New Homes, Renovations, Additions and Entertaining Areas for Suburban, Beachside or Country living. Many more images and notes below.
| CONTACT INFORMATION |
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| Contact Name | John Basden |
| Address | Nabiac
New South Wales 2312 |
| Phone | 02 6554 1834 |
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. (See below: 'Site Analysis' and 'Bushfire Safety' etc)
Sunergy Design homes represent many styles ranging from a natural limestone block loft house to a steel and glass pavilion. Additions often match an existing structure, but certainly don't need to if a better alternative is available.
Sunergy Design homes are generally considered small these days, with many between 150-250 sq m all planned to be usable, rather than larger layouts with 'single purpose' rooms. All seasons outdoor spaces that connect to indoor living and multi-purpose areas give a home great flexibility.
Sunergy Design is always investigating new construction and efficiency ideas. Verandah roofs that 'breathe' - internal Thermal Mass walls - louvred 'Solar Pergolas' - vertical screens for Summer shade and Winter sun - even cost effective high performance windows. There are many energy efficiency options available to you depending upon your building site and many of these options are also possible as Owner Built upgrades.
In this mild coastal climate homes that require NO artificial heating or cooling are not unusual - see photos 5 and 9.
Sunergy Design projects are generally in the Mid North Coast local area, but projects in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, the Riverina and the Southern Tablelands 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 08009 - Single Storey House - Hill top rural block, Nabiac NSW.
Design features - Large Northern glazing areas take in Winter sun and all round bushland views - shaded and breezy in Summer. See also photos 13 + 14 below.
Projects Featured in Photos at right:
1 + 2: Design 05015 - Courtyard House - Steep South facing residential block, Tallwoods Village, Hallidays Point NSW.
Design features - Central courtyard includes large entertaining area with Winter sunshine and Summer shade provided by a fixed louvre 'solar pergola'. A 12m lap pool (photo 2) and garden features complete the area. Northern glass of Southern living areas faces courtyard, not higher neighbours. Interior energy efficiency features include rendered brickwork Thermal Mass walls and tiled slab floors exposed to Winter sunshine. Summer heat is excluded by appropriate orientation, shading from roof overhangs and the blade overlap of the pergola.
3: Site Signage
Australian Beachstyle Homes has built many Sunergy Design projects, including those in photos 1 + 2, photo 4 and photos 7 + 8.
4: Design 07014 - Two Storey House - Ridge top residential block, Green Point NSW.
Design features - Upper level decks and living areas are designed to address lake views, to both front and rear of the property, from as many spaces as possible. Decks designed to be usable in Summer afternoon heat. Downstairs spaces connect to North Eastern backyard. Winter late afternoon photo.
5: Design 06008 - Single Storey House - North facing rural block, Nabiac NSW.
Design features - External guest quarters connected by breezeway entertaining area. Conventional frame and truss construction, but correct orientation, glazing, ventilation, shading, insulation and Thermal Mass remove need for any artificial heating or cooling. Autumn lunchtime photo. (AS 3959-1999 Bushfire Level 2 Construction)
6: Design 04012 - Multi-Split-Level House - South East facing rural residential block, Hallidays Point NSW.
Design features - Winter sunshine enters upper living areas through high level windows, warming the middle of the tiled slab floors. In Summer hot air is vented through top windows, drawing air in through cool lower level structure. Tall narrow low level windows preserve privacy from higher neighbours. This large complex house - six split levels - was 'hands on' Owner Built in 11 months. Winter mid afternoon photo.
7 + 8: Design 07010 - House Renovation and Additions - North facing residential block, Elizabeth Beach NSW.
Design features - Previously open lower level incorporated into interior, and upper level simplified. Thermal Mass of lower structures now benefits performance of the whole house. New roof design allows Winter sun access to interior spaces. Excessively hot, small East facing balcony replaced with large seasonally shaded North facing deck that bridges over the driveway. Upper photo Summer lunchtime, lower photo, late Winter morning.
9: Design 04026 - Two Storey House - North facing residential block, Elizabeth Beach NSW.
Design features - Elevated upper deck roof allows better Winter sun access into upper level living area windows and doors while giving airflow in hot seasons. Pop up area in roof is used to 'drain' warm air out of the house in Summer. There is no installed heating or cooling system.
Summer late afternoon photo - hence shaded North glass. (AS3959-1999 Bushfire Level 3 Construction)
10: Design 07005 - House Additions - Hill top rural block, Lorne NSW.
Design features - Existing kitchen and dining room, new North facing lounge room and new North East facing kids' rumpus room all also open to shaded South East deck addressing the main view axis. (AS3959-1999 Bushfire Level 3 Construction) (Original photo by Gaven Whalley)
11 + 12: Small House Concept, Rural block, Gloucester NSW.
Design Features - Inexpensive weekender or first home buyer cottage, with North facing living areas and covered deck. Louvred 'Solar Verandah' roof gives Summer shade and ventilation while lower angle Winter sun is allowed through to deck area and interior of home. Mid Summer and mid Winter lunchtime sun angles shown - rendered images from latest Revit 2010 design software. Easily extended adjustable design, with other features not shown.
13 + 14: Design 08009 - Single Storey House - Hill top rural block, Nabiac NSW.
(Same house as Masthead photo)
Design Features - Slightly East of North orientation, with windows or glass doors in every room for views and Winter sun access. Photo 13 taken in mid-Winter showing sun access which warms the tiled slab floor. Photo 14 taken in mid-Summer shows all North glass well shaded, while the narrow floorplan allows good cross ventilation in all areas. The ventilated light coloured roof also reduces Summer heat loading. (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.
In Summer it is generally warmer than ideal, so we want less heat in the house. Because the midday sun is nearly overhead in Summer the sun's direct heat is relatively easy to exclude. Late morning and particularly afternoon solar loads are very high as well, so glass location and shading are critical design factors.
In Winter the weaker midday sun is much lower in the sky, so it's easy to get it to shine through correctly placed glass areas. Winter sunrise and sunset are at totally different angles from those in Summer, so it's possible to have glass exposed to Winter sun all day, yet shaded all day in Summer.
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)
A concrete slab-on-ground floor is the most basic example of Thermal Mass. Not all sites suit slab-on-ground construction, so other very effective structural and non-structural Thermal Mass options can be used.
Site Analysis
An energy efficient home can be designed to suit virtually any location, but a well orientated site does make more options available. Site Analysis usually starts at the first phone call or email, checking the orientation of the land on a computer map. Summer and Winter sun angles are assessed regarding the layout of the property, and techniques to allow for them in the design are discussed.
A site visit with you identifies the environmental advantages, your preferred outlooks, available views, ventilation paths and many other factors. These are important issues in a home design providing natural comfort for all seasons.
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. Privacy, noise, overshadowing, fire hazards and other negative issues, existing or potential, are taken into account to minimise their effects.
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.
The house in Photo 5 is built to Bushfire Level 2 (AS 3959-1999) Construction standard, while those in Photos10 and 13/14 are both Bushfire Level 3 (AS 3959-1999) Constructions. The house in Photo 9 was designed to the maximum 'Flamezone' standard, but downgraded to Level 3 by Council.
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. The ability to integrate Thermal Mass elements into the interior of the home is useful in all but the most overshadowed locations.
Individual Designs
Each home design begins with your material and style preferences. Your indoor and outdoor living space needs, be they open plan or multi-zoned, private or partially open, along with potential future requirements, shape the house and yard arrangement. Energy efficient design solutions relevant to your site are blended into the design to create a unique home that reflects your personality, family, leisure time and lifestyle.
Further Information
John Basden is a Principal Member of the Building Designers Association of NSW (BDANSW) and participates in the Continuing Professional Development Program to stay abreast of Regulatory and Energy Efficiency issues.
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 also has a comprehensive page on Facebook. It has progress photos of many recent and current projects as well as Passive Solar Design information, like 'Seasonal Sun Angles in Pictures' - you can comment or ask questions too.
Sunergy Design's 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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