A Model of Green Living Inside and Out

Many of us dream of living off the grid in a self-sustaining home, complete with chicken coops, a vegetable garden and thoughtful environmental features. It seems as though this would be possible only in the country, and when life demands that we be close to the city for work and play, it’s all too easy to put this dream on hold. But this wasn’t the case for a couple who harnessed a more environmentally friendly way of life by reworking a four-bedroom home in Sydney. 

Their first step was to hire Clinton Cole to oversee their home’s transformation. It was a heaven-sent project for his firm, whose design ethos is based on sustainability. As Cole says, the clients, a “modern, environmentally conscious and socially responsible couple,” wanted more green space and an emphasis on good airflow and sustainability.

Among the many green initiatives in the house Cole designed are an evacuated-tube solar hot water system, an underground rainwater storage tank, and a 3-kilowatt photovoltaic power system to run the house and charge the couple’s electric car. The garden has compost bins, a system for fish-waste harvesting, a worm farm and a chicken coop working in harmony with a productive vegetable garden. “Combined, these elements have meant that the house surpasses the clients’ desire for a sustainable home and is virtually off-grid for most of the year,” the architect says. 

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ARTICLE SOURCE FROM HOUZZ.COM