Finalist - Living Smart Glossy Awards, 2013 “Excellence in Sustainable Building and Design” (Professional <$550K) {against our Obi Obi house, which won}

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The house is oriented to north for good passive design, efficiency of the solar PV array, and to minimise its impact on the adjacent bush and creek. With a 7.0 star rating, the house is surprisingly energy-efficient for a high-set light-weight house that is completely open below (it pays to have a good architect). It can be expanded by enclosing underneath with minimal cost in future, and no further increase of the building footprint. This future expansion would also improve the overall energy-efficiency substantially.

LED lighting throughout as well as energy efficient appliances minimise the size and cost of the solar power system. The house and garden have built-in resilience in that despite the flooding of the creek a few times a year, and resultant power outages in the area, the owners enjoyed uninterrupted power in their comfortable surrounds.