Sustainability
Today, a sustainable home is the bare minimum. We set the bar much higher: regenerative homes.
We do sustainable
architecture differently
With 20+ years leading environmentally aware architecture and construction, we’ll build you a home that gives back.
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We’re not box tickers
We don’t just specify solar panels and a water tank and leave it at that. We work holistically, combining regenerative design techniques to create a complete approach that works for you and your site.
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We don’t follow trends
Through constant experimentation, we’re always discovering new ways to make homes more regenerative. With extensive knowledge of what works, we can come up with new ideas for your home.
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We walk the talk
We’ve developed the industry’s most sustainable design, procurement and construction process. For example, we use natural rather than overprocessed materials to reduce your home’s embodied energy.
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We go beyond homes
We believe everything we do needs to be sustainable – how we work, how we treat our employees and our community. As a certified B Corp , we’ve proven that we put social and environmental outcomes first.
Regenerative design
See how the way we work, design and build helps restore earth and be a force for good.
Aquaponics
Feed your family with fishponds supplying edible silver perch and enjoy an amazing harvest from a courtyard or rooftop garden. We can integrate an aquaponics system that feeds nitrogen-rich water to your plants. Run-off is filtered naturally to an underground tank for re-use in the pond.
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Battery
We can design and install battery systems to back up your photovoltaic power system. You’ll have stored energy for peak consumption hours and secure backup power to essential appliances and electrical systems in case of outage. Plug in your electric car for carbon-neutral transport.
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Blackwater systems
For sites without mains sewer connections, we can design blackwater systems that treat wastewater from kitchen, bathrooms and laundry for use in your garden. Chamber systems work with your septic tank to feed absorption trenches that sustain surrounding plants.
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Heat pumps
We use energy-efficient heat pump systems to provide heating and cooling to your home, including swimming pools. Ducted air source heat pumps can reduce electricity use for heating by approximately 50% and have the added benefit of dehumidifying better than standard central air conditioners. By connecting them to solar energy systems backed by batteries, a comfortable indoor temperature can be achieved year-round. Ductless and geothermal options are also available.
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Insulation + seals
Sealing your home against air leakage can reduce your energy bills and carbon emissions by up to 25%. We can improve your home’s thermal performance using insulation in the roof cavity. We also recommend timber doors and windows over aluminium, not only for their low embodied energy, but because they perform better to seal your property from heat and cold.
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Passive cooling
We apply a range of strategies to keep your home cool naturally. Breezes passing over foliage or a pool create an evaporative cooling effect. A thermal mass concrete slab on the ground floor reduces temperatures in summer. And operable windows and louvres allow cross-ventilation.
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Passive heating
Your home can be designed to heat itself – we can recommend the best strategy for your site. For example, using renewable energy to heat a ground floor thermal mass concrete slab, which will release heat upwards to bedrooms and living spaces at night. Gas or solar heated pools and slate tile floors can work the same way. With the right design, indoor plants and glazing techniques can also create a greenhouse effect to heat your home.
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Procurement
For us, sustainability touches everything we do. We prioritise it throughout the project lifecycle, both in the office and onsite. Designing to standard material dimensions minimises waste off-cuts for joinery, flooring, tiles and cladding. Locally sourced materials reduce embodied energy of your home and sustain your local economy. We recycle unused materials between projects, live locally to reduce transport distances and are at the forefront of equitable and progressive employment policies.
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Permaculture
You’d be amazed at how easy it is to adopt permaculture systems in everyday life to lower your carbon footprint. We’re experts in creating innovative low-maintenance systems for sustainable living that combine aquaponics, vegetable gardens, beehives, chickens, rainwater storage and renewable energy.
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Recycled materials
There are many ways to reduce the embodied energy of your home by re-using what you have. We can help you identify them at the design stage. Re-use saves materials and transport cost and prevents construction waste from going to landfill, reducing your home’s carbon footprint. You can blend a heritage and contemporary aesthetic by retaining existing structures or features plus re-use items from demolition, such as bricks, tin ceiling panels and floorboards. Re-used materials often age timelessly and never look outdated.
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Solar power (photovoltaics)
We can help you make your home near carbon neutral. Installing solar power with battery storage systems can reduce grid energy consumption to almost zero. Microinverters ensure the maximum output of a system year-round and three-phase systems enable charging of electric vehicles.
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Solar hot water
We’ll recommend the right rooftop solar hot water system for your needs and the site. Your house will give back to the environment with reliable hot water from a renewable source. Backup can be provided by a gas booster or, more sustainably, your home’s photovoltaic power system.
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Solar shading
All our projects are designed with sun shading and heating in mind. Passive approaches include open timber batten roofs or walls that allow passive breezes to pass through while shading indoor or outdoor living spaces. Structural elements can provide natural shade as the sun moves through the sky. Active shading includes externally mounted operable aluminium louvres that prevent heat building up inside your home. Such techniques can also provide privacy.
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Water storage
We’re experts in using underground or free-standing rainwater tanks to reduce reliance on mains water supply and conserve scarce water resources. Tanks can provide water for plants, aquaponic systems, pool level balancing and household usage – plus drinking water in rural areas. Circular systems enable runoff from gardens to be fed back to underground storage and re-used.
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Wind power
Wind can provide a renewable emission-free source of energy to your home. We achieve this by integrating wind turbines into the building. Oriented to the predominant prevailing winds, they can be hidden, for example, in a rooftop garden. Wind technologies are most suited to coastal and regional projects.
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Burning questions?
We have honest answers