Sustainability of the project is a key priority to align with our values. This includes environmental, social and financial considerations, during design, construction and operations. There are many aspects to consider under the sustainability umbrella – our strategy summarises the aspects we are going to focus on. We know we can’t do everything.
Sustainability Objective
Our objective is to create an affordable, adaptable and accessible passive house with low carbon emissions from construction materials and operations.
Material Issues
Material environmental and social issues related to building a residential property in Melbourne have been identified from “Environmentally sustainable development of buildings and subdivisions – A roadmap for Victoria’s planning system” (Victoria State Government, 2020).
Material issues and policy objectives are:
- Energy – ensure buildings are sited and orientated to optimise energy efficiency and encourage use of renewable energy
- Water – plan for better stormwater management and efficient water use
- Waste – ensure recycling facilities are convenient to maximise recycling
- Transport – provide adequate bicycle parking and facilities and prepare for EV charging needs
- Biodiversity and urban heat – adopt landscaping to contribute to the urban forest and incorporate green infrastructure
- Air and noise pollution – minimise exposure to noise and air pollutants for residences located near busy transport routes
Other material issues for us include:
- Ensure the project is financial sustainable for construction and ongoing mortgage repayments.
- Accessible – ensure that our mobility-impaired parent can enjoy visiting as a guest
- Adaptable – the one thing that is constant is change. We want our large financial investment to serve and adapt with us well into the future.
Our Sustainability Priorities
- Low carbon emissions from construction materials and operational energy use – because climate change is an urgent global issue, and focusing on this will align with our personal values.
- Healthy indoor environment – because poor thermal comfort, poor lighting and impacts from external noise and poor air quality are the ongoing frustrations we are looking to resolve, and these issues will only get worse with climate change. Our property is also located on a busy secondary road.
- Affordable – we know house build and renovation projects often go over budget, and global uncertainty is likely to result in increasing financial strain. It has to be affordable and well costed early.
- Meet our current needs and be adaptable and accessible for mobility impaired parents – to ensure that what we build will serve us and adapt to our needs, as we aim to enjoy this house long into the future.
- High permeability outdoor surfaces and lots of outdoor greenery including trees to promote stormwater infiltration and reduce urban heat.
- Convenient bicycle parking and workshop area and off street parking with EV charging capabilities – we are active cyclists and need our bikes to be securely stored and accessible for daily use, and want to prepare for our next vehicle to be an EV.
Our Approach
- Be pragmatic about balancing cost and aspirations. Optimise floor area, simplify materials and construction methods and focus on function and simplicity to control cost.
- Target Passive House certification. This will ensure low operational energy use for heating and cooling and a comfortable, healthy indoor environment.
- Focus on reducing operational energy demand first, then adding renewable energy generation to meet our demand, then low embodied carbon construction materials. This prioritises reduction of the highest contributor to housing carbon emissions (operational use).
- Meet the requirements of the Liveable Housing Design Standard (Australian Building Codes Board, 2022) with further accessible requirements specific to mobility impaired parent.
- Focus on good natural indoor light, connection with greenery, good artificial lighting and good light control. This will go a long way to making the house nourishing and welcoming.
- Bring in a builder early and use a team with relevant experience so that early approach and costs are confident predictors of actual cost.
Capabilities needed
- Architect experienced in passive house
- Builder experienced in passive house
- Passive house modeller / energy assessor
- Interior designer to carefully consider function and optimise layout
- Landscape designer to integrate with house design and construction
- Complete itemised budget for design, permits and construction from early in the project, with increasing precision as details are decided
SMART targets
SMART targets are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. These are our targets:
- Our house project remains within budget at all stages – monitored via spreadsheet of forecast costs and resources.
- Achieve certification to Passive House Plus standard. This includes post construction certification that the house has achieved the design intent.
- Zero operational energy use i.e. produce as much energy as we use – NatHERS whole of home rating score of 100 or more and Passive House Plus.
- Lifecycle carbon modelling of construction materials – select low embodied carbon materials. Minimise use of concrete, steel and aluminium and seek low carbon alternatives.
- Design audit to confirm the design meets Liveable Housing Design Standard and individual accessibility requirements.
- Critical review of design using visual tools (e.g. Planora, Big Plans) to confirm it will meet our requirements.
- Less than 30% impermeable outdoor surfaces (excluding buildings) from our front gate to our rear fence.
Reporting
We will provide progress reporting against targets at the end of these key stages:
- Concept design ‐ 1 month
- Design development and planning applications – 6 months
- Planning permits and detailed design – 6-12 months+
- Construction – 12-18 months
Leave a Reply