sloping.
The front boundary faces east with the long The house is raised approximately 600mm on stumps
DESPUIG, JERSEY P.
BS ARCH 3-1
Sunbird House
OVERVIEW
The Sunbird house was conceived as a
demonstration project to break new ground and
showcase expertise in tropical design and
construction. It was built at a time when roof
insulation was still an optional extra for many Cairns
builders. Project highlights include the use of
sustainable materials, energy saving technology, low
emission living and passive design principles in
tropical Queensland. The house was awarded a
Master Builder's Association Energy Aware Home
Award in 2002. It was open for inspection to the
public for Sustainable House Day in 2008.
Sunbird house is of semi-traditional construction and
its key features include: climatically appropriate
passive design; extensive use of sustainably
harvested timbers; materials selected on the basis of
low embodied energy, toxicity and local availability;
solar energy and solar hot water; on-site collection
and storage of 75% of annual water needs; and a
composting toilet to reduce wastewater and
appropriate native plant site revegetation.
SITE
The home is situated in Edge Hill, an inner suburb of
Cairns. It is about 8 km from the city centre and
within a few minutes’ walk to the Cairns Botanical
Gardens. The site is rectangular in shape and slightly
boundaries to the North and South. The topography promoting under-floor ventilation. The elevated floor
and built environment of the immediate area is clear level also helps reduce visits from low flying insects
of obstructions to light and prevailing breezes. The and toads.
site is generally well suited for a passively ventilated
house design with solar energy technology.
Site earthworks were kept to a minimum as a post
and beam construction style was chosen negating
the need to bench (flatten) the house site. This
choice reduces the disturbance of top soils and the
risk of soil erosion and run-off during the
construction period.
DESIGN
Walls and windows are generally shaded from the
sun by verandahs, roof overhangs or awnings. They
are strategically positioned to provide additional
climate control as they help shade the house.
Outdoor living decks, verandahs and patios are an
integral part of the Cairns lifestyle.
Passive design principles focus on orientating the
house to prevailing south-easterly winds (all
bedrooms and living areas face these breezes) and
creating convection currents through the house by
the use of ridge vents, slatted ceilings, high level
(clerestory) louvres and strategic window
placement.
Window systems are designed to be left open even in
rainy conditions, thus ensuring constant airflow
through the house. This also helps to reduce
condensation and mould in the wet season. Westerly
windows are glazed with tinted glass to further
reduce solar heat loads.

The house is of 'lightweight' construction, being built
of timber. This lack of 'thermal mass' means it will
cool down very quickly in the early evening, unlike a
masonry house. The roof and walls are a light colour
to reflect heat.
The home has lots of natural light as houses can be
quite dark in the wet season leading to increased
electric light use.
The endemic re-vegetation and landscaping in the
yard area provides further shading and temperature
modification opportunities.
MATERIALS
Materials were selected on the basis of life cycle
costing and environmental impacts including toxicity,
mining and processing impacts and embodied
energy. High embodied energy concrete and steel
were limited to footings and stumps. The house is
constructed mostly of timbers that were sustainably
harvested on the Atherton Tablelands, including
structural framing, linings, cladding, flooring, joinery
and windows.
There is very minimal use of PVC and copper
throughout the project, with alternative products
such as HDPE used wherever possible, including the
entire water supply and drainage system.
The roof is fully insulated with a non-fibrous
insulation product, and all walls have been lined with
reflective sarking.
Local employment was considered with timber,
joinery and metalwork all sourced locally.
ENERGY
The house maintains a comfortable temperature
supported by passive design principles therefore
mechanical cooling is limited to ceiling fans and no
air-conditioning is needed.
Energy efficient appliances such as dishwasher,
washing machine and refrigerator (five star ratings) The site has also been re-vegetated to restore
reduce energy use. endemic vegetation which will survive with minimal
irrigation.
Energy efficient lighting, especially compact
fluorescents makes a surprisingly large difference OWNERS/USERS STATEMENT
and the design features lots of natural light.
"It is a practical house in which to live. We bought
A covered drying area negates the reliance on an
the house after going to the original open day in
electric clothes dryer.
2001. For us it just embraced all the concepts we
wanted from the tropics and had very sensible
A solar hot water system has a manual boost switch
applications." Laura
and it only needs boosting a few times a year during
the cloudy wet season.
The gas stove and cooking has lower greenhouse gas
emissions than electricity from coal fired power.
Solar panels on the roof produce day time energy
needs. It is a grid-connect system with battery back-
up.
It is estimated that the average daily energy
consumption is 10 kilo-watt hours or less. The solar
energy system meets or exceeds 100% of this
demand.
WATER
All water based appliances are five star rated for
water efficiency. All taps and showers are rated for
water efficiency as is the dual flush toilet. A
composting toilet as a second toilet further reduces
water consumption.
Three rainwater tanks can deliver up to 75% of the
annual household water consumption.
TRINIDAD, MOA ALYANNA P.
BS ARCHI 3-1
Rainy Mountain Residence
OVERVIEW
Located in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland
the home adjoins World Heritage rainforest and State
Forest and is in close proximity to the Barron River.
The principle design concepts encapsulate a tropical
lifestyle as well as celebrating and coexisting with
the natural surrounding landscape. This is a
comfortable, healthy and sustainable home
environment. The owner builders intently chose local
materials and suppliers.
The key features are a pavilion style house design
that stands alone supported by energy, water and
waste systems. There is minimal long term
maintenance as it is resilient to tropical weather. The
site use yields subsistent food production and
protects and enhances the natural environment.
PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
The owners had a strong desire to achieve a
sustainable lifestyle for the life of the building and
engaged an architect who had keen sustainability
principles. An integrated approach to landscape, land
use and ecology has been paramount in the design of
this project.
Research was conducted with long term residents to
understand factors and risks influencing tropical
living. A weather station was installed to collect
baseline weather data from the site prior to the
design phase. Research into different sources of
timber and their sustainable credentials including
durability and suitability for tasks such as termite
resistance was conducted.
A local structural engineering company with relevant
knowledge for designing a project that is safe and
resilient in a region prone to severe tropical weather
events was engaged. The architects brief was
documented identifying the requirement for the
house design to compliment stand-alone energy and
water systems.
SITE PLAN
The project site was
formerly used as bullock grazing paddocks by local loggers. It
had not been built on and had been previously cleared so did
not require any additional land clearing.
The site is adjacent to World Heritage National Park
and State Forest and lies within classified Cassowary
habitat. Areas of the block are being progressively
rehabilitated with native vegetation to provide food
sources for Cassowaries and other local native
species of birds and butterflies.
The house is sited to enjoy the views of the nearby
ridgeline to the South and East and to take
advantage of the breezes and ventilation. It is
surrounded by natural mountain landforms which
provide protection from extreme weather events.
The house site was prepared using a small 4x4
tractor. Minimal earthworks were required due to the
construction footing method (steel posts).
The house site is an integral component of self-
sufficiency goals and all topsoil was stripped,
stockpiled and re-used in productive garden areas. A
perimeter swale was constructed around the top side
of the house to intercept wet season rainfall runoff
and redirect it to minimise soil disturbance.
Site waste minimisation strategies include mulching
and composting of green waste, the construction of
evaporation trenches for effluent and feeding food
scraps to chickens.
DESIGN
The house aspect
was orientated to harness the prevailing winds to
achieve ventilation goals. The house is high-set and
built up-hill from a natural creek to enable cool air to
flow towards the house in the still summer months.
The pavilion style home has 3 bedrooms divided into
separate pavilions. The pavilion style supported a
staged construction program enabling pavilions to be
used for different functions throughout the
construction phase. For example the laundry could
function as a temporary kitchen. Also the pavilion
style building can be easily added to at a later date if
required.
The pavilion style is serviced by breezes moving
around all four sides and underneath the building.
They have double skinned roofs to maximise
ventilation to cool the underside of the metal roof
and remove the bulk of the heat radiating from the
underside of the metal roof. Each pavilion has many
ventilation openings to maximise the airflow through
the room.
The design with large overhangs eliminates tropical
rain and sun damage potential and achieves
maximum ventilation to minimise mould growth for
health reasons.
The building has been designed specifically for storm
events. Eaves extend up to 1.5m protecting openings
and outdoor areas. No gutters are on roofs not used
for water harvesting. All glazing is toughened glass
to withstand a category 4 cyclone event.
The design consciously enables easy access and
inspection zones for termite activity. Steel posts
assist this.
Most importantly, the house design is connected to
the outdoors and has elements that promote a self-
sufficient existence such as an orchard and vegetable
garden.
MATERIALS
The owner builders prioritised
a specification of high quality materials to achieve
longevity and minimal ongoing maintenance. They
used engineered timber to reduce timber milling and
wastage. They also employed termite resistant
Cyprus pine cladding because of its durability and
termite resistance, and untreated cladding that will
grey with age and not require maintenance using
exterior paint products. The pavilions are timber and
steel post structures with timber floors and metal
roofs.
The design also compliments the use of green timber
taking into account the expansion and contraction of
timber framework throughout the wet and dry
seasons including the floor duck boarding and
overlapped cypress cladding. Bolts are accessible for
periodic tightening of the structural frame.
Timber species were selected with durability in mind
to ensure longevity of the structure. Wherever
possible, locally-sourced materials were used,
especially for the study and kitchen cabinetry and
the front door.
No plaster based products are used due to their
moisture absorbing properties. Products used
internally allow for maximum expansion and
contraction due to tropical moisture variations
throughout the year.
ENERGY
The pavilion design maximises light and this ensures
that daylight is sufficient for daytime tasks reducing
the need to turn on lights during the day. To further
reduce demand on electricity, the solar hot water
system has a gas booster, the kitchen stove is gas
and all appliances are selected based on their high
energy rating.
No mechanical cooling is required as the building is
designed to passively cool. This is achieved by
positioning the house to gain maximum ventilation
and each pavilion has many ventilation openings to
maximise the airflow through rooms. Large
overhangs provide plenty of shading from the hot
summer sun.
After every effort to reduce reliance on electricity
through design is achieved, then the renewable
energy kicks in, to deliver a standalone energy
system. Most energy is harvested from photo voltaic
(PV) cells. A variable pitch wind turbine and a small
scale pelton wheel (micro-hydro) are used as
secondary power generators.
The design and installation of the energy systems
have been specifically engineered to operate at an
optimal level for long term reliability and cost
efficiency. For example the batteries are predicted to
last for 20 plus years. The energy system design has
factored in future potential energy growth demand.
Finally, the energy system can be monitored using a
smart Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) as a
solar charge controller.
WATER AND WASTE
There are nearby permanent creeks providing a
constant fresh water supply although this is
supplemented by rainwater harvesting from the roof
as well as diverting it to gardens that support food
production.
The water collected from the main pavilion roof
surface runs into a 22,500 Litre storage tank.
The creek water that is used as a backup has a direct
pressure water driven pump. It supplies water from
the creek with no energy input apart from the
passing water. This water is stored in a holding pond
and can be used to drive a small scale Pelton wheel
to generate power in times of insufficient solar
radiation to supplement power supply.
Intercept swales also direct water towards the
orchard and native gardens.
A separate 5000 Litre tank for firefighting activities is
also on the site due to the proximity of services
supported by the rural fire brigade.