Here’s why we should be thinking beyond our lists of must-haves when it comes to building and renovating.

As an architectural designer my work has a huge impact on our environment, and I strive to minimise the environmental impact of the buildings I design by recommending sustainable materials and energy efficient solutions to my clients. 

In general, sustainable architecture is based on energy and ecological conservation in the design of our built environment. Applying that approach to a residential new build or alteration, it is about using sustainable building materials such as: recycled products, sustainably harvested wool, sheep wool, locally obtained stone and rock, bamboo, non-toxic VOC glues and so forth. 

We are constantly concerned about the future of our children, that they get a good start in life and a good education, which will enable them to live a happy life. One way of promoting and protecting the interests of our children is to leave only a small carbon footprint, which means being conscious about our environment and making sustainable decisions. 

There is not really a difference; in fact sustainability and energy efficiency go hand in hand, as the energy efficiency of a building is one of the most important goals of sustainable architecture. 

Again there are many ways to improve the energy efficiency of a house, and this starts with insulation, as a well insulated home uses much less energy to heat than a poorly insulated one. 

At the beginning of each project the size of the house is an important consideration, ensuring you are building what you need. Building a house which is bigger than you need will end up costing you more in building and maintenance costs. 

there is actually a lot of confusion about these two terms. Passive Solar Design is based on using the sun’s energy to heat your house by orientating the home towards the sun and storing the sun’s energy in thermal mass like concrete floors and concrete walls. The stored heat in the thermal mass can then be used when it is needed.

The Passive House Standard is totally different. Completely independent from solar gain, it is based on four principles:

HRV is an energy recovery ventilation system which employs a cross flow between the indoor air and the outdoor air.

This allows you to have very good air quality at any time of the day without losing the warmth you produce by being inside the house.