Research: Zen Architects

East Brighton Compact Green House - East Brighton,

Melbourne

Design Philosophy

The East Brighton Compact Green House is an exemplary compact 3 bedroom house, achieving a high level of sustainability and architectural design on a modest budget. With a house footprint of 138m2, this dwelling is small for its neighbourhood, demonstrating that large houses need not be the benchmark for family homes. Through clever design and an emphasis on quality not quantity, this family’s needs have been comfortably met with minimal environmental impact. 

A timber lined curved roof peels upwards at the front and rear of the house, creating a striking street presence in an area dominated by multi-storey developments. The soaring rear roof integrates the building form with the existing jacarandah tree, creating a dramatic and beautiful outdoor entertainment area. The open plan living area connects both physically and visually to the rear deck and garden to enlarge the sense of space within a modest footprint. A sunken lounge room with integrated cabinetry, steps and seating breaks up the living area and provides an intimate and playful sitting space. 

Sustainability principles are fundamental to the building and site design. The curved roof and innovative lower eave design create a unique architectural form while ensuring good passive solar performance for current and future occupants. Waste water treatment is integrated with landscaping, including an ornamental reed bed at the entrance.

Sustainable Design Elements

• Passive heating through north oriented windows to living areas and most bedrooms
• Passive cooling through cross ventilation (including openable clerestory) and building-integrated shading, supplemented by ceiling fans
• Thermally efficient building envelope including high R-value extruded polystyrene cladding and timber framed double glazing
• Sustainably sourced timbers, low emission paints and low embodied energy with minimal use of masonry and concrete
• Radially sawn, sustainably harvested timber used for decking, fencing and eave lining
• 2 x 5,000 litre rainwater tanks collecting all roof water and used in the house for toilets, showers, laundry and kitchen (excluding drinking tap)
• Innovative grey water filtration system treating all greywater on site through a reed bed and sand filtration system which is integrated into site landscaping
• Water efficient fittings, fixtures and appliance selection, including “Ecoverta” cold water recovery units in kitchen and bathrooms
• Gas boosted solar hot water and provision for future installation of solar power panels
• Energy efficient appliance and fitting selection, including low energy lighting design

Information from: Zen Architects, Source: http://www.zenarchitects.com/project2.html Accessed 14/9/2011