Criteria to design a Sustainable Home should include:
1. Covered outdoor living
2. Orientation to breezes coming form the south-west to north-east
3. Minimum 800mm
4. Roof pitch between 15 degrees and 42 degrees
5. Carport provided with same materials as house
6. Shading to east and west windows
7. Consider using roof ventilation to all roof space
8. Consider using mature landscaping and deciduous trees to shade the house
9. Provide shading to west side of outdoor living
10. Provide open slat fencing to allow breezes to penetrate through the house
This illustration demonstrates some of the site considerations, recommendations and criteria you or your builder/architect should take into account when preparing or selecting a house design, including:
• ‘L’ shaped house helps to trap breezes into house
• Carport located to provide shape to western elevation
• Gable roofs used to help catch higher level breezes
• Open louvre shading used to release hot air from roof space and cool down house
• Ridge ventilation helps to release hot air from roof space and cool down house
• Open slat fencing used to improve ventilation to the house and yard and increase visual surveillance of the street
• Deciduous trees provided to north elevation allow summer shade and winter sun.
Evergreen trees shown to east and also appropriate to west elevation
• Shade to outdoor living area from western sun is highly desirable.
• Timber decks and landscaping adjoining the house helps to reduce heat gain as opposed to concrete and pavers that absorb the heat
• Consider appropriate technology to help with reducing reliance on external resources including rain water tanks, photovoltaic systems and greywater recycling
• Photovoltaics should be on a north facing roof and full sun with no/minimal shade.
• Food productions within the yard should be considered. Greywater systems can work well with many fruit tree varieties.
Examples of Appropriate House Design
These diagrams illustrate possible orientations and suitable designs for a standard single residential house or the smaller laneway accessed cottage house, taking into consideration the minimum criteria necessary to design a Sustainable Home.
click to enlarge