Renovation Collaborative

• Healthy Buildings: Hempcrete and materials for a healthy home – Michael Leung, Balanced Earth Architects

  Prioritising health when selecting materials and products is simply common sense, and the best thing about healthy materials – they are also brilliant for the environment. In today’s episode we move on to our next sustainable design theme – healthy buildings.We’ll investigate the design of a house on an off grid site located in Mullumbimby in the Subtropical northern New South Wales hinterland. I talk with architect, Michael Leung, the director of Balanced Earth Architects, who will share the inside story on his Sky Farm project. Today we’ll learn about:The key design considerations, materials and products for a healthy home,We talk further about the process, costs and benefits of using hempcrete in custom architectural construction, andWe’ll also cover a wealth of other insights and practical information drawn from Michael’s extensive experience as both an architect and a builder.Australian Architects can claim formal CPD hours for these podcasts. MORE INFORMATIONFind everything you need on the Renovation Collaborative website. www.renovationcollaborative.com.auPODCASTKey points summary, timestamps and resource linksFREERESOURCESTranscript edited into clear Q&A.CPDAustralian architects can find more information on CPD, andCOURSESEleven easy to read courses demystifying the entire home design and construction process. KEY POINTS SUMMARY1. Healthy building is about interrogating the detail of materials. Often that's not presented on websites and you have to dig deeper into the Material Safety Data sheets.After extensive research, Balanced Earth Architects now work with a simple palate of materials and the basics include: hempcrete, recycled timber and other materials from demolition, galvanised steel, timber windows, and natural finishes including clay and lime renders. 2. A hempcrete and lime rendered wall composition prevents mould growth. Hempcrete is vapour permeable, allowing moisture to travel from the inside to outside. In addition, lime render has an alkali surface preventing mould growth. 3. A hempcrete wall is set up as follows: It can be constructed on a timber framed or concrete floor.In timber framed construction, the joists or bearers may be doubled up to carry more load when the hemp is wet. Then a 10 or 20mm compressed FC board is fixed on top as a base for the hempcrete.To build the wall, a timber stud frame is setout 80mm in from the external wall line. The 90x45 stud sits centrally in the 250mm hempcrete wall, allowing 80mm of cover on both inside and outside.The entire house is constructed with standard timber stud frame construction. All timber can be untreated pine because the lime in the hempcrete protects the timber, andThe services are clipped into the stud wall, and...

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• Prefabrication: Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) & Passivhaus – Murray Robertson, Robertson Architects NZ

  SIPS, or structural insulated panels are a fast and efficient way to achieve very high thermal performance. In today's episode, we continue exploring prefabricated panel solutions. We investigate the design of a passive house built from SIPS on a very challenging site in the oceanic temperate climate of Wellington, in New Zealand. Architect Murray Robertson, the director of Robertson Architects, shares the inside story of his Bell House project. Today we'll explore the process, benefits and costs of SIPs and when they're an ideal solution.Australian Architects can claim formal CPD hours for these podcasts. MORE INFORMATIONFind everything you need on the Renovation Collaborative website. www.renovationcollaborative.com.auPODCASTKey points summary, timestamps and resource linksFREE RESOURCESTranscript edited into clear Q&A.CPDAustralian architects can find more information on CPD, andCOURSESEleven easy to read courses demystifying the entire home design and construction process. KEY POINTS SUMMARY1. Structural insulated panels or SIPs are used in floors, walls and roofs for residential and light commercial buildings. The panels are made by sandwiching a core of rigid foam plastic insulation between two structural facings and in this case Murray used oriented strandboard (OSB). SIPS are manufactured off site and are custom designed for each project. 2. SIPs panels do have some timber framing in them, but much less than a standard timber stud wall. The reduced timber content plus the polyurethane insulation deliver better thermal performance than standard insulated timber frame construction. 3. The external wall composition of this project was as follows:The basic external shell was a 165 mm thick SIPS panel.Externally, the ProClima weathertight membrane was fixed directly to the SIPS board and a 45x45 timber structural cavity batten attached to the outside of the membrane for the external cladding, andInternally, 45 x 45 timber battens were fixed to the SIPs, creating space for services, additional insulation and attachment for internal plasterboard lining.4. Internally, the oriented strandboard lining can be exposed rather than covered with plasterboard to save costs, but this approach makes access to services much more challenging. Additionally, since the strandboard wall serves as the finished surface, it requires protection during construction. 5. SIPS are very airtight, making them very appealing for use in Passive House projects. Only the joints in the very large SIPS panels require taping. And finally, 6. Important design considerations when using SIPs include:Lintels above doors and windows cannot be concealed within the ceiling, meaning that floor to ceiling glazing is not possible, andSIPS roof panels stop at the wall line resulting in no eaves overhang. Therefore, a custom solution to attach eaves is...

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• Prefabrication: Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) design & construction - Jae Warrander, Makers

  House prefabrication using flat pack panels delivers multiple environmental and cost benefits and is the way of the future. In today's episode, we dive into our next sustainable design theme, prefabrication, and we'll explore house design and construction using cross laminated timber. Architect Jae Warrander, director of Makers, shares the story behind his Akaroa Bach: a prefabricated holiday home situated in a mild temperate climate on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. Makers, located in Wellington, New Zealand, is a collaboration between Makers of Architecture and Makers Fabrication. Today we'll explore what CLT is, the process, benefits and costs of using CLT for prefabricated panel construction, and the ideal scenarios for utilising CLT. Australian Architects can claim formal CPD hours for these podcasts. MORE INFORMATIONFind everything you need on the Renovation Collaborative website. www.renovationcollaborative.com.auPODCAST Key points summary, timestamps and resource linksFREE RESOURCES Transcript edited into clear Q&A.CPD Australian architects can find more information on CPD, and COURSES Eleven easy to read courses demystifying the entire home design and construction process. KEY POINTS SUMMARY1. Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is an engineered wood panel product created by gluing layers of timber together with the grain alternating at 90 degrees for added strength. CLT panels are cut into entire wall, floor and roof sections with precise computer accuracy. 2. CLT buildings must be meticulously designed and this includes all openings and holes cut for doors and windows, services, fittings and even power points. Everything must be accurately located in the computer shop drawings because making changes on site is very challenging. 3. The CLT serves as both the internal wall lining and the structural shell. Externally, it needs thermal insulation, a weather and air tightness building wrap and cladding for weatherproofing. Internally, makers utilise prefabricated stud frame walls in conjunction with CLT to accommodate access to services, particularly in bathrooms. 4. Once prefabricated, the CLT panels are transported to the site and assembled to create the entire building form. The construction timeline is streamlined because site foundations, retaining walls and service connections can occur simultaneously with the off site CLT prefabrication. 5. Prefabrication using CLT offers several advantages: It replaces studs, bracing and other structural components. It eliminates the need for trims such as skirtings, cornices and architraves. It's made from locally sourced New Zealand pine. It reduces construction time on site. It enables building on remote or difficult to...

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• Earth Building: Rammed Earth – Steffen Welsch, Steffen Welsch Architects

  Are you looking for a unique sustainable material with a low carbon footprint? In today's episode, we move on to our next sustainable design theme, Earth Building, and investigate rammed earth construction. Architect Steffen Welsch, director of Steffen Welsch Architects, shares the story behind his Butterfly House project, located on an off-grid site in Rutherglen in the hot, dry summer and cool winter climate of north-eastern Victoria. Today we'll learn about the process, benefits and costs of using rammed earth construction and a wealth of insights and practical information drawn from Steffen's extensive experience. Australian Architects can earn formal CPD hours by listening to these podcasts and completing an online quiz. MORE INFORMATIONFind everything you need on the Renovation Collaborative website. www.renovationcollaborative.com.auPODCAST Key points summary, timestamps and resource linksFREE RESOURCES Transcript edited into clear Q&A.CPD Australian architects can find more information on CPD, and COURSES Eleven easy to read courses demystifying the entire home design and construction process. KEY POINTS SUMMARY1. Rammed earth was chosen for this project because it suits the local continental climate. It optimises energy efficiency by absorbing and releasing heat slowly throughout the day, stabilising internal temperatures. This means it helps maintain a moderate temperature range inside the house by absorbing heat in summer to take the edge off those high temperatures and releasing heat slowly in winter to take the edge off low temperatures. 2. The soil used for rammed earth must be laboratory tested to ensure it is structurally suitable. In Steffen's experience in regional Victoria, there are usually quarries with appropriate soil located within a reasonable distance from most sites. A rammed earth contractor can assist with this process. 3. The rammed earth construction process is relatively simple and dates back over 10,000 years. Plywood formwork boxes are constructed and a rammed earth mix, of dirt, cement, water and potentially other admixtures is poured in and compacted with specialised equipment. At the time the Butterfly House was constructed, rammed earth walls comprised a single solid wall with a thickness of around 500mm. Now, rammed earth walls must include insulation. Their current composition involves an internal layer of rammed earth, a core of thermal insulation and an outer layer of rammed earth, resulting in an overall wall thickness of around 450mm. Alternatively, rammed earth can be constructed as a 200mm thick reverse brick veneer wall. 4. Rammed Earth offers numerous benefits, including thermal mass to stabilise internal temperatures, excellent acoustic qualities, high flame resistance, low embodied carbon and durability and a long lifespan,...

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• Renewable Materials: Affordable sustainable design and Durra Panel - Matt Delroy-Carr, MDC Architects

  Would you love a sustainable home but think it's out of your budget? Well, think again. In today's episode, we continue exploring renewable materials and investigate the design of an affordable environmental home built using standard construction methods. It features Durra Panel internal wall and ceiling boards made from agricultural waste straw. Architect Matt Delroy-Carr, the director of MDC Architects, shares the story behind his Scarborough Sustainable House, located on a small suburban site in the beachside suburb of Scarborough in warm temperate Perth. Today we'll learn about;ideas for an affordable sustainable home, climate responsive design for warm temperate climates, the process, costs and benefits of using Durra Panel internal wall and ceiling boards in custom residential construction, and a wealth of insights and practical information drawn from Matt's extensive experience. Australian Architects can earn formal CPD hours by listening to these podcasts and completing an online quiz. MORE INFORMATIONFind everything you need on the Renovation Collaborative website. www.renovationcollaborative.com.auPODCAST Key points summary, timestamps and resource linksFREE RESOURCES Transcript edited into clear Q&A.CPD Australian architects can find more information on CPD, and COURSES Eleven easy to read courses demystifying the entire home design and construction process. KEY POINTS SUMMARY1. In this project, like so many others this season, the clients drove the environmental agenda and they were very well educated about environmental design and materials. This is what they were seeking and it's a fantastic brief for everyone to keep in mind: A floor plan sized to suit their needs that connected to a diverse and productive garden. Maximum thermal comfort for now and the future, A life cycle assessment to help understand and reduce their environmental impact and carbon footprint, and All within a modest budget. 2. To control costs, the strategy involved standard construction techniques combined with climate responsive design and environmental materials. This included:a single level design, a slab on ground floor, a trussed roof with flat ceilings throughout, a 90mm timber stud frame, external cladding in low maintenance, pre finished compressed fibre cement sheeting, and internal linings in Durra Panel. 3. Key strategies for achieving a maximum NatHERs energy efficiency rating in a warm temperate climate included: orienting the house toward the north, appropriately located and sized windows and shading to provide shade in summer, spring and autumn while allowing sunlight in during winter, andensuring effective ventilation. Also, double glazed, thermally broken, clear glass windows greatly enhanced the thermal performance. 4. Matt...

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