A home re-built stronger and better after being ravaged by bushfire has been named the overall winner in the 2023 HIA Australian GreenSmart Awards, announced this week.
Yellow Rock Passive House by NSW sustainable builder Blue Eco Homes won the highest accolade – the 2023 HIA Australian GreenSmart Home – with the home also named the GreenSmart Custom Built Home.
Built on a bushfire-ravaged site in the Blue Mountains, the home was designed to sustainably reinhabit the former dwelling’s footprint by incorporating the still-standing garage/carport and pool husk into the new property. Today, the site contains a three-storey, multi-generational and fully accessible home that hugs the sloping bushland and maximises the block’s orientation for the passive benefits of natural sunlight.
Through meticulous thermal and view analysis, the home seeks to achieve the highly rigorous Passivhaus-Plus standards, which places stricter requirements on the energy performance of the building envelope and the generation of energy from renewable sources. A 15kW solar PV system and 28kWh battery helps to answer these requirements, allowing the home to operate semi off-grid.
The GreenSmart Awards recognise the best in sustainable housing. Award winners and finalists make a positive difference to the environment by building energy-efficient and comfortable homes.
The Awards major sponsor, the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) provides energy ratings for new dwellings and major renovations which helps create energy efficient, resilient and comfortable homes for the future.
Winners from around Australia were recognised for their contribution to sustainable building practices:
MyStyle Homes (Qld) from North Queensland won HIA Australian GreenSmart Display/Project Home for the MyInfinity display home in Cairns. The home sets a new benchmark in tropical sustainability by achieving an incredible 10-star energy rating at an affordable price point for consumers.
Home in Place from Hunter won the Multi Dwelling Development award for a contemporary 16-unit apartment complex that achieves excellent sustainable, accessible and affordable housing outcomes in Newcastle.
Ovens & King Builders from Victoria took out the Energy Efficiency category for an airtight building constructed to the Passive House standards which maintains a comfortable ambient temperature and excellent internal air quality year-round.
Light House Architecture & Science and 360 Building Solutions, from the ACT won the Sustainable Home award for a compact, 7.9-star energy-efficient home that cleverly adapts to an awkwardly oriented and sloping site to optimise solar passive gains.
Light House and 360 Building Solutions also won the GreenSmart Renovation/Addition Project category for a thoughtful renovation that refreshed a tired and uncomfortable 1960s Canberra duplex into a modern, energy- and water-efficient home.
Ashley Beaumont from Ecoliv Buildings and Beaumont Building Design from Victoria was awarded top GreenSmart Professional. Ashley started Ecoliv Buildings 13 years ago to create carbon-positive prefabricated modular buildings that balance the needs of homeowners today without compromising the future.
Congratulating the winners, HIA Managing Director Graham Wolfe said the GreenSmart Awards recognise the latest in environmental design excellence and sustainable building practices.
“With the incoming changes to the National Construction Code, energy efficiency, water saving and condensation are important considerations for clients, designers, builders and material suppliers alike”, Wolfe said.
“HIA’s commitment to sustainable building outcomes through environmentally-focussed design, innovation and construction has not altered over the 23 years the GreenSmart program has been running. Our members demonstrate that comfort, security, innovation and value for money can co-exist in a sustainable built environment.
“Each winner and finalist is congratulated for achieving success at a national level. They are at the top of their field and are committed to building sustainable homes for their clients”, Wolfe concluded.
