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SANCTUARY68IN FOCUSNORTH WATSON HOUSSANCTUARY69IN FOCUSNORTH WATSON HOUS
The Machinery Shed
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Having trawled umpteen houses on Sustainable House Day for ideas,this retired couple built their green dream home using a potent mix of design and technology. Now it’s time for their house to shine.
When Keith and Gillian Helyar decided to build a new house in Canberra, they drew plenty of inspiration from houses they visitedduring Sustainable House Day. So it seemsfitting that they should open their hometo the public to share the knowledge they accumulated during the course of designing, building and occupying their environmentally friendly abode.“We weren’t intending to build initially,”Keith Helyar says. “We looked around atCanberra houses, but we couldn’t find what we wanted. Then this block came up, and wethought we could start from scratch here.”“It was attractive because of the MtMajura Nature Reserve across the road, whichcan’t be built out, and also because it’s easy to get into the city,” explains Gillian. “Then we visited a number of homes on SustainableHouse Day in Canberra and we gained a lot of knowledge. It was really stimulating.”“Sustainable House Day is great because you can look at so many ideas in a short time,and then adapt them for your own home,”Keith adds. “We were conscious of the needfor northern exposure, but the concept of building a house in Canberra with no heatingor cooling was foreign to us then.”Working with Keith’s architect daughter,Tricia Helyar, the couple have built a house with passive design measures includingorientation along an east-west axis, carefulplacement of double-glazed Rylock windows,extra insulation in the walls and roof,concrete floors and concrete block-lined walls for thermal mass. It also has shadingand overhangs to protect the windows insummer, high-level windows in the livingspace that allow winter sun to enter, and cross ventilation along the north-south hallway that enables the building to breathe.Active environmental systems boostits sustainable credentials, including a grey water recycling system; rainwater collectionfor reuse in toilets, washing machines, anexternal sink, garden taps, and as cold waterin showers; a evacuated tube hot watersystem; and photovoltaic cells that supply power to the house and feed the grid.“Keith and Gllian spent more than 10 percent of their budget on active environmentalsystems,” says architect Tricia Helyar. “Oftenthose elements are omitted during theconstruction stage because of cost concerns,and because they can be added later, so theircommitment to installing them at the outset was commendable.”The couple’s enthusiasm for the projecthasn’t dimmed since they moved in: drawingon his expertise as a former agriculturalscientist, Keith takes daily temperaturereadings both outside and inside the house,and has amassed more than a year’s worth of data to analyse its performance. “In heat waveconditions, we can maintain temperaturesabout 10 degrees below the under-eave
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oaking up the sunwith a ills ndless olarevauated tube systemwith 250 eletri booster,and a grid onneted,olarteh 2800W Vsystem (expandable to4200W) reating upto 19kWh/day.
SANCTUARY70IN FOCUSNORTH WATSON HOUSSANCTUARY71IN FOCUSNORTH WATSON HOUS
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n the north side of thehouse 900mm eaves keepthe sun out in summer,with support frames foradditional shading asrequired. opper windowsat the high point of theeiling allow venting ofhot air. nternally, resta’sinsulated ellularhoneyomb-style blinds,some with blokout (east& west), sit within thewindow frame reduingair leakage.
temperature on the southern side of thehouse,” he says.“But we found it difficult to believe we would have no need for heating, so weinstalled some heating.” Under-tile electricalheating was installed to both bathrooms,study, and the southern floor areas in fivezones, each with thermostat and controller.Under tile heating was chosen as it providesrapid response heat to reduce tile chill inselected areas, without heating the entireslab.“Sometimes we need extra cooling atthe eastern end, where we have ceiling fansinstalled,” Gillian adds.“I empathise with the person who saidthat a solar passive house needs activeoccupants,” Keith laughs. “If it’s importantto have a draught, you need to make sure the windows are open, and you need to managethe curtains and blinds to moderate thetemperature inside.”“We love the way the house functions,and we like the idea of managing it,” Gillianadds. “It doesn’t bother us that we have tocontrol the windows, doors and shading.There is a certain pride that we don’t haveto flick a switch to turn on air-conditioningto keep cool.“We generate more energy than we usenow,” she continues. “We got $500 back onour last energy bill and $400 in the previousquarter, so we don’t have to feel guilty aboutusing some electricity, which is why we’dprefer to use electric space heaters insteadof gas appliances.”Another attribute that sets this homeapart from its neighbours is the incorporationof adaptable design features, influenced by Gillian’s work as a physiotherapist.“I think that houses should be designed forall ages and abilities,” she says. “I’ve seen somany people who have had to move out of their house, or don’t cope very well after anaccident.”Their home is without steps – bothexternal doors and the showers are on grade,and 1100mm wide corridors and 900mm wide doorways facilitate circulation. Powerpoints are 600mm high instead of being atfloor level, and freestanding hand basins anddual-height kitchen benches make access a breeze. In addition, the flexible floorplan can be altered should the Helyar’s needs changein future. The guest wing can be reconfiguredas a separate dwelling for a live-in carer, orconverted into two bedrooms if new ownersshould require additional accommodation.
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n the shady southern sideof the house is a plant areaomprising two 2500 litrerainwater tanks, subsurfaegreywater system, ompostand an external wash area.Rendered xinex poly-styrene panels by RMax(www.rmax.om.au), whihgives high levels of insulationwith no thermal mass, andRokote paint system areused for south-faing walls.
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