An Off-Grid Household Dwelling Settled Into Victoria’s Excessive Nation
Sustainable Houses
Little Granite Home was designed from the outset to take a seat inside its Wooragee surroundings in Victoria’s Excessive Nation.
The agricultural dwelling wanted to shelter its inhabitants (a household of 5) from the extremes of the climate (with temperatures starting from -5°C to 45°C), whereas permitting them to attach with the encircling surroundings and its seasonal patterns.
BRD Studio designed and constructed the house in reference to the encircling agricultural infrastructure ‘in order to not take priority over its surroundings, as a substitute forming a homologous relationship with the preexisting buildings,’ says Tim Smith, architect and director of BRD Studio. ‘This was achieved by means of composition of a easy gable form with extraction of parts to create apertures for outside life.’
Supplies have been chosen to rescind into the panorama whereas taking into consideration their native availability, bushfire safety, shading, upkeep necessities, and skill to patina over time.
Galvanised metal cladding was chosen to offer sturdiness and coherence with the surroundings, complemented by cypress macrocarpa accents sourced from CERES Truthful Wooden in Melbourne. Over time, the exterior galvanised metallic and native timber cladding will patina to additional settle the house inside the pure rhythms of the location.
Internally, the shining gum timber on the bed room, hallway and entrance flooring was grown 40 kilometres from the location on a sustainably managed plantation. Native granite combination additionally options within the polished concrete slab in reverence to the granite boulders discovered throughout the property.
Little Granite Home has a intentionally compact 100 sq. metre flooring plan (smaller than half the common flooring space of a brand new Australian dwelling) for the purchasers who recognize the great thing about simplicity.
The property’s environmental credentials are enhanced by passive design options reminiscent of double-glazed home windows, environment friendly home equipment, deep wall frames for elevated insulation, and applicable thermal breaks between the thermal mass parts to minimise warmth loss within the depths of winter.
The house achieves a 7.3 NatHERS ranking and operates off grid powered by a 13.2kW photo voltaic system and 28kWh of battery storage. Rainwater harvesting ensures the property is totally self-sufficient.
Little Granite Home was accomplished in 2022 and the purchasers say the house has far exceeded their expectations.
‘Regardless of the house being “small” in comparison with present mainstream constructing traits, it certainly not feels small,’ say the house owners. ‘Our favorite side of our new house is the sensation of being half of our surroundings.’