Glazing and buildings are about so much more than just energy and while energy is important and can be easily valued, comfort is priceless!

Sunday 17 September is Sustainable House Day, and lovely high performance low impact houses await your inspection across Australia, including some of Envirotecture’s finest.

Many green roofs don’t get past being a ‘good idea’, but with some knowledge and planning you can follow through on your desire to green up high, writes Dick Clarke.

In this edition, we explore how home size affects energy ratings, concerns over formaldehyde emissions in MDF bathroom vanities, and the role of thermal mass in home design for Victoria’s Wimmera region

In this edition, we explore topics such as installing a green roof on a Sydney shed, retrofitting insulation in a Melbourne home, and selecting efficient electric cooking appliances for an off-grid solar system.

Insulating under slabs has become commonplace, but slab-edge insulation can be just as important. But how do you do it and still provide good termite protection? Dick Clarke explains the physics and a simple design solution.

Concrete floor slabs are a standard way to embed thermal mass in passive design, but is it always the right approach? Dick Clarke explains the benefits and design considerations for using concrete, and

Concrete floor slabs are a standard way to embed thermal mass in passive design, but is it always the right approach? Dick Clarke explains the benefits and design considerations for using concrete, and some alternatives.

Envirotecture directors Dick Clarke and Andy Marlow recently went on an intensive study tour to Singapore, to look at the latest green buildings.

“I recently visited HUF-Haus in Germany, made famous on Grand Designs – arguably the best modular builders in the world – with high expectations. I was not disappointed.”

When investigating a skylight for your home, the first question to consider is whether you need sunlight or just light. With the advent of solar-powered LED technologies you can now bring ‘daylight’ into

When investigating a skylight for your home, the first question to consider is whether you need sunlight or just light. With the advent of solar-powered LED technologies you can now bring ‘daylight’ into your home or apartment without compromising the building envelope – but if you want the real thing, there are several energy-rated skylights on the market. Dick Clarke explains.

Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship report Engaging Communities: Shifting focus from building to urban scale now released

This issue covers two key renovation challenges: managing air ventilation in a pre-war double-brick house and navigating heritage restrictions for solar panel installations.

In this edition, our experts provide insights into selecting environmentally sustainable materials for bathroom renovations, including waterproofing options, indoor air quality considerations, and long-term durability.

At its best it’s a low energy alternative with plenty of potential for effective passive solar design, with houses sprung from the very ground they rest on. Dick Clarke outlines the modern application of one of the oldest building materials around.

The pros and cons of glass types, which to use and when.

A mould-free, easy clean shower screen installation. Watch this short video to understand the benefits for you healthy home.

We recently attended the Australian Passive House Association conference in Melbourne in an attempt to discover whether PassivHaus is appropriate to warmer climates such as coastal Sydney and further north. What is PassivHaus?

Rather than exclude the elements, this rainforest house harmonises with them By Jenny Brown

Narara Ecovillage is a 64 hectare property located on the Central Coast of NSW. For over a hundred years the site was used as an agricultural research station, the site is dotted with

Thinking of sustainable solutions for your business? You can create your own green office goals. The good news is – there are lots of ways we can contribute to sustainability.

Designing homes for flood-prone areas often means elevating floors, but floating houses offer a smarter, simpler, and adaptable alternative.

In this issue, we explore two key home-building considerations: underfloor insulation in timber homes and the role of low-e glass in double-glazed windows for extreme climates.

We need to think differently when designing or adapting a home to better cope with the multiple adverse impacts of climate change. Dick Clarke and Chris Reardon look at smarter ways to prepare for heatwaves.

This can’t tell you what to think, but it can help you know what to think about – now there is a brand new book designed to be that guide… How to

A new report from the Total Environment Centre (TEC) points clearly to the importance of green spaces in the urban environment, and points equally clearly at the progressive failure of planners and their

The Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC) at the University of Wollongong is a 2,600m2 multi-disciplinary facility that brings together a wide range of researchers to holistically address the challenges of making our buildings

If we have the technology (almost) to ‘print’ buildings, can we make them all different, so they respond to the place they are in? A giant 3D printer – squirting concrete from its

A SOLAR POWERED BOAT POWERED OFFICE – is this a World First? I have been a solar power enthusiast since 1990, when I bought my first 160 watts of Solarex panels to power