House From The North In Winter example essay topic

B. The Justification of my design Adrian Wan 10 F 2.0 Introduction This sustainable house has been built to comply with the Brisbane climate and weather throughout the year to increase the comfort of the home. The overall design has been aimed to maximise both indoor and outdoor areas so that both can be equally enjoyed. The house's design will be further discussed through the follow eight criteria. 2.1 Aspect and Site Aspect and site are one of the most important criteria to a sustainable house because they are the foundation for the efficient design of a house. In this house, the facing of north has been maximised to let the sun penetrate through in winter and block the sun in summer. This is followed out through the positioning of the living room.

The living room is exposed to maximum sunlight from the north side through the bi-fold doors so that it can be kept warm in winter but also cool in summer because it is away from east and westerly sun. There is also very little obstruction to the northerly sun because the house is design in an L shape which clears most of the northern block of the land. This can help the sun pass into the house with ease. However, there are tall trees to the north of the land. This can pose a problem to the capturing of the sunlight.

Therefore, these trees are made into deciduous trees. This can reduce the problem by up to 25% as the leaves of the trees will disappear in winter allowing the sun to pass through. As a result, the aspect and site of the house has been modified to best suit the climate of Australia. 2.2 Building Materials Building materials can be hard to choose from but if done correctly, insulation and temperature control can benefit from it.

This house is built with lightweight external material being termite-resistant timber framed construction so that it can cool down quickly in summer. These walls are shaded by the long eaves so that they will not heat up too quickly and start giving off heat to the interior. Although this lightweight material can also let out a lot of heat in winter, the bi-fold doors facing north and east can compensate for this. The roof is built with a steel frame so that it can reflect sunlight to keep the interior temperature cool in summer and is also termite and fire resistant to reduce hazards. The floor is made from aerated concrete floor panels. This material offers good sound and thermal insulation which can help reduce the amount of energy needed to control the interior temperature.

Summing up, the building materials have been chosen correctly so the insulation of the house will be very effective. 2.3 Landscaping The landscaping of this house comprises mainly of the positioning of the trees. There are two types of trees on the boundary of this house being the deciduous and evergreen trees. Deciduous trees are known for dropping leaves in winter which can be quite useful because they can let sunlight through into the house in winter. The evergreens however never drop their leaves like the name suggests. Deciduous trees are positioned only on the northern border of the house.

This is because the path of the sun over the house moves slightly to the north during the winter season. Therefore, the sunlight hits the house from the north in winter. The deciduous trees will drop their leaves in winter to allow the sunlight to pass through and heat the interior of the house. Evergreens are situated on the whole of the eastern border to block out the sunlight in summer and winter because the sun can heat up the deck and the bedrooms from the east. Evergreens are also on the south western corner of the house. This is used to block out the winter breeze that comes from the south western side.

The cool summer breezes, however comes from the north eastern side. These are easily captured because of the L shaped design of the house. Although the trees are useful in blocking sunlight and cool winter breezes, they unfortunately sabotage the northern views that the house offers. Overall the landscaping of the house has been successful in blocking out the sunlight and cool breezes that are the main problems. 2.4 Windows and Ventilation Windows and ventilation are very useful when trying to cool or heat the house without using energy from air conditioners.

With the house shaped like an L instead of a rectangle, the width of the house is relatively thin. This allows for easy ventilation between windows on opposite walls. In addition, a long set of bi-fold doors which have double glazing have been installed that allow great ventilation between the interior and exterior of the house as well as stopping summer heat from entering the house easily. The air that flows into the house will be quite cool because it is made to face and catch the cool summer breeze coming from the north-eastern side and also blocks out the cool winter breeze from the south-western side.

With the bedrooms all on the western wall, there is little possibility of creating windows on that side limiting the ventilation. However, with the design of longer eaves on the roofs, it creates a small area of shade on the west bedroom wall which can be used to create a small window. Although this window is not built for views, it can create a cross-ventilation with the corridor and since hot air rises, it can flow out of the room. The kitchen is deliberately made so that it was open. This allows it to have a well ventilated space for the refrigerator so that less electricity is needed to cool the food products. There is also a ceiling fan to assist with the ventilation.

The roof of the house is also of a special design. The roof is made so that it is tilted by 5 o to the horizontal. The tilt is facing north so that the hot air can flow out to the south through the louvers under the roof. The roof is also divided into two or else the slope will end up lowering the northern end by too much.

The divide is situated between the first bedroom and the bathroom. In conclusion, this house has no need for air conditioners or any other energy consuming machines because of the great positioning of windows. 2.5 Insulation and colour choice Brisbane consistently endures hot climates through the first half of the year but then cools down to approximately fifteen degrees in winter. To keep the temperature in the house comfortable all year round, insulation and colour choice must be very accurate. The floor is made from aerated concrete floor panels as explained in the building materials section. This material gives good thermal insulation so that heaters are not required in this house.

The roof is designed with a silver colour so that it can reflect most of the sunlight away and keep the house cool. There is also an absence in skylights in this house. This is because skylights can heat up a house really quickly in summer and can also release lots of hot air in winter which is very negative for Australia's climate. In conclusion, these choices of material and colour can greatly impact on the efficiency of the house so this house should require very little energy. 2.6 Room Layout Room layout is not as important as the other criteria in terms of temperature control but can increase the pleasure of living in the house.

The bedrooms are made so that they all face the corridor which allows easy access and ventilation. The kitchen is relatively large compared to normal kitchens because it the chef has to cool for a family of four. The kitchen is almost surrounded by a bar table so passing food to the dinner table is made easier. The living area is made to be four meters away from the kitchen and dining area so that the living area is kept at a cool temperature. The study is in the corner of the house with excellent views to the garden to help with the mind when stress is building up.

There is also a little welcome area when entering through the front door of the house. These features are sure to make the house more appealing. 2.7 Water and Energy Use This house is very efficient when it comes to energy and water which can help save on the bills. The use of two water tanks in this house allows the owners to not rely on the towns water supply unless if there is a drought. This water tank only supplies cold water so there is an additional five star solar hot water system added on the roof which is used to heat water when needed. There is also a photovoltaic system on the roof which converts sunlight to energy.

All the lights in this house are fluorescent lights because they give five times the input and last eight times longer than incandescent lamps. In the kitchen, all the appliances are energy and water efficient. There are also gas cook tops instead of electric ones because the process in which electricity is made gives off more pollution than the natural gas. The toilet in the bathroom is also efficient because it has a duel flush system.

At full, it uses 4.5 litres of water but at half, it only uses 3 litres. This is a 1.5 litre saving per full flush for this new model compared to the old version. The water saving showerhead installed also helps. The two waterfalls outside of the house are from recycled water so it is not a problem to the present water shortage in Australia. In conclusion, this house is very efficient in terms of water and energy usage because of the numerous amounts of energy saving appliances.

2.8 Other unique design features Despite being efficient in the ways of energy, this house is also environmentally friendly. The decking of the house is made from recycled materials so no harm was involved in the making process. The paint used on this house does not give off toxins so it helps reduce the total pollution created. Safety is another one of the main criteria that buyers take into account. This house is very safe in terms of emergency escapes and hazards. The living room floor is made from termite resistant timber framing so there is a little chance that the floor might become unstable.

The bathroom has a non-slip floor surface so that it is harder to fall when it is wet. All the glass in the bathroom are safety glass so when it breaks, it will not break into small pieces but still stay reasonably large so it is harder to cause more damage. In addition, the house is also a home to frogs. There is a frog pond to the north eastern side of the house. This pond is a special feature as well as being able to further cool the cool summer breeze from that direction before reaching the interior of the house. Because of the large number of bonus design features, this house is sure to sell quick in the market.