The Premier Colin Barnett’s infamous comment that air conditioning in Perth homes is unnecessary has been criticised in parliament and in the media.
Of course, radio talkback lines ran hot and social media sites were filled with pages of comments - many people were opposed to the thought of a WA home without the vital piece of energy-sucking, cooling machinery.
But there is another school of thought out there, a growing belief that WA houses actually don’t need to be airconditioned.
That a home, if well designed, can maintain a steady temperature throughout both summer and winter months.
It’s part of a push for energy efficient, environmentally sustainable housing.
Architect Gerry Kho says there are fundamental concepts that could be incorporated into the design of every new house.
“Passive solar design is very basic, orientating your house to have solar access, natural light, and natural cooling.
“Solar panels, cross-ventilation, insulation, thermal mass, which is the use of your built structure, the floor slab or walls to gain heat during the day and stabilise temperature. This will reduce the need for air conditioning.”
He also said grey-water recycling was a concept that very few Perth people have embraced.
The concept also stretches to the materials used in building, not only whether they will help reduce energy consumption in the home but the carbon footprint of their manufacture.
Some designers are pushing the use of local materials that don’t need to be transported over great distances or recycled materials.
And it doesn’t stop with the building itself - the landscape around the house can also contribute significantly.
Industry experts say with these concepts combined, a Perth home shouldn’t need airconditioning, and will also have a smaller impact on the environment.
Project homes
Mr Kho, who specialises in sustainable design, says it’s a slow process changing Perth people’s attitudes.
“In Perth, you see a lot of project homes in double brick, those are not actually that good in our climate.
“It’s a psychological thing; people see bricks and they think a house is stable and solid but in fact we should be looking at stud housing and brick veneers.”
“All architects have a common enemy, the project home builder, they are encouraging bad design for very low costs. Some have the facade they are environmental friendly because they use a tin roof and have a water tank, but the design is anything but. It’s a normal project home with different cladding.”
Someone who has been trying to turn the project home industry around is Griff Morris.
He’s the principal architect at Solar Dwellings which aims to produce passive solar houses which are energy and water efficient.
Mr Morris says by making some adjustments to the average house plan, it can be all these things without costing much more.
“Our whole commitment has been to making these concepts more accessible and cost effective.”
He’s gone so far as to start teaching the concepts to other builders, designers, trades, local government and architechts.
Retro-fit
The Australian Experiential Learning Centre CEO Tracey Hodgkins agrees that these design concepts are the way of the future.
But the latest project she’s embarking on aims to bring those concepts to the average Perth home, while giving young people studying in that industry a chance to use skills in the field.
“RetroBuild will be an eco-sustainable retro-fit of a house.
“We have the worst water shortages and we use so much energy and electricity, so we thought there’s so many thousands of older houses, why not look at the retro-fit of them?”
Early next year, students from one Perth university and one TAFE will be able to apply to be a part of the project.
“It will involve arts design students, horticulture, trades in the housing industry, project design students, furniture design, interior design, architecture, project management, accounting, marketing and even film.”
The plan is to eventually open the home to the public so they can see what the ordinary person can do to their existing home.
Long term Ms Hodgkins has bigger plans.
“I’d love to do more of these, different sorts of houses, different age of houses, maybe we do a heritage house, and then maybe a designer pod for the mining industry.”
Clients
Ms Hodgkins said it will be an amazing learning experience for the students involved, giving them a big kick start in their careers and hopefully setting them on a path to using sustainable techniques in the future.
Gerry Kho says while architecture students learn a great deal about sustainable concepts, they find it very hard to find clients who accept their proposals when they enter the industry.
“No matter how hard we push, it all depends on the client,” he said.
He says while people are now aware of the concepts, homebuilders are loathe to sign up because of the costs involved.
“Most of our clients who are interested in sustainable architecture are pretty much at the upper end of the market, they have the money to spend.”
He says the start up costs of a sustainable home is a lot more than an average project home.
“But in the long run, if you’re living there for 20 years, the cost is actually lower than a project home.
“We definitely push these concepts to our clients. Even if their budget doesn’t stretch that far, we try to push the simple things like orientation and materials.”
Mr Kho said on graduating, he worked for an employer for two years and found the company wasn’t focused on the techniques, which he found frustrating.
“You have to find different ways of communicating the benefits of sustainable design.”
He hopes as the concept grows in popularity it will bring prices down.
“The more certain technologies are sold, like grey water recycling, it means the costs of the products become more affordable.”
