Environmentally sustainable, eco-friendly, green building

...whatever you call it, the underlying principles are similar. An environmentally sustainable home should minimise the risk of harming the environment, society and the economy over both the short and long term. This needs to happen not only during the construction of the house, but also during its lifetime of use, and it starts in the design phase.

Outlined below are many of the important elements we consider during the design and construction phases of your new home, along with a list of operational features we aim to build in to the design to make it easy for you to live a green, sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle with minimum effort or change to your current habits.

Design

Appearance and layout able to withstand the test of time
Flexibility to adapt to your changing needs
Healthy to live in
Considering local climate and environmental factors
Minimal visual and physical impact on the environment
Passive heating, cooling, ventilation and waste management
Energy efficiency and production

Construction materials

Natural products, with low or zero toxicity
Locally produced, with low embodied energy
Re-used, recycled and/or renewable
Durable, low maintenance
Future-proofing and environmentally friendly technology

Construction practices

On-site recycling of waste materials where possible
On-site sorting of all other waste for recycling
Erosion, sediment and emissions control
Protection of surrounding ecosystems – flora and fauna

Operational features

Passive solar heating
Solar hot water heating
Self-cooling and ventilating
On-site rainwater harvesting and use
On-site treatment/disposal of water, sewage and other waste
Zero external electricity consumption or excess generation fed onto grid

See our Links page for links to other sites containing information about environmentally sustainable, eco-friendly and green building.