Sharland Oasis- an ecologically sustainable home
by TreeHugger on 04.21.05
Treehugger wants to move to Australia- things are happening there. The public water utility is building a whole subdivision of really interesting homes, promoting "a holistic approach to ecological sustainability". Does your water company talk like that?
The model home that opened recently has a remarkable shopping list of features, some of which are specific to hot dry climates like Australia but others that are universal:
Passive benefits like deep eaves and external blinds to reduce heat gain;
Low e glazing with wood frames made from certified sustainable lumber;
High effiency appliances;
solar panels for electricity generation;
solar water heating with gas boosting;
automated controls;
rainwater collection;
"smart" garden with hardy drought resistant plants;
environmentally friendly "best practice" building materials;
prefab panellized framing.
and the list goes on. The architectural design could be sexier but the technology is terrific.
::Sharland Oasis (thanks, PV!) by [LA]
All I see when I look at that house is three sides exposed to the elements that don't have to be. Make it earth sheltered and I'll consider it. Oh, and add a geothermal heat pump.
I went to a campsite in Australia in 1991 which was fully solar-powered (hot water, really hot!) in Geelong Bacchus Marsh Victoria Australia. The conference reoom did not need electric bulbs because the architecture used all the sun's rays, even those of the seting sun; we ate vegetables the whole time, these were grown in the campsite; and even the bathrooms were made of huge bolders that had moss and ferns and such lovely greens; I can go on and on. Yes Australia's been treehugging for a very long time now...