Annandale House

by Day Bukh Architects

Annandale House is a tribute to how achievable a residential and sustainable house can be.

The intention of Annandale House was to design and achieve the best possible passive solar house, whilst facilitating a sustainable lifestyle for the client.

The design not only maximises its passive concept strategies including: solar; evaporative cooling; natural ventilation; and insulation, but it also employs a number of active strategies such as: LED lighting; energy and water saving devices and rainwater collection.

Sustainably sourced and renewable building materials were also used in the design of this house.

In addition to the construction of the dwelling, the design of Annandale House also sought to increase the density of the site, through the addition of a granny flat at the rear of the property.

This increased density and ‘shared living’ encourages a sharing of the site, resources and amenities, creating awareness of the potential of shared resources.

As with any system, to truly understand the benefits of one part, that part must be understood through the sum of its relationships with the other parts. Hence the green interior material and product choices for sustainability for Annandale House can be considered as one part of the holistic design strategy employed by Day Bukh Architects.

The rear addition involved designing a new open living kitchen area with a connection to the dining area. This new living kitchen room is as wide as is possible to take advantage of the width of the site and let in as much natural light as possible and as much solar penetration in winter.

The large covered outdoor deck 12 m wide and nearly 4m deep was designed with an inbuilt outdoor BBQ and sink area, created in response to the typical Australian lifestyle, where you are often always outdoors.

In built heaters in the ceiling of the deck increase the amount of time you can spend in this space throughout the colder months of the year, and the larger sloped ceiling and highlight glazing allow light to enter the living room despite such a large covered deck in front of it.

Design of the granny flat has been arranged at the very rear of the property, with possible separate access along the side. At this stage the owners are using the granny flat as a work space, but it could potentially be another living space in the future.

The privacy screens are staggered so that both dwellings can view and get access to the pool whilst at the same time not look into each other.

Day Bukh Architects believe that a green home’s success can be determined as a measure of receptiveness and contribution to its local and wider environment. A successful green home, harnesses its orientation, breezes and rainwater to minimise energy usage within the house.

“Design of a green home should aim to contribute to its local environment and community through broader means of sustainable planning including housing density and material resources.”

Photography by Katherine Lu.

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