The prestigious 2016 HIA Australian GreenSmart Home award was presented earlier this week to Queensland’s Eco Essence Homes. The award is the highest accolade at the Housing Industry Association (HIA) Australian GreenSmart Awards.
HIA GreenSmart Awards recognise the best in environmentally-responsible housing.
Smart design enabled the winning home by Eco Essence Homes to utilise the natural environment for both heating and cooling, natural light and water for landscaping.
“Thermal mass materials, large North-facing windows and insulation to all rooms combine to produce a steady internal temperature and comfortable home year-round,” commented the judges. Occupants keep a check on their energy consumption with an energy monitoring system providing up-to-date usage information. The home also won the award for HIA GreenSmart Spec Home.
Winners from all around Australia were recognised for their contribution to sustainable building practices.
Joe Mercieca from Blue Eco Homes, NSW won HIA GreenSmart Professional for setting new standards with his commitment to sustainability. Joe’s passion combines superior workmanship and respect for the natural environment; providing healthy, comfortable homes for his clients.
Blue Eco Homes also won HIA GreenSmart Custom Built Home. Access to the sun, a high level of thermal insulation and taking advantage of the natural surroundings were all design considerations for the winning home in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.
Benchmark Building Projects, NSW won HIA GreenSmart Renovation/Addition Project by taking on the challenges of preserving ancient trees, endangered birds and a steep sloping site to produce a home that provides long term energy savings through carefully chosen materials.
A seven-unit development by Right Homes in Western Australia won three awards – HIA GreenSmart Residential Development, HIA GreenSmart Water Efficiency and HIA GreenSmart Energy Efficiency. The judges were impressed with Right Homes’ commitment to reducing energy consumption and lowering living expenses for the occupants.
“Each townhouse achieves at least a 9-star energy rating by harnessing the benefits of passive solar design and including ample insulation to ensure minimal reliance on mechanical heating or cooling devices,” the judges commented.
Right Homes also won HIA GreenSmart Project Home for a solar passive home which carefully considered the orientation of the block, insulation needs, ventilation, thermal mass, client lifestyle and budget to produce a home that was comfortable and affordable to run.
NEAThouse Tasmania won HIA GreenSmart Display Home for a home which prioritised the use of locally made materials. Reclaimed cypress from farm windbreaks was used for external cladding, while inside, pine wall linings are primarily from Tasmanian sources.
Steele Associates, NSW won HIA GreenSmart Townhouse/Villa Development. The three townhouse development seamlessly incorporates low energy building design to produce stylish and comfortable spaces. A native green roof cloaks the development, with the soil and plants reducing western solar gains onto the roof, and providing extra insulation.
Ecoshelta, NSW won HIA GreenSmart Product for their Bigpod N Series; a prefabricated modular building system ideal for remote, exposed and limited access sites. The system has been developed to minimise the environmental footprint of building a home – both for the site and for the environment as a whole.
The HIA GreenSmart program is a voluntary initiative available to HIA members. For more information visit greensmart.com.au/awards
