Sustainable …..what does it actually mean?
- saving whales
- recycling
- rainforests
- green house gas emissions
- carbon taxes
This is the common percetion (mis conception) of sustainable design. A lot of marketing has gone into the promotion of the “eco / green” facet of sustainability. It a bit like the 99% fat free ice cream that we buy……..But it’s full of sugar that makes us fat!!!
Sustainability has three aspects to it:
- Ecological sustainability….. be sensitve to the environment and have the smalles carbon footprint possible. Be energy efficient with good passive solar design principal applied.
- Social Sustainability…………. be fit for the purpose it is designed for. Australia now has the largest homes in the world being built. Do we really need 2 living areas, a media room and a study??
- Economic Sustainability……be affordable. With construction costs soaring excessive “space” is a waste of money when efficient design can reduce unwanted space.
One of the most common comments I hear from clients is “I’ve drawn up what I want but its not very good.” So we often encourage out clients to simply write down what they want. What their dream home is going to look like and how they want to live in the future. (I’m a firm believer of letting the experts do what they do best and not try to do their job)
The next common saying I hear is “Wow!! I would never of thought of that !!!
When all of the above principals are taken into account and are implimented into the design of a home or building, and of course the flexability to obtain comparitive prices from a number of builders, the investment in a custom design can be far outweiged by the savings. Not only in construction but for the life of the building.
For example my electricity bill is around $1500 per year less than my neighbour. His air conditioner runs regularly to heat and cool his home. I simply open different windows and doors depending on the prevailing breezes.
After 7 years? !! ……well you do the numbers
