Tag Archives: Sustainable Architecture

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Home Tours: ‘House At Otago Bay’ In Tasmania

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The Local Project (December 27, 2022) – Taking a house tour inside a home made entirely from local and sustainable building materials, Topology Studio offers a rare insight into how a structure becomes one with its surrounds.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Sustainable Home 00:30 – The Architect and The Home Owner 01:00 – The Location 01:19 – A Walkthrough of the Sustainable Home 01:40 – Expanding Spaces Through Shapes 02:27 – A Seamless Connection of Inside and Outside 02:47 – A Home that Sits Quietly and Calmly 03:00 – Using Local Manufacturers 03:21 – Maximising the Benefits of the Natural Elements 04:01 – An Entirely Electric Home 04:13 – Climate Change Impacts and Planning for the Future 04:48 – Minimising Footprints

Sitting atop the land, House at Otago Bay looks out toward the bay and as far as Mount Wellington – offering the owners a home that is flush with the landscape. Modest upon arrival, House at Otago Bay is positioned at the end of the drive with its back towards neighbours and its front facing the opposite bush reserve.

Made of locally sourced bricks, bushfire-resistant timber and glass, the home’s design showcases a passion for building sustainably for the present and future. Entering the home at the main living level, Topology Studio has designed the space to open and focus on unrivalled views of the bay. Though sitting on a narrow site, the insertion of unique architectural and design choices inside a home, such as the continuous curved ceiling, help the home to branch outwards and avoid being marginalised by frames. Stairs that sit off to the side lead down to the lower ground floor, in which a bedroom and ensuite have been partially set into the foundation of the home, offering a distinctive view out across the grass and towards the water’s edge.

With a seamless connection that isn’t often seen inside a home, the external façade blurs the lines between inside and out and adds a layer of connection to the surrounding environment. Sitting quietly and calmly upon the land, the architects have chosen to use tones that reference the rocks, water and greenery of the landscape. Using locally sourced and produced materials inside and out took away the need to import from overseas, avoiding unnecessarily increasing the home’s carbon footprint during construction.

After specifying the Tasmanian brick, Topology Studio positioned the building to maximise sunlight during winter and shield the inside during the summer, while also taking advantage of the expansive views. To cater to the changing temperature inside a home, the masonry and concrete floor provide a high level of thermal mass through the seasons and take away the need for external heating technology.

House at Otago Bay is supplied electricity by the solar panels on the boat house – taking away any need for gas and minimising running costs and impact on the environment. Though inside a home can be thought of as sustainable, Topology Studio has taken the extra step to respect the environment by providing robust materials across both outside and inside – proving that homes can provide longevity for its owners in sustainable and eco-friendly ways

Architecture, Green Design, Home Design, Homes, Videos, Views

Sustainable Architecture: TMRW Home In Melbourne

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The Local Project – Passionate about creating a small home that considers a sustainable future, Marc and Felicity Bernstein at Hütt Homes collaborated with Blum to bring functionality into their family’s sustainable home.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Small, Sustainable and Timeless Home 00:48 – The Shape of the Land 01:12 – A Walkthrough the Home 01:41 – Making the Most of the Small Space 02:00 – Blum Addicts 02:14 – Blum’s Input 02:45 – Blum Storage Options 03:10 – The First Floor 03:38 – The Top Floor 03:54 – 5 Principles of a Passive House 04:44 – Creating a Carbon-Neutral Home 05:13 – A Home That Ticks Every Box

From the exterior of the small home, the architecture considers brick and concrete as main elements of the design, while the interior uses timber as a key material to minimise the home’s carbon footprint. Utilising an open plan approach in the small home allows for a connection to the rear and first-floor gardens. Throughout the residence, a sense of communal living has been infused alongside sustainable elements.

In the sunken living room – where the sense of the communal spirit of the small home is evoked – the surrounding timber edges allow for extra seating for larger gatherings. At the other end of the house, the kitchen and dining room showcase the collaboration with Blum through storage units and cupboards. Helping to provide functionality, organisation and ergonomics while increasing the home’s passive living, Blum specified products such as the LEGRABOX in the kitchen and first-floor bedrooms to enhance storage and aesthetic function.

Moving upstairs to the private spaces, Blum has assisted with the home’s organisation and ergonomics with floor-to-ceiling cupboards in the master to staircase storage systems in the children’s rooms. Additionally, a net has been installed in the children’s rooms, hanging over the ground level and allowing for extra play space without taking away from liveable areas. Further assisting with the passive living of the home, a garden has been installed on the first level and a living green wall in the bathroom adds a natural flow of oxygen. Continuing the importance of indoor air quality, a mechanical heat recovery system has been installed to capture fresh air and remove any stale air.

Furthermore, a heat exchanger allows for temperature stability all year while maintaining energy efficiency. Throughout the small home, an emphasis on creating a carbon neutral project is referenced in the architecture and interior design choices. From the use of timber to the living green wall and connections to the gardens, sustainability is the key focus of Blum and Hütt Homes’ collaboration. An inspiration for upcoming architects and designers to think and design responsibly, TMRW Home is a responsible family residence that considers the present and the future.

Architecture, Design, Housing, Sustainability, Videos, Views

Tours: Off The Grid ‘Pine Flat Lodge’ In Tasmania

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Located on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, Pine Flat Lodge emerges from the environment as a place of retreat and immersion. The off the grid lodge is proposed as a minimal insertion within the landscape, a simple gesture that holds the space between the pines and the expansive view beyond the site. Imbued with a sense of belonging and placemaking, the off the grid lodge was approached in a deliberate manner, with focus placed on the conservation and rehabilitation of the land.

As a response, the architecture and interior design of the lodge accentuates an outward perspective, blurring the lines between indoors and out. The off the grid lodge is comprised of a series of modules within a continuous envelope, which in turn opens out to the landscape. The communal spaces are separated by decks and continue the structure’s discourse with the external environment, while the sleeping quarters represent an intended moment of quiet and retreat. The lodge tour also highlights Pine Flat Lodge’s solar power and rainwater collection, a physical reminder to visitors to be mindful when experiencing the space and landscape.

When designing a lodge, especially one that operates off grid, sustainability must inform each component. The material of the cabin is motivated by the surrounding context – sustainably sourced timber is used throughout the off the grid lodge. The structure utilises resources in an accountable way by pursuing efficient use of materials and minimising carbon footprint while supporting local craftsman. Bespoke details feature throughout the off the grid lodge, celebrating craft and the natural environment in an authentic and sustainable manner.

Buildings, Green Design, Sustainability, Technology, Videos

Green Buildings: ‘Science & Energy Complex’ At Harvard (Video Tour)

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Harvard’s much-anticipated Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) in Allston is complete. The SEC is home to a portion of Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Labs are setting up (some are already operational), furniture has been moved in, and offices are being transitioned. Assuming continued progress in controlling the virus, it will be open to students in the Fall of 2021. Join us for a look inside the new SEC – one of the most innovative, healthiest and energy-efficient buildings in the world!

Architecture, Buildings, Green Design, Sustainability, Videos

Green Renovation: ‘1970 Manchester, UK Building’ By TP Bennett Architects

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This video produced by Dezeen for TP Bennett reveals how the architecture practice has transformed an old building in Manchester into an “ultra sustainable” mixed-use office building.

Called Windmill Green, the office building is a conversion of an unused 1970s structure in the heart of the city that was due to be demolished. The site has been transformed into a mixed-use co-working space fitted with several sustainable additions geared towards carbon reduction and biodiversity, such as solar panels, beehives, and “Manchester’s largest living wall”.

“Sustainability was a key driver with this scheme and we transferred a derelict and vacant building into an ultra sustainable and high-spec workplace” said Yvette Hanson, the principal director of TP Bennett, in the video. “At TP Bennett, we bring a deep commitment to carbon reduction to deliver buildings that better reflect the way people live, work and interact, while at the same time fostering a positive social impact,” she added.

Developed in collaboration with real estate investment boutique FORE Partnership, the building features a ground level dedicated to retail and a facade covered with the green terracotta tiles that are typical of buildings in Manchester.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes

Sustainable Architecture: ‘Woodnest Treehouses’ Above Fjord In Norway

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Woodnest – Up in the air

The steep forested hillsides around the Hardangerfjord above Odda, is the location of two Woodnest treehouses. The architecture is a specific response to the topography and conditions of the site itself. Inextricably crafted from nature, each treehouse is suspended 5-6m above the forest floor and fastened with a steel collar to the individual trunk of a living pine tree.

The journey to the site begins with the 20minute walk from the town of Odda, on the edge of the fjord and up through the forest via a steep winding path. Each treehouse is accessed via a small timber bridge, leading the visitor off the ground, into the structure and up in to the tree.

At just 15m2, carefully organized inside around the central tree trunk itself are four sleeping places, a bathroom, a kitchen area and a living space. From here one can lookout and experience the vast view out through the trees, down to the fjord below and across towards the mountains beyond.

At the very core of the project is the appreciation of timber as a building material. Inspired by the Norwegian cultural traditions of vernacular timber architecture, together with a desire to experiment with the material potential of wood, the architecture is structurally supported by the tree trunk itself, and formed from a series of radial glu-laminated timber ribs. The untreated natural timber shingles encase the volume creating a protective skin around the building, which will weather over time to merge and blend with the natural patina of the surrounding forest.

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Architecture, Buildings, Conservation, Innovations, Videos

Sustainable Architecture: ‘Anandaloy In Bangladesh’ – Made of Bamboo & Mud

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designed by german architect anna heringer, ‘anandaloy’ is a community center and workshop in bangladesh that is made from mud and bamboo. located in rudrapur, a village in the country’s dinajpur district, the two-storey building contains a therapy center for people with disabilities at ground level and a fair-trade textile manufacturing workshop for local women on the first floor. below a big ramp that connects the two levels, protective cave-like spaces provide settings for recreation or solitude.

Bangladesh, to the east of India on the Bay of Bengal, is a South Asian country marked by lush greenery and many waterways. Its Padma (Ganges), Meghna and Jamuna rivers create fertile plains, and travel by boat is common. On the southern coast, the Sundarbans, an enormous mangrove forest shared with Eastern India, is home to the royal Bengal tiger.