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SUNERGY DESIGN - Custom 'Passive Solar' House Design
 Contact & Location Information
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| Contact Name | John Basden |
|---|---|
| Servicing Areas | Nabiac, New South Wales |
| Phone | 02 6554 1834 |
New Homes, Renovations, Additions and Entertaining Areas for Suburban, Beachside or Country living. Many more images and notes below.
SUNERGY DESIGN - Custom 'Passive Solar' House Design
Sunergy Design is John Basden's design office specialising in Passive Solar Design for projects ranging from a new home, energy efficient renovations or an all seasons outdoor entertaining area - for Suburban, Beachside or Country locations. (See below: 'What is Passive Solar Design?')
Sunergy Design projects are specifically designed for each client and their building site.
After your new home is completed - will you be showing visitors the hidden structure, the plumbing, the electrical wiring, the plastering ...........or the design?
Not everyone involved in your home does 'the same thing' as everyone else.
Sunergy Design supports the NSW Government's AHSEPP (Affordable Rental Housing) or 'Granny Flat' rules which allow flexible extension of existing homes or small 'secondary dwellings' in the backyard.
Sunergy Design has a comprehensive page on facebook that is accessible to everyone. www.facebook.com/sunergydesign
It has progress and completion photos of many projects as well as Passive Solar Design information.
Sunergy Design is always investigating new construction and efficiency options available to you depending upon your building site. Many of these options are also possible as Owner Built upgrades.
When you have a custom designed plan YOU decide who builds your home, not whoever sells you a drawing from a catalogue.
In this mild coastal climate homes that require NO artificial heating or cooling are not unusual - see photos 5 and 9.
Sunergy Design has the latest Autodesk Revit 2012 Architecture Suite software enabling you to see how your project will look - on your site, at any time on any day of the year - see pictures 11 and 12.
Sunergy Design projects are mostly in the NSW Mid North Coast local area, but projects in the Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, North Coast, Riverina and Southern Highlands regions show that distance is not a barrier.
The NSW Government's mandatory Basix Certificate is prepared in-house to allow optimisation of water consumption, thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Supply of the Basix Certificate is a standard part of the plan package.
Project Featured in Masthead Photo:
Design 06008 - Single Storey House - Nabiac NSW. See photo 5.
Projects Featured in Photos at right:
1 + 2: Design 05015 - Courtyard House - Hallidays Point NSW.
3: Design 07029 - Two Storey House - Mitchells Island NSW.
4: Design 07014- Two Storey House - Green Point NSW.
5: Design 06008 - Single Storey House - Nabiac NSW. (AS 3959-1999 Bushfire Level 2 Construction)
6: Design 04012 - Multi-Split-Level House - Hallidays Point NSW.
7 + 8: Design 07010 - House Renovations - Elizabeth Beach NSW.
9: Design 04026 - Two Storey House - Elizabeth Beach NSW. (AS3959-1999 Bushfire Level 3 Construction)
10: Design 07005 - House Additions - Lorne NSW. (AS3959-1999 Bushfire Level 3 Construction - Original photo by Gaven Whalley)
11 + 12: Small House Concept - Gloucester NSW. Mid Summer and mid Winter lunchtime sun angles shown. (Autodesk Revit software images)
13 + 14: Design 08009 - Single Storey House - Nabiac NSW. (AS3959-1999 Bushfire Level 3 Construction)
What is Passive Solar Design?
Passive Solar Design principles shape a home to suit seasonal variation in sun angles. Summer shade and Winter solar warmth are used to help maintain a comfortable interior.
Any house can be made 'Greener' by adding equipment to it later, but simple design concepts make a house 'require' less energy for comfort in the first place. Correct orientation costs nothing. Designing for daylight and ventilation in all rooms seems obvious. Higher performance insulation costs little more that the minimum stipulated in Basix. High performance windows are more expensive to buy, but have no running costs for the life of the building.
What is Thermal Mass?
Once inside the building, some of the warmth needs to be absorbed by Thermal Mass, otherwise the building will quickly cool down again once the sun sets. Thermal Mass is anything that can capture and store warmth. (Thermal Mass is the reason that a bathroom usually feels cooler than other rooms in Summer)
Site Analysis
An energy efficient home can be designed to suit virtually any location, but a well orientated site does make more options available.
Sunergy Design undertakes 'Site Analysis Visits' for prospective clients to better understand the possibilities and any limitations of their property - and now also offers this service to those planning to buy a 'production' house.
Understanding how the site 'works' will help people choose a home that 'works' better - improving comfort and reducing running costs for the life of the building.
Residential, Semi - Rural or Rural Location
Different locations demand different solutions to home design, even with identical topography and orientation. For example: a home on top of a hill with a Westerly view to the 'side'. If the neighbours' house is 3m, 30m, or 300m away, will totally change the shape of a design.
Bushfire Safety
Public discussions following the tragic Victorian bushfires often seemed to imply that there were no existing rules for building in or near the Australian bush.
Australian Standard AS 3959-2009 - Building in Bushfire Prone Areas is rigourously applied to new buildings by our local Councils and the NSW Rural Fire Service. The new rule has six levels of Bushfire Attack Level (BAL).
The previous Standard, AS 3959-1999 with 3 Bushfire Levels and 'Flamezone' applied when the pictured homes were designed.
Australia's country towns are filled with houses built before the rules came into effect, but there are many simple safety upgrades that can be carried out on existing buildings. The NSW Rural Fire Service website, www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/ has a huge array of information and advice available for public download.
Flat, Sloping or Steep Blocks
An energy efficient home can be based on any subfloor structure, from flat slab to full pole construction. Steep blocks are often less expensive because increased construction costs reduce builder demand. Modern construction methods and materials now allow very efficient homes to be built nearly anywhere.
Further Information
John Basden is a Member of Building Designers Australia - NSW
John Basden is a Member of the Alternative Technology Association, and offers a fee discount to other members. (See www.ata.org.au/ for details)
Sunergy Design Information Sheets describing the design process for new homes and renovations, a 'wishlist' for project size calculation and a standard fee schedule can be emailed to you - or simply ring for a chat about your project.
Sunergy Design projects are specifically designed for each client and their building site.
After your new home is completed - will you be showing visitors the hidden structure, the plumbing, the electrical wiring, the plastering ...........or the design?
Not everyone involved in your home does 'the same thing' as everyone else.
Sunergy Design supports the NSW Government's AHSEPP (Affordable Rental Housing) or 'Granny Flat' rules which allow flexible extension of existing homes or small 'secondary dwellings' in the backyard.
Sunergy Design has a comprehensive page on facebook that is accessible to everyone. www.facebook.com/sunergydesign
It has progress and completion photos of many projects as well as Passive Solar Design information.
Sunergy Design is always investigating new construction and efficiency options available to you depending upon your building site. Many of these options are also possible as Owner Built upgrades.
When you have a custom designed plan YOU decide who builds your home, not whoever sells you a drawing from a catalogue.
In this mild coastal climate homes that require NO artificial heating or cooling are not unusual - see photos 5 and 9.
Sunergy Design has the latest Autodesk Revit 2012 Architecture Suite software enabling you to see how your project will look - on your site, at any time on any day of the year - see pictures 11 and 12.
Sunergy Design projects are mostly in the NSW Mid North Coast local area, but projects in the Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, North Coast, Riverina and Southern Highlands regions show that distance is not a barrier.
The NSW Government's mandatory Basix Certificate is prepared in-house to allow optimisation of water consumption, thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Supply of the Basix Certificate is a standard part of the plan package.
Project Featured in Masthead Photo:
Design 06008 - Single Storey House - Nabiac NSW. See photo 5.
Projects Featured in Photos at right:
1 + 2: Design 05015 - Courtyard House - Hallidays Point NSW.
3: Design 07029 - Two Storey House - Mitchells Island NSW.
4: Design 07014- Two Storey House - Green Point NSW.
5: Design 06008 - Single Storey House - Nabiac NSW. (AS 3959-1999 Bushfire Level 2 Construction)
6: Design 04012 - Multi-Split-Level House - Hallidays Point NSW.
7 + 8: Design 07010 - House Renovations - Elizabeth Beach NSW.
9: Design 04026 - Two Storey House - Elizabeth Beach NSW. (AS3959-1999 Bushfire Level 3 Construction)
10: Design 07005 - House Additions - Lorne NSW. (AS3959-1999 Bushfire Level 3 Construction - Original photo by Gaven Whalley)
11 + 12: Small House Concept - Gloucester NSW. Mid Summer and mid Winter lunchtime sun angles shown. (Autodesk Revit software images)
13 + 14: Design 08009 - Single Storey House - Nabiac NSW. (AS3959-1999 Bushfire Level 3 Construction)
What is Passive Solar Design?
Passive Solar Design principles shape a home to suit seasonal variation in sun angles. Summer shade and Winter solar warmth are used to help maintain a comfortable interior.
Any house can be made 'Greener' by adding equipment to it later, but simple design concepts make a house 'require' less energy for comfort in the first place. Correct orientation costs nothing. Designing for daylight and ventilation in all rooms seems obvious. Higher performance insulation costs little more that the minimum stipulated in Basix. High performance windows are more expensive to buy, but have no running costs for the life of the building.
What is Thermal Mass?
Once inside the building, some of the warmth needs to be absorbed by Thermal Mass, otherwise the building will quickly cool down again once the sun sets. Thermal Mass is anything that can capture and store warmth. (Thermal Mass is the reason that a bathroom usually feels cooler than other rooms in Summer)
Site Analysis
An energy efficient home can be designed to suit virtually any location, but a well orientated site does make more options available.
Sunergy Design undertakes 'Site Analysis Visits' for prospective clients to better understand the possibilities and any limitations of their property - and now also offers this service to those planning to buy a 'production' house.
Understanding how the site 'works' will help people choose a home that 'works' better - improving comfort and reducing running costs for the life of the building.
Residential, Semi - Rural or Rural Location
Different locations demand different solutions to home design, even with identical topography and orientation. For example: a home on top of a hill with a Westerly view to the 'side'. If the neighbours' house is 3m, 30m, or 300m away, will totally change the shape of a design.
Bushfire Safety
Public discussions following the tragic Victorian bushfires often seemed to imply that there were no existing rules for building in or near the Australian bush.
Australian Standard AS 3959-2009 - Building in Bushfire Prone Areas is rigourously applied to new buildings by our local Councils and the NSW Rural Fire Service. The new rule has six levels of Bushfire Attack Level (BAL).
The previous Standard, AS 3959-1999 with 3 Bushfire Levels and 'Flamezone' applied when the pictured homes were designed.
Australia's country towns are filled with houses built before the rules came into effect, but there are many simple safety upgrades that can be carried out on existing buildings. The NSW Rural Fire Service website, www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/ has a huge array of information and advice available for public download.
Flat, Sloping or Steep Blocks
An energy efficient home can be based on any subfloor structure, from flat slab to full pole construction. Steep blocks are often less expensive because increased construction costs reduce builder demand. Modern construction methods and materials now allow very efficient homes to be built nearly anywhere.
Further Information
John Basden is a Member of Building Designers Australia - NSW
John Basden is a Member of the Alternative Technology Association, and offers a fee discount to other members. (See www.ata.org.au/ for details)
Sunergy Design Information Sheets describing the design process for new homes and renovations, a 'wishlist' for project size calculation and a standard fee schedule can be emailed to you - or simply ring for a chat about your project.
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