Sustainable, urban design.

Many factors come into play in order to create sustainable development in urban areas. Those that focus on outcomes that use local, recycled or recyclable materials, are of a smaller scale and consume less energy are what we look for to publish in green magazine. Renovations that stay within the original footprint and reuse materials in creative ways, new builds that use less space within a block, thereby allowing vegetation to offset the hard surfaces and medium density developments that focus on ground-breaking, sustainable urban design is what you will find. We look for inspirational architecture with good  passive design that consumes little energy, houses that consider how to reduce the amount of new material, sourced locally when possible, introduce plants for heat control and consider community.

Bigger On The Inside

Issue 53

A lesson in space and light, the pristine white interior of this Bondi-based home creates a sizable illusion.

Outside Inside

Issue 53

A mysterious but dreamy home in Byron Bay joyfully celebrates the ambiguity of interior and exterior space.

Gloriously Askew

Issue 52

Oddly shaped blocks can make for awkwardly programmed houses – not so for this North Fitzroy gem from Clare Cousins Architects, which pinwheels out from a generous central core into sublime gardens offering unexpected vistas and connections in all directions.

Spatial Gymnastics

Issue 52

An old 70-square-metre unit is transformed into a home that packs a whole lot of living into its sliver of suburbia.

Simple Illusion

Issue 51

The devil is in the detail of this deceptively simple Federation cottage in the inner-west of Sydney that effortlessly combines the old with the new.

Separated At Birth

Issue 51

When architect Alex Lake of Therefore Studio took on his first residential project, the brief was to not only transform a dilapidated Californian bungalow by the Elwood canal, but the bog-standard plans that came with it.

Freo Wins

Issue 47

With a small footprint and height restrictions, the design for this infill home is a masterclass in space efficiency and climate control.

Part & Particle

Issue 50

This extension in Brisbane is remarkably strong – both in the clarity of its design and in the impact of its dominant material, engineered particleboard SIPs.

People In Grass Houses

Issue 50

For years Ben Raphael dreamed of turning his great-grandparents’ North Fitzroy shed into a tiny, truly distinctive home. Architect David Luck delivered in spades with a grassy, sloping façade that has sure got the neighbours talking.

Top Of The Bay

Issue 49

Blessed with a site offering full ocean views, this new beach house nevertheless had to resolve the inherent conflict of facing south. It sounds violent but Farnan Findley Architects' solution involved "throttling" the design.