Sanctuary

h4>From Sanctuary issue 11. More articles like this

Sanctuary magazine issue 11 – The Machinery Shed – North Watson, ACT green home profile

Words Rachael Bernstone
Photography Sophie Seck

Excerpt: When Keith and Gillian Helyar decided to build a new house in Canberra, they drew plenty of inspiration from houses they visited during Sustainable House Day. So it seems fitting that they should open their home to the public to share the knowledge they accumulated during the course of designing, building and occupying their environmentally friendly abode. “We weren’t intending to build initially,” Keith Helyar says. “We looked around at Canberra houses, but we couldn’t find what we wanted. Then this block came up, and we thought we could start from scratch here.” “It was attractive because of the Mt Majura Nature Reserve across the road, which can’t be built out, and also because it’s easy to get into the city,” explains Gillian. “Then we visited a number of homes on Sustainable House Day in Canberra and we gained a lot of knowledge. It was really stimulating.” “Sustainable House Day is great because you can look at so many ideas in a short time, and then adapt them for your own home,” Keith adds. “We were conscious of the need for northern exposure, but the concept of building a house in Canberra with no heating or cooling was foreign to us then.”

Sanctuary magazine issue 11 – Modest Makeover – Preston, Melbourne green home profile

Words Verity Campbell
Photography Rhiannon Slatter

Excerpt: West Preston is a Melbourne suburb brimming with postwar brick bungalows and a mix of long-time residents and young families lured to the area by its roomy houses and large backyards. It’s a familiar story in Melbourne’s inner north, and one which has led to not a few unsympathetic renovations and boxy additions. But what makes this story unusual is that instead of modernising the home and extending its footprint, architect-owner Brenton (Rexroth Mannassmann Collective) and his family chose to retain and uncover the home’s original features and layout, creating a comfortable home on a modest budget.

Sanctuary magazine issue 11 – A Study in Contrasts – Spring Hill, QLD green home profile

Words Danielle Dunsmore

Photography Christopher Frederick Jones

Excerpt: Twelve years ago, architect Brian steendyk bought a cottage in Brisbane’s Spring Hill. It was freezing in winter and riddled with termites and borers, but it had potential. Brian would sit on his back (north facing) steps and think how glorious it was to have a coffee in the winter sun. “I knew I could do something to turn it around,” he recalls. “All buildings talk to you and there are things you learn by inhabiting them.” Fast forward to today. Brian still enjoys his coffee in the winter sun but in his living room, not on the back step. The house has been transformed, and in many ways it has become his own personal experiment in sustainable housing. “When I started, things like water tanks and solar hot water were expensive. I was building sustainably because I wanted to have this house as a manifesto, as a statement of belief of what you can achieve.”

Sanctuary magazine issue 11 – Spreading its Wings – Maleny, QLD green home profile

Words Fiona negrin
Photography Christopher Frederick Jones

Excerpt: When Captain James Cook Came to the hinterland of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in 1770 he was awed by the dramatic volcanic crags that dominate the landscape. The Glasshouse Mountains are one of the region’s main drawcards, and the owners of this sustainable house in rural Maleny wake to views of them every day. “The house is high on the ridge, 500m above sea level, so the views are fantastic. You can see the Glasshouse Mountains, and on a clear day you can see 140km away to Brisbane,” says architect Dan Sparks, who is the son of the owners. Being high on a ridge is great for panoramic views but its downside is exposure to ferocious weather. “This place gets hammered by wind and rain,” says Dan. One of the briefs for the house, a renovation of an existing house, was to make outdoor areas liveable by protecting them from the elements.

Sanctuary magazine issue 11 – Height & Light – Kensington, Melbourne green home profile

Words Fiona Negrin

Photography Sonia Mangiapane

Excerpt: If you thought that an extremely narrow plot of land with little direct sunlight would make an inauspicious site for a house, you would be right. Unless, that is, you’re a couple of architects in the market for “a weird block of land that nobody would know what to do with”. So it happened that Tim Hill and Dominique Ng of Tandem Design Studio bought a tight 160 square metre block wedged between a former factory and an industrial kitchen in Melbourne’s Kensington. “We couldn’t see any way to get into the real estate market apart from buying a cheap block of land and using our standard skill set to build a house ourselves,” says Tim. He and Dominique had already spent six years plotting their dream home when they found this site. “We’d read a lot about small houses. We were thinking about what a good house would be like. ‘Sustainable’ is a word that’s come into common use, but we simply thought of it in terms of function and good design, which to us meant natural light, effective ventilation and comfort.”

Sanctuary magazine issue 11 – Once in a Lifetime – Hill End, Brisbane green home profile

Words Danielle Dunsmore
Photography Christopher Frederick Jones

Excerpt: Queensland gets its fair share of sun. Now its warmth and light have been harnessed to an extent rarely seen in an amazing new home in Brisbane’s Hill End. Designed by David Gole and Emma Scragg of Riddel Architecture (RA), this house goes to extraordinary lengths to harness and control the elements. Which is just one way in which RA realised their clients’ brief “to build the most sustainable home possible”.

Sanctuary magazine issue 11 – Best of Both Worlds – Glebe, Sydney green home profile

Words Judy Friedlander
Photography Sue Stubbs

Excerpt: It’s a sign of a good renovation of an old period terrace when it brings out the very best of the original heritage features while providing present-day panache. Thanks to architect Caroline Pidcock, this little terrace in Sydney’s inner western suburb of Glebe is now showcasing its boomperiod Victoriana through a 21st century lens. Says Pidcock: “While the house is not heritage listed, it contributes to the area. “We aimed to retain the best of what is there in the public realm, while ensuring the new work is well designed so it contributes positively to the heritage of the future.” In the front half of the house, two original fireplaces framed by crisp white walls, high ceilings, plaster cornices and ceiling roses seem to invite the visitor or lucky inhabitant to repose with a good book and a glass of wine. Step into the renovated addition in the back half of the house and the style is contemporary with a nod to period detail.