My Houzz: Sustainability Meets Global Style on an Australian Hilltop
It puts the power of the sun to work while keeping the budget in check and family socializing front and center
Sustainability guided architect Mark Thomas of Buzz Architecture when he built his family home in Australia's Adelaide Hills. “From the start this was never going to be a sexy, minimalistic, highly specced architectural masterpiece," he says. "It had to be an affordable, functional set of spaces that matched our family's requirements.”
The house uses various methods to capture and store heat — north-facing windows that let sunshine flood in, heat-absorbing rammed-earth walls and solar-heated water pipes embedded in concrete slab. The combination allows the house to capture and redirect heat so that even on the hottest days, all the homeowners need are a few open windows and ceiling fans.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jolie and Mark Thomas; their children, Jaya (age 14), Kael (7) and Lila (5); dog Bessie; parakeet George; and 6 chickens
Location: Aldgate, South Australia
Size: 200 square meters (about 2,150 square feet); 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, home office
Budget: $350,000 Australian (about U.S.$361,270)
That's interesting: The house and water are heated together. The domestic hot water also heats the concrete floors in winter. The water is solar heated and boosted by a high-efficiency heat pump.
The house uses various methods to capture and store heat — north-facing windows that let sunshine flood in, heat-absorbing rammed-earth walls and solar-heated water pipes embedded in concrete slab. The combination allows the house to capture and redirect heat so that even on the hottest days, all the homeowners need are a few open windows and ceiling fans.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jolie and Mark Thomas; their children, Jaya (age 14), Kael (7) and Lila (5); dog Bessie; parakeet George; and 6 chickens
Location: Aldgate, South Australia
Size: 200 square meters (about 2,150 square feet); 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, home office
Budget: $350,000 Australian (about U.S.$361,270)
That's interesting: The house and water are heated together. The domestic hot water also heats the concrete floors in winter. The water is solar heated and boosted by a high-efficiency heat pump.
The door to the screened-in room mostly stays open to let cool breezes into the main part of the house.
The colorful Ikea kitchen fit with the homeowners' desire to keep as many elements prefabricated or standard as possible; Mark Thomas, shown here with Lila and Kael, also wanted to do a lot of the installation labor himself.
The home building process became a precursor to Thomas' new company for building sustainable homes, Goodhouse.
The home building process became a precursor to Thomas' new company for building sustainable homes, Goodhouse.
One of the most successful aspects of the home's design is how it's heated and cooled. In winter sunlight streams through the northern windows, "giving significant heat, which is retained by the solid concrete slab floor and the rammed-earth walls," Thomas says. This is supplemented by a few hours of underfloor heating each day, supplied by solar-heated hot water pipes inside the concrete slab (hydronic underfloor heating). The result is a very comfortable living temperature through winter.
The house has no active cooling other than ceiling fans. It is designed with a mix of high- and low-level windows, which create cooling breezes through each room. "In the heat of the day, the house is shut down, and we rely on the concrete slab and rammed-earth walls to soak up the heat, which keeps temperature inside down," says Thomas.
The house has no active cooling other than ceiling fans. It is designed with a mix of high- and low-level windows, which create cooling breezes through each room. "In the heat of the day, the house is shut down, and we rely on the concrete slab and rammed-earth walls to soak up the heat, which keeps temperature inside down," says Thomas.
The entrance hall leads to an open-plan kitchen and living area that connects to the deck, a screened-in room and the laundry and utility space. This space is often overspilling with people. "We seem to have many people calling in, or picking up or dropping off kids through the week," Thomas says. "I guess
this is one of the benefits of working from home."
this is one of the benefits of working from home."
His favorite thing to do at home is read a book on the screened-in porch. The family often eats here during summer, too.
The living room ceiling is plywood, which worked out to be a similar cost to the more conventional gyprock ceiling. Black bookshelves highlight a collection of treasured books and objects gleaned during travels.
The entrance hall features a rammed-earth wall to add thermal mass, crucial to the home's heating and cooling; it lends an organic, grounded element to the house. "We needed some large areas of thermal mass to suit the Australian climate and settled on rammed earth because of its relative low embodied energy, great moisture moderation properties and beautiful organic aesthetic," Thomas says.
He created relief patterns in the rammed-earth walls using a design inspired by the Taj Mahal. "My family has a strong connection to India," he says. "My parents used to live there, and I've been many times, including a recent trip with the kids. Before kids, Jolie and I traveled to both India and South America and have enjoyed making reference to various experiences and cultures in our home."
Thomas used a CNC wood router to create plywood molds for the patterns.
Thomas used a CNC wood router to create plywood molds for the patterns.
The eastern end of the house surrounds a light-filled family room with a cozy reading nook and play area. Doors connect to the bedrooms, the main bathroom and the home office.
The main bedroom and living room cantilever over the garden space, enhancing the family's connection with the environment. "We were keen for our heads to be next to opening windows with a strong connection to outside, almost like we were camping in a tent — a comfy tent," Thomas says.
The homeowners kept the children's bedrooms small, with the intention of having most of the kids' activities and interactions be in the shared living areas. All four bedrooms have loft beds to save space.
Philosopher and architect Rudolf Steiner inspired the design in the screened-off play area, which has natural wood toys and filtered light.
The bathroom shares a rammed-earth wall with the entrance hall. Fixtures and fittings were kept simple to keep costs down and stay in line with an efficient design ethos. The space is as small as possible while still being incredibly functional. The light and fan have a motion sensor and timer.
Handmade Moroccan tiles create a focal point at the basin.
Handmade Moroccan tiles create a focal point at the basin.
The home is situated at the end of a cul-de-sac and has a laid-back Australian feel. The kids often ride bikes and play outside with other kids on their street. Thomas' clients also visit the home office and add to the feeling of community.
A peaceful hills setting, an edible garden, eggs from six chickens and a great connection with the local community complete the experience.
The back of the house features two cantilevered pavillions to minimize the cutting and filling of land during the build and to "express the way the terrain drops away to the south," Thomas says. The decking was milled from stringy bark trees harvested onsite.
The back of the house features two cantilevered pavillions to minimize the cutting and filling of land during the build and to "express the way the terrain drops away to the south," Thomas says. The decking was milled from stringy bark trees harvested onsite.
Lila and Kael sit on the large platform-style backyard deck, which extends into the garden and offers spectacular views of the surrounding trees. This is a much-used space for entertaining and playing.
The backyard features an abundance of homegrown produce, including pie melons, pumpkins and figs, one of which Lila shows off here.
"All our wastewater is delivered via our Biolytix wastewater system to a 200-square-meter subsurface soakage area," Thomas says. "This waters our productive garden, a mix of seasonal veggies and around 20 fruit trees."
"Two years on," he adds, "we are still monitoring and refining the way we sail this ship. We are getting more efficient with energy use and are extremely pleased with the size and functionality of the planning."
"All our wastewater is delivered via our Biolytix wastewater system to a 200-square-meter subsurface soakage area," Thomas says. "This waters our productive garden, a mix of seasonal veggies and around 20 fruit trees."
"Two years on," he adds, "we are still monitoring and refining the way we sail this ship. We are getting more efficient with energy use and are extremely pleased with the size and functionality of the planning."