1. LookHome
iSSue 7 / 2009
All
ThE SmmiNi
INSIDE: AFFORDABLE HOUSING REVEALED homE uE
MEET THE iSS
bRAinS bEHind
THE SOLuTiOn
wHAT’S THE
RECiPE FOR
LOw-wASTE
buiLdinG?
THE SMARTER SMALL HOME
StyliSh. liveable. very affordable.
SNEAK PEEK
How to count
the carbon in
your home
3. WeLcome home
CreATIng dreAm HomeS And we received from many readers We’ll compare it to traditional ways
communities can be a journey in our recent survey, we know of building. most of all though,
that’s filled with excitement but that you want sustainable home we’ll show how this home delivers
it’s also potentially fraught with ideas that minimise impact on the desires of many Australians —
difficulties. While dreaming up the environment. You also want affordably. Let’s face it, most of us
images of beautiful spaces and beautiful homes that you can afford. love the outdoors and backyard
welcoming rooms is easy, it can We reveal one great option. barbecues, but we also want family
be a challenge turning this into In this special issue of LookHome™, rooms that are home to the Xbox
reality. In recent years, this has we look at an affordable, stylish and plasma TV. The Smarter Small
been made increasingly hard and sustainable solution: The Home takes all of this into account,
with rising home and land prices. Smarter Small Home™. while keeping a firm lid on costs.
The problem of housing We’ll take you behind the scenes Join us in exploring The Smarter
affordability in Australia is a real to look at all the ways this home has Small Home. You can use some of
one — and many of you want to been designed and built a smarter the ideas in your own home and
know if there is a light on the way. We’ll look at energy, carbon create a space that’s truly affordable,
horizon. Thanks to the feedback footprint, and of course, costs. sustainable — and livable.
looKhoMe 1
4. fading
dreAm?
An increasing number of Australians are finding it hard
to afford their own home. Will home ownership become
a thing of the past – or is there a viable solution?
wORdS VALERIE KHOO
Jupiterimages / getty images
2 looKhoMe
6. IT ALL ComeS doWn To SImpLe prices have increased markedly in recent
economics. Housing prices are high years, by much more than consumer
because demand outstrips supply. That’s prices or incomes.
the core of the problem. But when you It states the average house price in
peel back the layers to analyse the issue the capital cities is now equivalent to
of housing affordability in Australia, there more than seven years of average
lies a complex web of drivers that range earnings. The equivalent figure from the
from changing demographics and lack of 1950s to the early 1980s is three years of
infrastructure to complex planning laws average earnings.
hindering progress and innovation. The Affordability Index compiled by the
There have been numerous studies Commonwealth Bank and the Housing
and reports on housing affordability in Industry Association (which also takes
Australia. While they may use different into account interest rate levels) shows
It’s a paradox
standards to measure affordability, the the index has recently reached its lowest
that we can results are the same. There’s a problem — points (of affordability) in the 24 years for
be short of and it’s not getting better. which it’s been compiled.
The Senate report ‘A good house Another benchmark used to measure
land. But the is hard to find: Housing affordability housing stress, both in Australia and
reality is that in Australia’ was released by the overseas, is known as the ‘ontario
population and Senate Select Committee on Housing measure’ or the ‘30/40 rule’. This restricts
Affordability in Australia in June 2008. the measurement to households in the
immigration Citing figures from the Australian Bureau lowest 40% of income distribution that
is rising. of Statistics, the report stated that house are paying more than 30% of income
In the 1990s, Australian
families have seen the rise
of the McMansion (right),
overly large homes that
maximise use of lot size.
4 looKhoMe
8. This trend is evidenced in the rise of investment: more of it must be better.”
mcmansions — a term coined in the 1990s While there is no shortage of demand,
to describe homes typically larger than the opposite is true for supply. According
average and often built to maximise as to the Senate report, there are several
much lot space as possible. factors limiting supply.
despite this trend towards bigger
homes, social researcher Hugh mackay compLex sTaTe and LocaL
points out in The Sydney morning Herald governmenT pLanning
(February 23, 2008): “we’re now a society processes
in which solo households outnumber The report states these are “too complex
those where couples live with their and often involve long delays and high
James alCoCk: FairFaxphotos / getty images / photolibrary
children. … By [2026] about 35% of all costs”. The Senate Select Committee on
Australian households will contain only Housing Affordability in Australia goes
one person, and the one- and two-person so far as to suggest that swift reforms
household will be recognised for what it are needed. “The state governments
is: the demographic mainstream. … The should reform and simplify their planning
Top: By 2026, one- and
two-person households shrinking household means that houses processes so that local governments can
will be recognised as the themselves will eventually have to change, process planning applications quickly.”
demographic mainstream. although there’s not much sign of that
Above: low interest yet: as our households become smaller, infrasTrucTure charges
rates in the 1990s drove
our houses continue to expand, partly You can’t create a livable community
up demand for houses
as auctions became because so many of us are still committed without substantial infrastructure.
buying frenzies. to the idea that home ownership is a good demographer Bernard Salt writes in
6 looKhoMe
9. housing affordability
The Australian (August 7, 2008): “To installed after residents had moved in.
significantly lift the supply of affordable It goes on to state: “now, the
dwellings requires investment in urban infrastructure is installed as the land
infrastructure such as public transport. is developed and is increasingly being
The reason is that affordable and funded by specific charges on developers.
developable tracts of land on the edge of These charges are significantly higher
capital cities that could make a difference in new South Wales … and may be
to supply and affordability are located significantly reducing the supply of As our households
beyond the city limits. land for housing in that state.”
become smaller, our
“perhaps the reason why previous
generations could deliver affordable income hasn’T caughT up houses continue
housing was because at that time Amp and the national Centre for Social to expand, partly
there was not the public consciousness and economic modelling (nATSem)
and concern about car usage and the released research (march 2008) on
because so many
provision of associated urban services.” trends in housing affordability and of us are still
However, it’s not just the existence or housing stress, 1995/96 to 2005/06. committed to the
creation of infrastructure that is at the The report ‘Wherever I lay my debt, that’s
core of the issue. It’s also about who my home’ revealed that while property
idea that home
pays for it. The Senate report makes prices have jumped 400% since 1986, ownership is a
the point that previously, infrastructure income has only increased by 120%. good investment:
was typically paid by local and state It also indicates that housing
governments out of rates and taxation affordability (or lack of it) is, unsurprisingly,
more of it must
revenue. Furthermore, it was often linked with housing stress. “one of the be better.
looKhoMe 7
11. housing affordability
to the cost — in dollars and time — of we need to take the meaning of home
transport. rather, the aim must be to more seriously, too. That means paying
build affordable housing in areas where more attention to the need for people to
infrastructure can provide for and attract connect; the need to build communities;
new residents.” the need to develop civic pride …
“We’ve always assumed the great
iT Takes a viLLage Australian dream was about owning your
In contrast to the idea of increasingly own home on a suburban quarter-acre.
isolated suburbs, there are those who are While that version of the dream persists
advocates of a return to community living. for many of us, the dream was always
This concept underpins the new Urbanism about creating a particular way of life in a
movement, which originally stemmed particular kind of community, and those
from the US and gained prominence in aspirations are changing.”
the 1980s. So the challenge is to be able to fulfil
It encouraged the creation of walkable this dream in a climate undergoing an
communities, accessible public spaces, economic downturn and housing crisis
and featured a range of housing types while catering to the diverse — yet unique
— to suit different demographic groups — — needs of Australian home owners. It can
and created local jobs. be done. over the following pages, you’ll
As social researcher and author of discover an innovative housing solution
Advance Australia … Where? Hugh mackay that is a first step towards addressing the
State of
wrote in The Sydney morning Herald: “If housing crisis in Australia. And the best
Shock
we are to take housing more seriously part is, this is only the beginning. According to the AMP/
NATsEM report on housing
affordability between 1996
and 2006, all Australian
states experienced
significant drops in housing
affordability. It states:
• New south wales
is Australia’s least
affordable state, with
homes costing 8.3
times annual disposable
household income in
2006, up almost 40% on
1996 figures, while the
Northern Territory is the
easiest place to buy a
house, with house prices
just five times median
disposable income.
• western Australia
wasn’t far behind New
New Urbanism sees south wales, with
a shift away from housing unaffordability
cookie-cutter housing increasing 63% to 7.45
to livable communities
times annual disposable
where people are
encouraged to
income, while Tasmania
interact. saw the biggest jump, up
65% to 6.1 times annual
disposable income.
looKhoMe 9
12. wORdS VALERIE KHOO
an innovaTive
JoUrneY
The Smarter Small Home™ is the result of years of
research, a meeting of minds and a duo who relished
the challenge of finding an affordable housing solution.
photolibrary. aDDitional WorDs: suZy yates
10 looKhoMe
13. creative thinking
WHen KeVIn doodneY LooKed AT home, which they defined as one costing
housing affordability problem in Australia, less than $300,000 for house and land the Smarter
he knew there had to be a solution. But package. With land often representing Smaller home
with over 30 years’ experience in property at least half the total cost of a home
iS juSt the
and real estate, doodney knew complex
planning laws and regulations could
and land package, doodney knew that a
small lot size was crucial. He decided on
beginning.
hinder innovation in solving the issue. a lot size of 10 metres by 30 metres; the
imagine …
“As a nation, our home-owner habits challenge was to design a livable, stylish the juSt-me home
Designed for a young
developed when land wasn’t an issue and and sustainable home on it. “
couple just starting out,
we were sold on this idea that bigger is He believes The Smarter Small Home
a couple just retiring,
better. I can’t understand why we keep project is set to be a turning point for or even a single person.
building these massive houses with room housing affordability in Australia. “We This compact 52 square
for two and three cars,” says doodney, are showing people that you don’t need metre design will feature
who heads up LJ Hooker Land marketing to sacrifice livability and sustainability to one bedroom with lounge,
and is former chief executive officer achieve affordability,” he says. dining and kitchen, a two-
of the Australian Institute of property The project isn’t just a smart innovation way bathroom, balcony,
management. “Anyone who tries to build on a set of architectural blueprints, and, to top it off, a green
something smaller typically makes it box- however. It’s become reality. In an aircraft roof garden.
like and ugly. people today do not want to hangar in meeandah, a suburb close to the extendable home
buy something ugly.” Brisbane airport, the house has been built. Designed for a young
So he embarked on an international When doodney was looking for a couple planning a family in
study to find an answer that would work factory in which to build the home, the future, its key feature
is that the existing 100
square metre living area
As a nation, our home-owner habits developed when land wasn’t can be easily extended
when the time is right, with
an issue and we were sold on this idea that bigger is better. another 100 square metres
upstairs, pre-approved by
council and designed to be
in Australia. doodney says a catalyst in he immediately thought of James Hardie. built in a way that doesn’t
this journey was when he visited the US After all, its study tour was the catalyst for disturb the landscape.
as a member of the James Hardie ‘Living the idea. James Hardie agreed to not only the entertainer
Benchmarks’ Streetscapes tour. The supply a hangar free for 12 months — two Designed for party lovers,
tour was created primarily for Australian months for the build and the remainder this design features a
developers and planners to experience for demonstration — it also offered media room and loads of
firsthand some of the benchmark livable marketing support and any products the undercover outdoor areas
neighbourhoods and high-density, mixed designers wanted to use from the James in 170 square metres.
use urban residential districts in the US. Hardie and Scyon™ range.
Why build it in an aircraft hangar?
BuiLd for your TriBe new home building ideas can sometimes
“Then I spent the next few years looking be stalled when it comes to actually
at affordable housing across the world, constructing the home. This is because,
visiting and studying places like Italy, when you build a home, your plans —
London and paris,” he says. “I realised particularly any innovative concepts
that, in Australia, we needed to tribalise it. — have to go through a council’s strict
We had to find a solution that would suit building regulations. doodney points
our lifestyle and expectations. We couldn’t out it can take five years or longer to
just transplant a solution from another get approval.
country. It wouldn’t work.” Building it in a hangar — where you
doodney identified a host of factors don’t have to wait for council approval
that would be needed for the solution to — meant the result could be showcased
work. The goal was to build an affordable immediately. “We’re inviting council
looKhoMe 11
14. planners, developers and builders to
The smarter small see the result,” he says. “Keep an open
home is ideal for
mind to what we’ve created and see if
Aussie traditions of
backyard cricket and this suits your village. If not, ask yourself
outdoor barbecues. what does? Use this as a discussion
point to create well-informed outcomes.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, it’s a
demonstration. It may not be the only
answer — but it’s definitely a start.”
Working TogeTher
doodney believes it’s important to
work together with council planners
and elected councils to explore what’s
possible. He points out that many council
regulations and building guidelines
have developed over a historical period
forming a “book of rules” which can also
vary greatly between councils. “often,
if a new building idea is put forward,
they have to refer to the rule book. And
if it’s different to the rule book, then
it’s stopped. But that’s like studying the
teachings of the old testament when we It also strengthened the link between
need to be looking at the new one.” architecture and construction — it helped
doodney sees this as an important me focus on what a builder needs and to
step in housing innovation in Australia. think across the chasm. In this industry,
“It’s frustrating to know that, in one people typically pick one side and stay
industry, you can move from the record there, throwing stones at the other side!”
player to the Cd player and then the
ipod,” he says. “But in the housing uniqueLy ausTraLian
industry there have been no significant Together, doodney and Blacklow have
change since the 1970s.” created an affordable home that,
To realise his vision, doodney called although small, still incorporates all
on the skills of designer Brett Blacklow the elements of a home demanded
to create The Smarter Small Home. by many Australians.
The duo met 15 years ago and have since the backyard: Backyard cricket
collaborated on numerous projects. wouldn’t be the same without … a leFt: Jupiter images / getty images / top: arChiteCt: tone Wheeler
Blacklow studied architecture at backyard. With a lot of only 300 square
I believe that too Queensland University of Technology metres, The Smarter Small Home is built
and supported himself while at university over two storeys on about 65 square
many people working for a builder. The experience gave metres. After allowing for front and side
try to tackle him a unique insight into the way volume setbacks that means the backyard is
affordability builders run their businesses as well as about 120 square metres. “When you
the cost and product constraints involved. have two storeys, you use up less land,”
with a low set “most architects have no really says doodney. “I believe that too many
(single-storey) solid understanding of how a building people try to tackle affordability with a
solution – but goes together; so it was probably the low set (single-storey) solution — but that
most important thing I did,” Blacklow uses up the backyard.”
that uses up the says. “It gave me a really good professor Tony Hall from griffith
backyard. understanding of where the money went. University has been researching the
12 looKhoMe
15. creative thinking
such as cross ventilation and sliding doors
that open on the outside of the house
(thus doubling the opening compared to
if it slid open on the inside). “It also has
a single switch that turns off all stand-by
appliances so that you only have to flick
one switch when you leave the home,”
says doodney. “We’ve also incorporated
indicators on switches that can tell you
when you are in off-peak electricity.
Humans need reminders and this helps
Brett Blacklow
you figure out it’s a good time to use your
washing machine. It also saves on your
energy bill.” dYnamic duo
australian-made: “Importantly, Brett Blacklow is the
Australians want their products to be Director of Earth spirit
made here. They want real people to home, an architecture
create it — a carpenter, a roofer, a builder. and construction company
It gives their home a sense of inheritance. he founded in 2002.
They don’t want a house that comes in a having studied architecture
box from a factory.” at QUT in the late 1980s,
his early career was
low wastage: Accordingly to doodney,
spent in the trenches,
when you build a home, 5% of the cost
working for a medium-sized
disappearance of backyards from new of the home is typically wasted in
project builder.
Australian homes over the past 10 materials. “We decided to build the
home to a grid so we’ve reduced waste
kevin Doodney is the
years and, with it, the increase in poorly
Director of lJ hooker land
designed houses that lack natural light significantly,” he says. “many home
Marketing Queensland.
and maximise floor space. builders design the home and then cut
with a real estate career
Hall says we need a campaign to save the products to fit. We’ve worked the spanning 30 years, he has
“the real Australian lifestyle”. The answer other way around, we’ve factored in the blitzed the sales for lJ
isn’t necessarily bigger lots. “You could size of the products first — that means hooker nationally achieving
double the Australian housing density less of it goes in the bin.” Top salesperson for eight
[per hectare] and save your backyard The above are just some examples years running. he has also
by making the front yard smaller and of the innovative ideas found in The successfully re-designed
building two storeys,” he says. Smarter Small Home. “good design is and regenerated ailing
just brainpower,” says Blacklow. “We’ve
residential estates
the indoor-outdoor home: “We’ve
throughout south-east
stuck Jamie durie in there!” says got the best brains in the business
Queensland on behalf
doodney, referring to the Australian collaborating on this and future projects.
of financiers.
celebrity landscaper, an advocate of We made a commitment that we wanted
“The outdoor room”. to make a difference to the industry,
“other cultures shut their houses down to do something significant, and this is
but we know Australians like loads of just the beginning.”
natural light. There is also room for the doodney says that he knows this house
plasma TV, but it’s situated so that you will sell. “every vendor I have shown this
can see it from outside the home. That home to wants one. This is what people
means you can have a drink outside and want to buy and that’s the clincher.
still watch the footy.” It is a demonstration in affordability,
energy-efficient: doodney says his and I dare you to improve on this,” he
goal was to create a home with a low challenges.“don’t tell us what we have
carbon footprint. The home incorporates done wrong with this home. Tell me how kevin Doodney
smart passive heating/cooling strategies, we can make the next one even better.”
looKhoMe 13
16. wORdS AMANDA FALCONER
The Solution InTrodUCIng …
he smarTer
T
maLL home
s
A small lot, small house, smart choice of
materials and an efficient construction method
are the key ingredients in delivering a home
that stylish, sustainable — and very affordable.
illustrator: iain mCkellar: overallpiCture.Com /
arChiteCt: brett blaCkloW
14
17. the smarter small home
WHen deSIgner BreTT BLACKLoW they needed to make the land size small.
sat down with project instigator Kevin The decision to create a lot 10 metres
doodney to try to create the archetypal wide by 30 metres long set up a series of
affordable home, he didn’t begin with the design constraints; they became a design
home itself. Instead, it was the size of the problem that Blacklow and his team
lot that was his first consideration. As needed to solve. For example, having the
the cost of land is often at least half the smallest block of land meant that the
cost of a total house and land package, home really had to be a two-storey house.
both Blacklow and doodney knew that “generally doing a three-bedroom,
to deliver an affordable housing product, two-storey house isn’t a wise decision,”
looKhoMe 15
18. Blacklow says. “There’s more surface area joists or the traditional slab on ground.
Show me on the outside of the house, so there’s These screw-in piers are typically installed
the moneY more scaffolding and it will take longer in just half a day and, at this point,
and cost more money [than a single- the foundations are finished. no bulk
Blacklow is well qualified
to assess the real costs storey home].” However the land saving earthworks are needed.
of construction. when is so significant, Blacklow and doodney Blacklow says the type of land
he added up the bill to felt that with some thoughtful design, available in developers’ land banks was
construct The smarter the additional costs would be offset. a consideration when choosing the way
small home™, the total was the sub-floor would be constructed.
about $127,583 excluding smarTer producT much of the land in many areas of
the gsT. with gsT, the cost seLecTion — The roof south-east Queensland and some parts
was just over $140,000.
Blacklow says that careful product selection of Sydney and nSW is sloping. In other
Blacklow then calculated helped claw back costs — particularly when places, like perth, for example, the soil
the cost to build the home running and maintenance costs were on land available for development is
substituting the James thrown into the mix. While the actual sale considered reactive.
hardie products with
price of the home was the first key thing to A senior project designer with Land
timber weatherboards and
get right, it was also important to ensure and Housing development in the Western
flat sheet ply cladding.
lower life cycle costs as well. Australian department of Housing and
he then did another
calculation, substituting often, time is money, so the speed of Works says that more difficult sites are
the piers with an ‘M’class construction also drove product decisions. now over-represented relative to the flat
concrete slab on flat The team was always thinking of products sandy sites that are traditionally preferred
ground, brick veneer walls that could be installed and simply finished; for development.
instead of lightweight
cladding, and a pitched
concrete tiled roof using While the actual sale price of the home was the first key thing to
standard roof trusses. The
total costs were $150,808 get right, it was also important to ensure lower life cycle costs.
and $166,261 respectively,
including gsT.
ones that involved the least number of As a result, site costs for fill and
of course, as with any construction layers. For example, Blacklow retaining are anywhere from $15,000
costing analysis of this
chose an all-in-one Bondor sandwich to $20,000 per lot and “will play an
kind, the primary intent is
panel for the roof, which meant the increasing part in the future,” he says.
to illustrate in broad terms
relative costs between roof was fully installed in half a day. elsewhere in the country, builders
different construction “one product turns up to site,” he says. frequently tell developers and consumers
methods. Actual costs “When it’s finished we have our roof that to build on sloping sites will cost
would depend on many structure, insulation, sheeting, ceiling ‘thirty grand extra’. They arrive at this
factors, including individual structure and finished ceiling. Instead cost very roughly with an approach based
building firms’ designs, of having a scaffold up for two or three on using a concrete slab.
locations and supply weeks, it’s all done in half a day.” Blacklow believes that the industry has
agreements. Using the Bondor panel didn’t inhibit been building the same way for two or
Blacklow outlined these design options either. While there are three hundred years and that it’s really
drivers of cost variances: some span constraints to consider, the hard to change people’s thinking. “While
• Quick and efficient panel can be used on anything from an screw-in piers have been around for ages,
installation with almost flat roof to one with a steep pitch. hardly anyone uses them,” he says. “The
screw-in footings. The beauty of them is that we don’t have to
slab on ground requires smarTer producT come out and make a flat area and we
arChiteCt: brett blaCkloW
a level pad, whereas the seLecTion — The suB-fLoor don’t have to dig or pour footings and box
raised house can be built At the opposite end of the building — the up the slab. We just screw these things
over a small fall without
ground — another smart product choice into the ground, we put the posts on
coNTINUED oPPosITE was made. Twenty-two steel screw-in that afternoon, and on day two we start
piers were used instead of brick piers and installing the floor framing.”
16 looKhoMe
19. the smarter small home
coNTINUED
incurring any real extra cost. That’s
because the screw-in footings don’t
require excavation and don’t produce a
big pile of excess soil that needs to be
dumped or spread over the remainder
of the site. In addition, installing the
screw-in footings means two people
are there over a half day, whereas a
slab uses seven or more subcontractor
teams and happens over a one to two
week period.
• cheaper plumbing costs. Typically the
plumber’s charge is slightly cheaper
when plumbing suspended pipework
under a timber framed floor than it is
buried under a slab.
• no cost requirements for termite
protection. The slab on ground
requires termite protection to the slab
penetrations (at the very minimum)
The first smarter small home whereas the raised house has no cost
has been built in a hangar in requirements for termite protection.
QlD. It has achieved a 5.5 star
• greater cost-effectiveness in using
rating, modelled with the BERs
Pro 4.1 in climate zone 2.
lightweight products than brick
veneer with steel support. The
costs of the brick veneer skin and
the requirement for steel support
bars over openings makes it a more
costly solution than using lightweight
sheet products. It would be costly
to reproduce the overhangs and
window sizes that are in this house if
brickwork were used. In addition, the
heavyweight brickwork requires a metal
scaffold, not an aluminium one, which
is more expensive to hire. The labour
time required for brick installation is
typically longer than sheet cladding so,
again, the scaffold stays up for a much
longer period of time and therefore
incurs more cost.
• reduced scaffolding costs. Building a
traditional roof is more time consuming
and costly as it also requires a scaffold
in place for a longer period of time. The
sandwich panel roof solution is installed
in half a day using two carpenters
where the traditional trussed roof and
ceiling system uses up to five different
subcontractor teams and typically
occurs over a two-week period.
looKhoMe 17
20. smarTer producT that’s made from the Scyon™ material,
seLecTion — fLoors a lightweight cement composite.
When it comes to floor framing Blacklow Unlike particleboard, Scyon™ won’t
chose timber joists. But not just any swell when wet. When water penetrates
joists. He designed the home around the materials like particleboard, it causes
most cost-effective joists he could find — it to swell. Then tiles can crack, bulge
245mm by 90mm Hyne ply I Beams. The and pop off.
retail cost of these is about $8 per lineal
metre compared with two or three times smarTer producTs — WaLLs
that amount for hardwood or laminated For the wall frames the team chose
veneer lumber (LVLs). prefabricated timber frames. Again,
The maximum span of the joists this this means the frames turn up on the
size is 4.2m. “So we tried to design the day they’re needed and it speeds up
structure of our house and our floor plate construction. Timber is also easier
around the limitations of our economical than metal for carpenters to adjust
materials,” Blacklow says. if a mistake has been made.
“Typically no-one approaches it like However, as the designers began to
that. The builder or designer comes up consider the cladding materials that
with a floor plan and then he works out would go on the frame, Blacklow felt
how to make it stand up.” he needed to set some ground rules
Blacklow feels this is a recipe for about product usage with project
adding all sorts of costs that aren’t partner James Hardie.
You are working with the “grain” of the street to create identity ...
Making frontages “active” creates life, and gives vitality to the public realm.
immediately obvious into a building, “I didn’t want this to be the James
because the designer or builder has to Hardie affordable house,” he says.
make the structure work. He says that “obviously the prototype house is built
with his approach “you can pare down in James Hardie’s empty factory space,
the costs”. For example, the number but I didn’t want any pressure to use
of bearers (the chunkier, heavier James Hardie® products without me
supporting timbers) is reduced and arriving independently at that decision.
the cost-effective joists selected are I thought we’d use three products, but at
used to their maximum capacity. the end of the day we’ve used eight or
With the floor framing nailed, the nine — Scyon™ Stria™ and Axon™ cladding,
design team began to think about the Axent™ trim, Linea™ weatherboard
type of material that would go on top and Secura™ interior flooring, as well
of the frame. The most inexpensive as HardiFlex® sheets, HardiColor®,
flooring is particleboard and on top compressed for sunhoods and pineridge®
of that, tiling can be a good option, lining in the walk-in robes!”
particularly when the finished price After researching exterior cladding
of between $110 and $140 a square metre materials, Blacklow and the team
for timber flooring is factored in. concluded that there is “nothing that can
arChiteCt: brett blaCkloW
Above: speed
of construction Blacklow felt that he could source “a touch a few of the James Hardie products
and designing for good tile for around $15 a square metre price-wise”. He says that then when
minimal waste
that could be laid for around $45 a square he found that paint companies Wattyl
keep costs down
in The smarter metre”. Instead of particleboard, the and Taubmans provide 15-year paint
small home. substrate could be a flooring product warranties for certain paints used
18 looKhoMe
21. the smarter small home
LOOKING GOOD FROM EVERY ANGLE are we back
to front?
In its most compact form,
fronT & rear eLevaTion
The smarter small home
has been designed for a
rear-loaded lot with the
house at the front. Instead
of having a front yard and
backyard, there is one
sizeable yard. “we haven’t
got a big driveway and
wasted 120 square metres,”
Blacklow says. “Instead
we’ve just used 30 square
metres for the front.”
If the home is to be used on
lots that aren’t rear loaded,
they’ll probably be slightly
bigger blocks. For example,
side eLevaTions a large Queensland
developer has already
commissioned five smarter
small homes after seeing a
sneak preview. They will be
built on 15 metre wide lots.
Urban designer sharni
howe says the combination
of building height,
massing and scale, built
form elements, and the
interface between uses are
fundamental to creating a
sense of identity and place.
she explains that at this
level, you are working with
the “grain” of the street to
create identity.
some aspects deserve
more attention than others.
from aBove Making frontages “active”
creates life, and gives
vitality to the public realm.
howe says that the rule
of thumb is that the more
frontages on the street, the
more active it will be. In
areas where frontages have
tended to be dominated by
garages, rear access lanes
can create a more active
and safer streetscape
environment.
looKhoMe 19
22. Instead of on products like Scyon™ Linea In addition, using the Axent trim with
weatherboard and Scyon™ Stria cladding, its 15-year paint warranty also creates
choosing he thought: “This is sensational.” a saving over the life of the building.
products that Time saved in construction was another “Typically we couldn’t put on a pine timber
need detailed plus. “many of James Hardie’s products batten and not have a drama in under
are sheet products and so a carpenter 10 years,” Blacklow says.
flashings and can cover an area of three square metres
jointings, in 10 minutes. So we’ve chosen products repeTiTion is The
that cover a big bit of area when they go deveLoper’s friend
products like
on,” Blacklow says. A key driver of the affordability of a
HardiFlex® In addition, instead of choosing development versus that of a single
sheets have products that need detailed flashings home is building the exact same floor
and jointings, products like HardiFlex® plan. “When we’re doing this we want to
been used. sheets have been used. “We have this make the outside of these homes look
detail that we’ve used that puts a little bit as different as possible, while still being
of a snakeskin (damp-proof membrane) essentially the same,” says Blacklow. It’s
flashing behind the joint in the sheets this approach that helps ensure a vibrant
with a batten [Scyon™ Axent trim] community instead of the homogeneity
arChiteCt: brett blaCkloW
on top. You’ve got a finished joint and that planners, developers and consumers
we can put on as many battens as we are moving away from.
like.” This is a cheaper way to make a “The thing I’d say about these products
weather-tight joint than using folded is that you can give me one standard
metal flashings . flat sheet like HardiFlex and I can give
20 looKhoMe
23. the smarter small home
Shining the
light on
running
FLOOR PLANS AT A GLANCE coStS
Running costs were a
key consideration for the
design team. According
to the chairman of the
National Appliance
and Equipment Energy
Efficiency committee,
Dr Tony Marker, one watt
consumed in stand-by
is, as a general rule,
approximately equal
to $1 per year. A single
appliance using eight watts
of power in stand-by will
add approximately $8 per
year to your electricity bill.
stand-by power
consumption accounts
for up to 10% or more
ground fLoor of Australia’s household
electricity usage.
This costs Australian
households more than
$5 billion and generates
more than 5 million
tonnes of carbon dioxide
per annum.
To help reduce stand-by
power use, Blacklow
and the team added an
override switch at the
front door that can turn
off the circuit that has
attached to it all the
discretionary appliances
like televisions, stereos
and the like. when you
come home you just flip
the switch back on.
illustrator: iain mCkellar: overallpiCture.Com
In addition, off-peak power
will be connected to the
firsT fLoor house, and power points
that indicate when off-
peak power is available
will be installed in areas,
such as laundries, that
The floor plan of The Smarter Small Home has been reproduced with the permission of architect Brett Blacklow, Earth Spirit
Home Pty Ltd. As the plans, sketches, computer images and models of The Smarter Small Home are protected by copyright they
have significant energy-
cannot be reproduced without permission. using appliances.
looKhoMe 21
24. meaSuring
waSte
one of the key elements
of the design approach
was to design rooms,
heights and walls to the
size of materials available.
“when I buy timber, it
has to be in 300mm
increments,” says Blacklow.
“Plasterboard is two
different widths. If I’m not
thinking of those things
when I’m designing, then
I’m potentially buying more
than I need and I’m also
paying someone to cut it
down to the right size.”
In addition, the team has
developed the design to
incorporate a number of
the offcuts that may be smart innovation:
generated. For example, sliding doors stack on the
they use hardiFlex sheets outside to maximise the
in certain places, and then opening, linking the home
to its outdoor room.
also use the 600mm offcuts
in another. That’s instead
of using full sheets and
throwing the offcuts away.
you five or six different finishes. It can glazing is a building component
“For example, plasterers
be done without texturing or anything that contributes disproportionately
often line the inside walls
by sheeting straight over like that, but through using vertical or to a building’s energy ratings. In an
a window or door and then horizontal battens, or smooth ones or unpublished study ratings appeared
cutting it out,” Blacklow really protruding ones. These products to be directly related to the overall
says. Then half an hour just have a bucketload of flexibility at a proportion of glazing and none achieved
later they need the same really affordable price,” he says. a 5 star rating if its glazing ratio was
size as that or smaller and in excess of approximately 26% of its
so they cut off a new piece WindoWs aren’T jusT floor area. (This study and the factors
of plaster.” a hoLe in The WaLL that contribute to energy efficiency are
Because all the waste on a Blacklow knew that the typical length covered in more detail in The Smarter
building site is paid for, it of plasterboard and other lining materials green Book, available at http://www.
makes sense to minimise it. is 2,400mm, so he set ceiling heights jameshardie.com.au/smarter/green.html.)
Typically, skips have to be at a standard 2.4m high. Windows If windows are poorly chosen, sized,
hired and then transported
wouldn’t just be a “hole in the wall” oriented or protected, it can allow too
to a transfer station or
either. When considering where to much solar radiation into the building
recycler and then fees paid
locate them, some key questions would causing overheating in summer. In
on that. on this house, the
need to be answered first. addition, overglazing causes excessive
arChiteCt: brett blaCkloW
team aims to reduce the
total waste produced by Is the window for access, ventilation, heat losses in winter.
up to 50%. view or daylight — or a combination With these factors in mind, Blacklow
of those factors? How can enough of decided that instead of putting a window
“I’m very comfortable we’ll
achieve that,” Blacklow says. them be used while at the same time in every wall, they would break it down
minimising the number of them? to determine the function of the specific
22 looKhoMe
25. the smarter small home
window. “This wall is the one we get now on the market,” he says. “As a result,
our light through; this opening is for every decision we’ve made has been
access; this is for ventilation — and with the goal of creating a space that
when we get to one for ventilation, feels large even though it’s small. And
we make it a louvre.” Louvres allow we’re not decorating it with things that
the wall to be opened in percentages. aren’t needed.
When it’s a view window, it has been “We’ve been intent on getting the
made a fixed window, because Blacklow architecture to do the work. We’ve been
claims that’s five times cheaper than trying to make a great cake, not squirt a
having an openable one. The western whole lot of pretty icing on it.”
wall of The Smarter Small Home has no You be the judge. The Smarter Small
windows at all, but it does use makrolon® Home is available for tours from April 2, smart shading and
multiwall sheets. 2009. Check at www.smartersmallhome. window placements
At less than half the price of normal com.au for details. are important.
glazing, this polycarbonate product
floods the house with natural light
while reflecting 91% of the western
heat load. Its stylish and unique look
also adds to the aesthetic appeal
of the project.
Blacklow says this approach means
that the total window bill is 65% to 70%
that of a normal volume builder, because
they don’t usually approach the design of
windows in this way. “They put double-
hungs here, sliders there, and they haven’t
saved money where they could,” he says.
hardWorking spaces
In a house as small as this one, in total
about 120 square metres, no space can
be wasted. As a consequence, there
are no hallways. Blacklow says they’ve
also tried to use a lot of combined rooms
and, in some ways, they’ve reverted
back to features popular in the 1950s,
like eat-in kitchens.
Instead of separate kitchen, dining
and living rooms that aren’t all necessarily
well used, the designers have created
a large room with a kitchen at one end
with space for a large table that can
be used for food preparation and
dining. Alternatively, a mobile kitchen
preparation bench and a smaller dining
table can be used.
Blacklow says flexibility is the key.
“While we’ve been designing a house
that’s affordable, we know that in creating
this we’re taking people a few steps
beyond everything else they’re seeing
looKhoMe 23
26. the smarter small home
counting the carbon
Analyse, reduce and offset: (we modelled the smarter small gFl wind farm in gudhepanchgani
that should be the recipe home design but with a concrete in the state of Maharashtra,
for designers and builders slab, brick veneer and concrete India. operational since April
who are serious about their roof tiles). see graph below. 2007, the 23.1Mw wind farm
carbon footprint. is made up of 14 wind turbines
where the carbon
each capable of generating
you can’t manage what you comeS from
1.65Mw of energy and displacing
can’t measure, and there is climate Friendly reports that,
51,618 tonnes of greenhouse
energy used in lots of ways that based on its analysis ,most of
gas emissions caused by the
you may not have even thought the emissions from The smarter
burning of fossil fuels.
of. when it comes to houses, small home come from steel,
climate Friendly Managing aluminium and plastics; together climate Friendly often supports
Director Joel Fleming says these account for 60% of its projects in developing countries
that the carbon emissions total emissions. In the case of like china and India. “In part,
from buildings are actually the traditionally built home, this is because Australian
one of the greatest contributors most of its emissions come projects don’t currently
to Australia’s greenhouse from concrete, clay bricks, reduce emissions over and
gas emissions. steel and plasterboard, which above the cuts already
together account for 58.6% required by regulation,”
climate Friendly’s approach is
Joel Fleming says.
to help organisations understand of its total emissions.
and measure their carbon They also quote csIRo data
footprint by working out how indicating that the average
many tonnes of carbon they energy intensity for a high
produce. They then look at energy intensive house is
ways to reduce it, like using approximately 5,500 megajoules which iS greener?
green energy from a wind per square metre (MJ/m2) while
farm, for example. To offset the average energy intensity
2.0 6,000
other unavoidable emissions for a low energy intensive house 5,000
5,274
they might suggest purchasing 1.5
1.62
is approximately 4,500MJ/m2. 4,000
renewable energy carbon
climate Friendly’s analysis
3,721
credits from independently
1.16
1.0 3,000
James Hardie kyoto-compliant projects. demonstrates that the energy
2,000
intensity for both The smarter
has offset James hardie asked climate
small home (3,721MJ/m2) and
0.5
1,000
Friendly to measure the carbon
the carbon footprint of The smarter small
the traditionally built home
0.0 0
(5,274MJ/m2) are less energy
produced in the home . It found that about
™
intensive than the average
co2 used to Energy
139 tonnes of co2 were used manufacture intensity
construction to manufacture the materials
low and high energy intensive
materials and (MJ/m2)
houses. The smarter small home
of T Smarter
he used in the home as well as to
is significantly less than any
construct the
actually construct it. That works home (tonnes/m2)
Small Home out at about 1.16 tonnes of co2
of them.
by supporting per square metre. This compares James hardie has offset A traditionally built home
to almost 195 tonnes, or 1.62 the carbon produced in the The smarter small home
wind farms tonnes per square metre, of co2 construction of The smarter
in India. for a traditionally built home small home by supporting the
1
The 120 square metre home is built on a 300 square metre ‘lot’ inside an empty factory hangar belonging to
James Hardie. This approach was taken to speed construction and remove the need for planning permits. It also
meant that the prototype home could be used as a display for nine to 12 months. However, The Smarter Small
Home is designed and intended to be built on actual sites.
2
In the relevant James Hardie technical manual, James Hardie recommends the use of folded corrosion-resistant
flashings as best practice. designers and builders are responsible for ensuring the appropriateness and adequacy
of the weather-tight details used on each particular project.
24 looKhoMe
27. small is the new big
STYLE AND
susTainaBiLiTy
Small is beautiful. In fact, after years
of expanding home sizes, it seems that
small may actually be the new big.
wORdS VALERIE KHOO
The trend towards smaller,
more sustainable homes is
showcased in this home in
Kurri Kurri, NSW, by Living
Green Designer Homes.
looKhoMe 25
