Passive House or PassivHaus as it is known in Europe is often derided as an esky-approach to building that prevent people from opening windows, results in ugly boxes and is generally un-Australian. I disagree.

The federal Government’s proposed carbon tax threatens to become yet another divisive issue, when we should be working together on tackling climate change. The usual personalisation of issues – “Gillard’s new tax” etc,

For the 146,00 people in NSW and many more nationally about to lose their FeedIn Tariff at the end of 2016 “what to do next?” is the big question. Invest in batteries 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

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

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

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?

We often get people sending pretty infographics explaining the world in pictures, they make good points and are well researched but rarely do they provide the information that gets us closer to a better world. This

The Banksia Award winning Centre for Liveability Real Estate (CLRE) has begun a quiet revolution in the way sustainable residential property is valued, and marketed, in Australia. Through its ‘features based’ approach, and the list of

With a flurry of solar and battery technologies being released this summer it can be overwhelming trying to sort through all the information flying around out there. And with the new solar and

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

This week is World Green Building Week. Started in 2009 by the World GreenBuilding Council the week aims to create a more connected, more interactive, more public conversation around the role buildings play in

Why all the fuss about batteries at the moment? What’s it all about? The ability to store energy isn’t new, but the technology to store it at household scale and larger, at an

How can we design eco friendly homes if they are powered by dirty energy, and are potentially undermined or overcome by toxic emissions? We can design the home, it can be eco friendly,

What if all our efforts to design and build sustainable eco homes over the last 20 years has been wasted? What if they don’t achieve the big reductions in energy and water that

It saddens me to announce the death of my close friend and colleague Dr Chris Reardon, who passed away at his keyboard on Monday 17 November 2014. Chris and I had shared many

The Climate Council have just published a report card on Australia’s performance in policy and investment in renewable and solar energy (RE), which factors into building design. It’s a fascinating read, although not

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

Our Federal elected representatives have voted to abolish the carbon tax. Did you give your rep a mandate to do that? I didn’t, yet tho is now what we have: no effective energy

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

Sustainability is mercurial, an ever retreating horizon. Just when you think you’ve arrived, you find it’s moved on, and yet again you have to rethink your strategy, your choices, your designs and specifications.

We don’t like getting into politics at the personal level at Envirotecture, although we sure jump in boots and all at the policy level. Therefore we are reluctant to say too much about

The Royal Commission into Kevin Rudd’s insulation scheme should, if it is real deal, uncover the truth of the whole affair. In which case, Kevin Rudd and Peter Garrett are likely to have

“Don’t vote – it only encourages them” is the typically irreverent and slightly anarchic joke about politicians. People are often heard to say, “I have no interest in politics.” The problem is, politics

LJ Hooker has made a change that will revolutionise the way real estate is bought and sold in Australia. Finally, there is a mechanism for agents to recognise, understand, and value a home’s