Australian Living - Eco Challenge

Sustainable Property Consultant Cameron Rosen established Australian Living in 2008 to help promote the sustainable building industry. Cameron created the Australian Living Eco-Challenge which challenges home owners, architects and the industry to design and construct homes that are truly sustainable. The first Eco-Challenge is situated on a block of land in Rose Bay NSW in which four homes would act as a showcase of how sustainable building practices could be applied affordably.

Cameron bought one of the houses himself and introduced three other families to the development  site. “The challenge was for each client and their architects to see who could build the most efficient and sustainable house, within their own requirements, beliefs and morals” says Cameron. At Australian Living, a sustainable home is developed around what they term ‘The Five Keys to a Sustainable Home’. These five keys are design with the end in mind, thermal comfort, material choice, permaculture and the resident.

The combination of smart design, thermal comfort technology and the use of sustainable products can allow the home owner to not only reduce their eco-footprint but to allow them to save dollars in the future in energy and water costs.
 
One of the four homes has scored a BASIX equivalent eight star rating for thermal performance. “In a traditional brick house the outside layer heats up all day. The heat goes straight through to the inner skin. Older houses that don’t have insulation are like hot boxes in summer and freezers in winter.
 
The outside temperature is being stored in the bricks. It’s coming through to the inside. We’ve chosen to design houses with masonry on the inside and insulation on the outside to protect thermal mass” says Cameron.
 
Andy Russell at Proctor Group Australia has worked closely with Cameron to develop a premium insulation solution without a premium price tag.
 
ProctorWrap HP breathable membrane has been used on the frame walls on the cold (exterior) side of the insulation, allowing moist air that has built up inside the house to escape, preventing dew point condensation forming within the wall cavity.
 
The high compressive strength, superior moisture resistance and long term thermal resistivity of Dow Styrofoam RTM made it particularly suitable for use as the ground bearing floor insulation. Dow Styrofoam RTM is dimensionally stable, rot proof, will not attract vermin or insects and is resistant to most ground contaminants. Styrofoam RTM is Green Star compliant and CFC/HCFC-free with zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP). This joint proactive solutions approach has achieved one of the highest R-values available for long-term thermal performance and energy efficiency.
 
If you would like to find out more about Australian Living’s Eco-Challenge and to view construction photos visit www.australianliving.info