Gugandi - New Build
Year completed: 2021
Council: Central Coast Council
Builder: Lou Projects
Earth blocks: Mudtec
Photography: dhw design
Brief:
These clients came to us wanting a family home at Narara EcoVillage that would stay comfortable through warm Central Coast summers and cool valley winters, using as little energy as possible. Alongside that sat the things that make daily life work: a generous walk-in pantry, a three-way bathroom, and a quiet corner to study.
We rotated the house on its sloping site to face north, gave the northern face most of the glazing, and shaded it with sun hoods, eaves and a pergola. Inside, a slab on ground and walls of compressed earth blocks from Mudtec give the house its thermal mass. The blocks are used as reverse brick veneer: earth on the inside, where it soaks up winter sun and evens out the day's temperature swings, and lightweight Weathertex cladding on the outside. Because the earth walls are breathable, they also help keep humidity in balance.
Wood fibre insulation, some straw panel walls and breathable membranes wrap the timber frame. Fanlights above the internal doors and opening windows on adjacent walls keep air moving on still summer nights. The house was rated 8.4 stars under NatHERS and was opened to visitors on Sustainable House Day 2023
Sustainability Features:
Passive Design: House rotated on site to face north. Darker cladding to the north for winter heat gain. Sun hoods, eaves and pergola shade summer sun.
Thermal Mass: Slab on ground, internal compressed earth block walls, reverse brick veneer to east and west, and clay flooring on the lightweight upper frame.
Windows and Glazing: Composite-framed single and double glazing, with the most glazing to the north. Casement windows for maximum air flow.
Ventilation: Cross ventilation through windows on adjacent walls, fanlights above internal doors and ceiling fans throughout.
Renewable Energy: 5kW solar PV, connected to the EcoVillage mini-grid.
Water Saving: Rainwater tanks and a composting toilet.
Hot Water: Heat pump hot water.
Windows and Glazing: Timber-framed single and double glazed windows and doors, with the most glazing to the north. Casement windows for maximum airflow.
Building Materials: Mudtec compressed earth blocks, Weathertex and timber cladding, R2.5 wood fibre insulated walls, some R4.1 straw panel walls, R4.0 roof batts and breathable membranes.
NatHERS Rating: 8.4 stars, well above Narara EcoVillage’s own minimum.
