual triangular approach. Fascinating.

Image credit - FAR

The Hughes/Kinugawa House by Andrew Lister, with rare bookshelf/window intermingling. Note that some shleves can also be accessed from the second floor (if you have long arms).

Image Credit - Andrew Lister site

In my house there will be books. Lots of them. Message to architect - be ready.