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Site Specific Designs predominately undertakes work in Sydney area within the municipalities of Pittwater, Warringah, Manly, Mosman and Kuringai.  However, holiday houses, country estates and traditional bungalow refurbishments throughout NSW, ACT and QLD are accredited to the practice and are available on an individual basis. All projects are the direct result of client recommendations and referrals, demonstrating her ability to assess a client’s needs, fulfill the vision and exceed every expectation.

11 Hill Street Warriewood NSW 2101

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Sustainable Home Design Guide

Introduction

Today there are certainties as well as many uncertainties in the present ecological situation of our earth, which reflect our current knowledge base and hence our understanding of the environment. One of the certainties is that there are limits to the absorptive capacity, resilience and adaptability of our ecosystems. This means that if the increasing intensity of high-energy societies continues in a non-sustainable manner, the limits of ecosystems will be reached and this will result in either irreversible damage, resource depletion or both.

The exact implications of global warming is uncertain, but in today's global financial crisis, it seems commonsense to use energy efficiently and to avoid wastage of finite resources which we heavily depend upon. Building an energy efficient home, does not mean you do without, it refers to utilising alternative energy options that not only meet your requirements, but do so in an environmentally and economically conscious way. New homes as well as additions and alterations can utilise solar passive design principles, with appropriate materials and products to achieve a better quality of home that is comfortable year round making it the cheapest way to use the suns energy.
What we do Know

Research undertaken by the Federal Government reveals buildings are responsible for about 30 % of the raw materials used, 42 % of the energy, 25% of water used, 12% of land use, 40% of atmospheric emissions, 20% of water effluents, 25% of solid waste and 13% of other releases globally.
According to Australian research it takes as much energy to make a standard brick veneer house as it does to run one for fifteen years.

When building we should also look at the selection of building products and construction techniques for their impact on the broader environment which includes the sustainable use of resources for ours and future generations. We should aim to provide or 'leave' a world that is filled with environmental richness which is equitable for future generations, as well as providing equity within our generation. Something to be mindful of today when selecting materials is that many third world countries export natural resources for short term economic gains in a non-sustainable way, which is rapidly causing the destruction of their environment and economy in the long term. Logging of old growth forests and plantation forests are seen by many 'green groups' to be unsustainable, however Greenpeace has information on their website regarding preferred timber species and you can also look for timber that has FSC(forest stewardship council) certification, to know whether it was harvested in a sustainable manner in a managed forest.

This part of the website aims to help guide you through the plethora of 'green' building products and materials required for building a healthy home and meeting local Australian governments targets for energy ratings(such as BASIX and NATHERS). It will also introduce you to terms such as 'Solar Passive Design', 'Ecological Sustainable Development(ESD)', and 'Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)'.

When designing a 'Sustainable Home', you set forth intending on maintaining the site to the best of your abilities and producing a building that is responsive to its environment in an environmentally friendly and energy efficient manner. When undertaking such a project, one must understand that any design is an intervention to an ecosystem and can have quite dramatic effects to the natural processes occurring. The use of a basic set of guidelines for the design of ESD has the benefit of aiding home owners, designers and builders, without an established environmental philosophy. This guide has been produced in the hope that the 'science' behind ESD can be represented in an easy to read format, and perhaps this will encourage more thoughtful and responsible building designs for the environment from the broader community, not just from the professionals in the building industry.

Sustainable Home Design Guide The Basics

The 'basics' are an over simplified description of solar passive design principles to begin the education process for owners and home builders, and engaging a professional home designer or architect with an established understanding in this area, is always recommended. Good solar passive design uses basic commonsense methods to work with the environment, rather than against it. These types of homes maximise the potential of the natural environment in which they are placed by correct orientation allowing temperature efficient spaces that are full of light and air, and are aesthetically appealing to all.