CASE STUDY PROJECT 6 Lanning St, Baranduda
Bed 3 | Bath 2 | Lounge 2

Discover what's possible with Greenest House

Master Builder Association
2021 Display Home of the Year

Designed by Greenest House | Built by Gilchrist Homes

Gilchrist Homes
Best Display Home

The Brief

Gilchrist Homes was tasked with the challenge of delivering an exacting brief from their client - providing a stunning, healthy and comfortable family home. All this whilst also being an affordable zero carbon, sustainable house, easily managed and controlled using smart technologies and future-proofed against climate shocks and changing family needs.

Our client immediately recognised the need for expert input early in the design process and called on us to support them in delivering the project.

The first step was to really understand the homeowner’s needs and desires, their lifestyle and how they wanted the house and its spaces to work for them.  

Then collaborating closely with Gilchrist Homes and the homeowner we worked through each aspect, developing solutions and supporting our client to translate the design into a cost effective build.
Built with an 8-star NatHERS thermal comfort assessment

The Greenest House Way

How Greenest House Achieved a Cost Effective Carbon Negative Design

Greenest House takes a ‘holistic’ (whole of home) approach to sustainable home design right from the start. This allowed us to fully consider all aspects of house design, orientation, materials, smart connectivity and adaptability, which was critical to the final successful outcome.

Working in close collaboration with Gilchrist Homes and the homeowner, early sustainable design decisions included:

  • well-informed choice of block and house orientation;
  • rectangular design minimising external walls (reducing build costs) and exposure to outside elements;
  • a roof designed for optimum solar panel installation and efficiency

We applied our four core principles of health, sustainability, comfort and connectivity throughout the design and build stages. This approach led to a series of smart and affordable solutions.

Sustainability

  • All energy needs met using renewable energy sources and a 10kW PV solar system (battery ready and upgradable for the future)
  • Rainwater harvesting
  • Top of the line ducted and fully zoned Daikin reverse cycle air-con/heating
  • Smart energy efficient LED lighting and power monitoring
  • Intelligently designed spaces to maximize usable space
  • Electric vehicle charging point
  • Mechanical venting of roof space to purge hot air when needed

Health, comfort and adaptability

Designing for health and comfort means that the house achieves an impressive 8 star thermal comfort score. The adaptable and healthy home includes:

  • Low or non-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) materials
  • Indoor plants with air-purifying qualities
  • Light filled spaces taking advantage of winter sun
  • Better ventilation design with Big Ass Haiku Ceiling Fans that measure temperature and humidity and auto-adjust to a comfortable level
  • Spaces that can change as family needs change
  • Retreats and larger rooms for privacy
  • Smart design e.g. the laundry doubles as butlers/preparation space

Connectivity

  • Fibre internet to the building (NBN)
  • Practical internet access and distribution hub
  • Smart home appliances
  • Smart door locks
  • Internet enabled security alarm and cameras
  • Smart smoke and CO2 detectors for when the house needs to be sealed up (i.e. bushfire smoke and high pollen days)

A successful collaboration

Great communication and strong collaboration were key to the successful design and build. Gilchrist’s decision to engage Greenest House at the start of the process and our unique approach led to the successful delivery of not only an effective and affordable sustainable house, but more importantly a beautiful, comfortable and healthy home, that is resilient to climate change and adaptable to changing family needs.  

The final result went beyond the expectations of both the homeowner and Gilchrist Homes and shows the power of great collaboration and good design.

Can You Build an Affordable, Sustainable Home?

The answer is yes you can.

The Greenest House method and design approach enables us to get to know our clients’ requirements, and then work with the building designer/architect and builder to achieve effective solutions and reduce costs.  

In the project above, liveability of the home was substantially increased, and we achieved a carbon negative design. Greenest House uses a multiple approach method in creating the right design to benefit the client, the builder and the environment.

Our mission is to empower individuals and industry to build better homes.

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