Melbourne Architects - Designing a More Energy Efficient and Eco-Friendly Home
When developing a new house, energy efficiency is a common goal in design for both architect and client. Lower energy bills every month obviously saves money. Considering how the new home will impact the surroundings can be a concern of several Brisbane architects, a few of whom have specific design plans to create more eco-friendly homes.
The federal government of Melbourne, Australia features a special program called the Sustainable Home Program. This system is partnered with the Smart Housing initiative and is currently called the Smart and Sustainable Home Program. When designing a property with eco architect in Melbourne certain criteria are considered for the Smart and Sustainable design objectives. These objectives have what's called a "triple main point here" approach to sustainability: Social, economic, and environmental. The objectives are then placed on categories in building the house. They're site and landscape, dwelling access, general design, building materials and finishes, plumbing and drainage, electrical and lighting, kitchen design, bathroom/toilet design, bedroom design, laundry design, outdoor living space design, and garage and shed design.
The Smart and Sustainable Homes program was designed especially for the four climate zones in the Queensland region of Australia. They're Zone 1. Tropical, Zone 2. Sub-tropical, Zone 3. Hot Arid, and Zone 4. Moderate Temperate. Melbourne is found in Zone 2. Brisbane architects will have to take this climate zone into account when using the Smart and Sustainable design objectives to style a home.
Some features of an environmentally sustainable home are energy efficient water heating systems, rainwater tanks, and various solar energy systems. The home will be created specifically to truly save money by utilizing natural energy sources significantly more than non-renewable energy sources. Some examples will be passive solar design features such as for instance ventilation, insulation and shading, position of the house, and the correct use of building materials. Having energy efficient appliances installed in the home will even lessen energy costs.
The look objectives also take into consideration the impact that the house and construction can have on the environment. By limiting the amount of dirt that is removed and saving pre-existing plants and trees to replant after construction, the typical topography of the site will remain the same. This can help with soil erosion and runoff. Proper landscaping, using native plants that don't demand a great deal of watering or fertilizing, can help reduce the amount of water used and also avoid contamination by chemical fertilizers. Choosing a build site that'll need only minor changes to support the house will certainly reduce the need for extensive digging and filling, large tree removal, and alteration of water courses and drainage patterns.
These homes are also designed with the use of natural light and ventilation as a large consideration in reduction of energy costs. Sky lights, north facing living areas and solar water heater panels will utilize the sun's energy through the day. Aligning windows and doors enables for cross ventilation and having at the least two openings to the surface in living rooms and bedrooms will lessen the use of air conditioning as will the use of ceiling fans. Certain materials, such as for instance concrete floors and brick walls, enables the house to be cooler in the summertime and hold in heat for warmth in the winter.
