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Salvaged 1930’s Shack Makes Gorgeous Australian EcoHome

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Australia’s Riddel Architecture demolished an old 1930’s house on a tiny riverside lot in Brisbane, Australia, and then built a new home reusing 80% of the salvaged materials. The remaining unusable pieces were taken away in just two skips.

The roof, angled at just the right angle to the sun for optimum solar power has a 3 kW solar system which generates 15kWh/day in Brisbane’s solar-friendly latitude, ample energy for a typical household ‘s energy needs.

The house is in two halves, connected by this striking Gallery breezeway, which funnels fresh air throughout. The energy needs are further reduced by this EcoHome, designed for subtropical Australia, with openings maximized to capture cool breezes, sun and daylight.

Solar gain through the huge windows reduces the need for artificial light and heat. An informal and relaxed lifestyle is encouraged by the open plan layout.The timber and tin roof aesthetic is typical of the regional architectural style.

Outside, the building and windows have light coloured finishes to increase the reflection of daylight and generous awnings provide protection from the sun and rain. The spacious bedroom and living areas open onto beautiful outdoor spaces with lush plantings.

A huge rainwater storage tank supplies the entire house and garden. House rainwater is pre-filtered, heated by solar panels and stored in a well-insulated tank. To reduce water waste, a hot water recirculation unit reheats cold water and greywater is treated and recycled on site.

The home is fully self sufficient in both water and power and has a monitoring system to measure the use of energy, gas and water.

Certainly, the house is gorgeous and has a casually competent air in its energy and water self sufficiency. All the new materials were locally sourced and were carefully chosen for their environmental, social and economic sustainability.

This is the original 1930’s house that was demolished, and from which 80% of the salvaged material was reused. (!)

A painstaking deconstruction process of this wreck resulted in only two small skips of non-reusable materials being discarded…

If they really used 80% of everything here, this is a truly astonishing example of recycling. Clearly some of the original wood was used on this wavy trellis awning, and the small yard also incorporates wood chips from the removed trees and gravel crushed from the original concrete slabs.

Eco House deservedly holds the Australian 6-star energy efficiency rating.

Source: De Zeen