Sustainable houses: Sydney’s best architectural designs, materials and homes
From an inner city ‘sun-trap’ to a glass walled beach house to a utopian farm, these homes are defining the future of green living.
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Sustainability is beginning to rival affordability as a key concern for Aussie homebuyers and renovators.
As Australians become more and more environmentally conscious, and the technology involved in housing design and construction materials gathers pace to meet this growing demand, sustainable homes are set to become a key feature of the real estate market over the next decade.
Award-winning architect Simon Anderson, of Anderson Architecture, said he has been peppered with questions about sustainable design in his initial meetings with clients since the start of the year.
“When talking about what they would like in a home, our clients now have all sorts of questions about passive solar design,” he said.
“It’s obvious they have done their homework and want to know how they can incorporate these sustainable design principles into their new home builds or renovations. That wasn’t the case really even five years ago.”
In response to the huge spike in interest in sustainable properties, The Sunday Telegraph is featuring some of NSW”s leading sustainable homes. They run the whole gamut from affordable urban eco granny flats to prestige regional trophy homes with water views, from suburban family homes with thermal mass, hydronic heating and grey water use to inner city terraces completely off the grid.
If you’re looking for ideas, inspiration or are simply searching, look no further than these incredible homes.
With authorities set to include heightened sustainability guidelines into future planning regulations and economies of scale set to reduce the costs of environmentally safe living, sustainability is more than just a trend, but it’s here to stay.
“Solar and water [use and re-use] are massive areas of interest for homebuyers,” said Andrew Winter, the host of Foxtel’s Selling Houses Australia.
“And I’m sure other areas that meet that sustainable criteria will quickly grow in demand. But it’s also about going as green as you can. Reusing sheeting so it doesn’t go to landfill or going to a second hard market for materials.”
The Farm
Architect Fergus Scott said this home was designed to encourage the owners and visitors to the home to physically experience the landscape, a big ask considering the weather extremes experienced on the NSW south coast. But an aim, as you can see with this home that defies superlatives, that as more than achieved. MBA Excellence in Housing Awards Winner Best Use of Rammed Earth award. Hydronic heating is installed throughout the home which houses onsite sewage treatment plant.
Tin Shed House
A key focus here was to create a home that would be a pleasure to live in using sustainable design principles. “When you talk about environmentally responsible design, size is quite critical,” said Chris Chris Freeburn from Ironbark Architecture. “With all our projects we advocate for less but better. We’re always asking the question ‘how little do we need?’ ”
Suntrap
Suntrap House was completed in 2017 and is a fantastic example of inner city sustainability. The garden and utilising natural light was the most important part of the home, so it is centred around a northern courtyard. Eco-friendly concrete walls, hydronic heated flooring and repurposed materials all add to the home’s unique design and build. The Australian native garden promotes birdlife and other local fauna. There is also an internal courtyard, while there is a 1400L rainwater tank for garden use.
Sustainable Haven
Owner and architect Steven Gerendas spent 10 years designing and building this amazing home which is just minutes from Bondi Junction shopping district but a world away. The $8m home is striking but in tune with its natural surrounds including the sheer rock face it sits beside, on the site of an old quarry. Passive solar design ensures contemporary maintenance-free living that rarely requires heating or cooling. The piece de resistance of this 4-level home is its wing roof, complete with a landscaped Zen garden that blends into the treetops and not to forget the recycled hardwood staircase.
The Seed House
Architect James Fitzpatrick, of Fitzpatrick and Partners poured his heart and soul into the design of what would become known as The Seed House. After all he was designing the home for his own young family, on a prime site of more than 5000 sqm at Castlecrag, on Sydney’s upper north shore. The landmark home took more than two years to build and features extensive use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) in a series of interconnected, cantilevered structural pods that are home to a rich array of Tasmanian timbers, including Huon pine, blackwood and celery top pine.
Photosynthesis house
This stunning contemporary abode lives up to its name – the abundance of natural light it enjoys defines the home. As with many of architect Matt Elkan’s designs simplicity is key. The home’s orientation and skylights allow it access to as much light as possible – all rooms are north facing, while other sustainable features, such as a green roof watered by run-off are key. External venetian blinds and glass louvres mean the owners can moderate sunlight and airflow as they wish in this house that was the result of a remarkable renovation of an old fibro beachside cottage.
Sky Ridge
Popular Channel 7 Morning Show co-host Larry Emdur and wife Sylvie snapped up this weekender in the rolling hills of Kangaroo Valley last year for $2.15m, with a view to turning it into tourism accommodation. The luxury offering was designed by architect Alexander Michael in 2018. The off-grid, solar-powered, eco-friendly home was constructed from steel, glass and polished concrete floors to give it an industrial feel.
The Shed
This is the life. Who wouldn’t want to spend a bit of me time here or even some quality time with your significant other, let alone call this eco-granny flat home. Designed by acclaimed architect Simon Anderson, who has several homes featured on our list, this contemporary home features a concrete thermal mass floor slab, highly insulated walls, increased cross ventilation, operable skylights and recycled materials.
Upside Down Akubra House
Hats off to the team who designed this off-the-grid home in country NSW. The large skillion roof with solar panels was inspired by an Akubra hat and powers the house. The unique roof also insulates the home from extreme temperatures and, by channelling rainwater, keeps it self-sufficient. It was designed to celebrate the unique landscape and vistas of the surrounding landscape near Tamworth.
Castlecrag House
This unique home, built on a sandstone outcrop in an angophora forest, with a view of Sydney Harbour was designed by Neeson Murcutt Architects and won the Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture – Houses at the 2011 National Architecture Awards. Castlecrag House was built by the Maincorp Construction Group AT Castlecrag. on Sydney’s leafy upper north shore, and was designed to blend into its natural environment, with a pinwheel plan that takes in a room to the rock, a room to the bush, and a room to the view.
Waratah Secondary House
The design of this one-bedroom studio in Maitland made it possible to prioritise sustainable principles on the cheap. The box form structure known as Waratah Secondary house was built from prefabricated materials and modular components, including structurally insulated wall and roof panels. These components were selected for their superior insulation, environmental benefits, low cost and ease of instalment.
Designers Anthrosite Architects included big openings through double-glazed, timber doors and windows to capture or purge heat, reducing heating and cooling costs. Located in a flood prone area, the structure was elevated 1.2m off the ground to mitigate against water damage. Hard and soft landscaping, including earth mounding, were included to better connect the interior with the outdoors.
Additional reporting by Owen Roberts, Aidan Devine, Matt Bell, Amanda Sheppeard and Stephen Nicholls.
Andrew Winter is host of Selling Houses Australia and Love it or List It Australia on FOXTEL’s LifeStyle channel.
Originally published as Sustainable houses: Sydney’s best architectural designs, materials and homes
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