Ecotect- Architects are offering a Free Architectural Advisory Service for those affected in Bush Fire Regions across Australia.
The architects at Ecotect-Architects have banded together to help the community by offering a 1 hour Free of Charge consultancy to improve a person’s planning strategy, before embarking on a new project or retro for re-buildings after fire catastrophe, or those considering building in fire risk areas as well as retrofitting your home for natural comfort using passive solar principles and increasing fire resilience.
Phone our team for a face to face chat if you are located in the Perth region, or we can arrange a skype session for regional WA and other States.
Insurance Companies
Ecotect-Architects will also extend this free service to all insurance companies and their customers to help make sure such damage is quelled in the future. We understand compliance, but also good fire proofing design.
Building solar homes are part of the answer to reducing fire damage risk. In Perth WA we are building a multi- home project which demonstrates all these principles. There is zero risk that these homes would ever catch fire. Our mass houses do not burn! Our passive solar houses always are superior to all other planning solutions, not just for energy conservation but also fire, and sustainable economics generally with inter-generational appeal.
Over the last 20 years in Australia developers, in providing apartment living in Australia, have made many mistakes. Simply legislating now to put sprinkler systems in all new apartment buildings is just not the answer. Existing, poorly built examples are the problem not well designed solutions that follow in the wake of this expose of legislative, financing disaster.
Density
The idea of increasing density in cities is a good one provided that they are well built and of course now we know they were definitely not. Density needs to be at railway and commercial nodes with infill very well done in architectural quality to be justified to the public. Of this has not always been the focus, nor has the principles of solar orientation and ventilation been a high priority.
Quality
Improved Quality is the answer. What is the point of cheap, so called affordable buildings that crash in value, impossible for strata owners to repair, insure, or insurance companies going broke, let alone catching on fire, impossible to escape or even die?
Professional Superintendence and Project Management
For hundreds of years builders were supervised by architects and legally responsible for superintendence during construction and making sure all designs and documentation is to authority standards.
But this will take courage by authorities and the banks to face reality, that they have gotten it badly wrong and should go back to a system independent professional architects and engineers signing of construction payments.
Damage Bill
My previous assessed damage bill was initially $1.6 Billion but really that was in Victoria alone. The $6 billion cost in Australia would largely have been avoided and at least covered by insurance if developers were forced to engage full professional services at about $200 million. It has been proved once again that proper process that evolved over the last 500 years is the answer. Who thought allowing builders to take full control and responsibility was a good idea.
Due to Australia Institute of Architects (AIA) Federal Government attempts to relegate architects from the head professional on public buildings in the same way failed in the late 1990s, thankfully. But greed prevailed in the commercial sector.
Governance Improvement
It is a pity that governance still does not see continuing disaster by this professional relegation. But now blaming the victim and providing silly regulations as over reactions is a poor, obvious attempt to hide culpability.
The original perpetrators in governance and finance have all now left the scene mostly around Australia. So what is the problem in going back to a solid sane approach that insurance companies can cover and the costs being seen as an investment against calamity? It is time to front up to reality and of course 21st century sustainability. What is sustainable about failed buildings?
See Four Corners Program from August 2019 – https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/cracking-up/11431474
Ilios an Exemplar of Sustainability
Of course none of these issues will apply to ‘Ilios’ at Swanbourne Railway Precinct because it will be professionally designed, engineered and project managed by professionals, signing off on open book assessment as construction contracts are implemented.
Fore more information contact us or see our website: http://swanbournevillagetrust.com/
Here is a link to our recently produced video to show what Ecotect-Architects has been doing recently and in fact for decades….
It is an update on a design approach we pioneered from the 1970s onwards and the services we provide to help you achieve your dream in the most sustainable way possible.
One way to alleviate anxiety over climate change is to build your next houses a well-optimized passive solar house or retrofit your existing house to save energy
Short Video Follow Up
To understand more, please read the script below after watching this video.
And follow up with our educational video made in 2005 to reinforce the knowledge
Comments and Quotes from Garry Baverstock AM, founder of Ecotect-Architects and Wise Earth.
“What does it take to make your home naturally comfortable as possible and also apply the latest technologies to help avert dangerous climate change?
“I want to show you that have a home professionally designed makes more sense than ever at this time in history”
“It is not as easy as many in the housing industry would have you believe”.
“It all starts with good design. The aesthetics are important, but also how the house functions is critical. Its use of energy will be an asset or a big liability well after the glow of moving into a new home has long gone!”
“The video is to reinforce the use of passive solar design principles being applied to houses. In temperate climates homeowners pay 60 – 70% annual bills on hot water (23% for Perth, WA), with heating and cooling (40%).
“When considering natural light benefits and energy efficient lights and appliances at least 80 to 90% can be saved using the sun. This reduces the peak load required from 6 – 8 kW to 2 – 3kW of peak power making the application of PV panels far more cost effective”.
“A passive solar design house uses basic principles of orientation, cross ventilation, smart use of materials, shading and insulation to deliver natural comfort most of the time”.
“Solar water heaters will provide a 60 – 70% solar contribution and deliver hot water at 18 c/kWh over the life of the product. This is about half the costs of conventional systems. However our new PV technologies will cost a lot less.”
“Combining passive solar designed houses along with smart controlled PV technologies for hot water, boosting of heating and cooling along with the use of batteries for power and lighting use will allow you to achieve Carbon neutral status in energy use”.
“By the way, it does not make sense to use solar charged batteries to operate hot water or air conditioning at night. It simply is not cost effective and probably never will be for thermal applications.”
“The main principles of solar design are:
– Orient the home to the north in the southern hemisphere (south in the northern)
– Preference given to heavy weight materials for the internal walls
– Design windows and doors to gain good cross-ventilation
– Use double-glazing or install blinds and curtains for insulating windows
– Ensure all windows have adequate overhang or shade device for summer”
“The ideas are simple but the application is subtle. Our longer video ‘Living in a Home that Breaths’ is a good guide on how design should be modified in difference climatic zones. You can find that on YouTube”.
“Builders most often place low priority on planning the home, which is usually a standard plan onto a block as far as climatic considerations are concerned” They basically cut and paste to cheapen the construction but usually leave you with energy bills that will cost you about 10 years of home payments over a 30 year bank loan schedule. Builders seem to be more interested in higher profits than you long term economic benefit.”
“Regulations have forced builders to reconsider their position over the last few decades, but they still to the minimum required for energy efficiency for the same reason”
“Having the right shape facing the right way is critical to achieve good results”
“Understanding the path of the sun and the angles as it hits the walls, windows and roof are very important to get best use of free solar energy in winter and excluding it in summer”.
“When solar radiation passes through window and gets absorbed in the interior walls and flow it re-emits as long wave radiation or heat, from the shortwave radiation of sunlight. This long wave radiation is trapped because it does not pass back out through the glass”.
“In understanding added considerations of using landscaping to enhance the passive solar effects such as wind breaks extra shade in the right position in summer as well as special materials and construction methods all needs an expert to get good results”.
“There is a formula for every climate for the area of glass, rate of insulation, amount of thermal mass, solar performance of blinds and shutters that needs experience”.
“A home is one of the biggest investments most people make”.
“It does not make sense to NOT get it right and add value by good design and planning. Extra design costs are returned many-fold when you sell the property, while enjoying all the extra benefits and energy savings when living there”.
“Staying comfortable, saving money and living in a home that breaths is what an Ecotect-Architects designed home offers”.
“Start the journey with an advisory service on your ideas and go from there perhaps?”
“Those that have done so would tell you it was the best decision made in the journey of having a climate sensible home built that satisfies all aspects of living and economic realities for the 21st century”.
“Have a look at our website and make a booking before you commit too far with your project. Many past clients are glad they did” ……… Garry Baverstock 2019.
Our Team
We have a team of architectural associates of all age groups to suit your style, and all have been trained to be masters at solar and sustainable designed architecture
Do you want to make a 21st century shift to a better and more ethical lifestyle? ILIOS promises to provide you with an easy-care residence with cool courtyards, well-tended communal gardens and all the current smart energy saving strategies. ILIOS embeds the comfort and space you expect but places the values of a sustainable lifestyle at it’s heart.
The brainchild of award-winning energy efficient and sustainable architects, Garry Baverstock and James Shaw, 50% of ILIOS is allocated to gardens, roof terraces and courtyards. Josh Byrne and Associates Landscape Design has been engaged to assist with landscaping.
Living at ILLIOS will provide peace of mind you need when you lock and leave for a weekend or 3 months of travel, also knowing your garden will be tended to in the mean time.
To find out if ILIOS is right for you, please contact us and attend one of our information sessions. Meet the architects, be introduced to the features that make ILIOS a special place to live, see the floorplans and design concepts and discuss pricing and timeline.
