Tools & Resources
Healthy Home Project Wins National Award
The Healthy Home Project at Mermaid Beach, Queensland, concentrated on environmentally-friendly products, like roofing and walling made from COLORBOND® steel.
| Location: | Mermaid Beach, Gold Coast, Queensland |
| Country: | Australia |
| Architect: | University of Queensland's Architecture Department |
| Builder: | Chris Prosser The Healthy Home Project PO Box 1616 Broadbeach QLD 4218 Ph: 07 5539 9722 Fax: 07 5539 9511 |
| Fabricator: | Stramit |
| Products Used: |
Roofing |
| Awards: | 2000 Master Builders of Australia (MBA) National Resource Efficiency Award/Housing Under A$0.5 million category. |
A house which encompasses multiple aspects of healthy, environmentally friendly living has won the Master Builders of Australia (MBA) award for Resource Efficiency as judged by Environment Australia.
The Healthy Home Project built by Chelbrooke Homes on the Gold Coast took the newly created 2000 MBA National Resource Efficiency Award/Housing Under A$0.5 million category in the MBA awards.
Chiropractor Chris Prosser set up The Healthy Home Project as a benchmark home in Mermaid Beach to bring together Australia's leading building industry providers and create a blueprint for healthy construction and living.
The Healthy Home Project focused on environmentally friendly products, including COLORBOND® steel, building methods, and the living environment for the occupants.
The MBA recognised the Healthy Home Project as a showpiece for building style and the use of materials which consume less energy, create minimum site damage and provide maximum thermal efficiency.
The Healthy Home Project was designed by the University of Queensland's Architecture Department and received government support through an Australian Resource Commission (ARC) research grant.
"We set out to bring suppliers, builders and environmental engineers together to advance this project," said Mr Prosser.
Project partners supplied standard current products, and not special one offs, to the project.
The Healthy Home Project is conducting detailed analysis of the house's operation, with results being supplied to interested parties, including BlueScope Steel.
This monitoring includes heat radiation, air quality, thermal efficiency, lighting, ventilation, energy and water use, life cycle cost analysis, and post occupancy evaluation.
BlueScope Steel market development consultant Greg Jones said results received already had confirmed one of the key advantages of COLORBOND® steel, its ability to cool quickly at night, limiting the amount of heat radiated into the home.
"The Surfmist® steel roofing used on this project reflects heat and does not allow as much heat to radiate into the house," he said.
The conservation of energy normally used by air conditioners and heating systems also translates into cost saving.
"The BDP Environment Design Guide available through the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) lists 13 criteria relating to roofing including recyclability, embodied energy, thermal efficiency and lifespan," Mr Jones said.
"Each product is scored according to these criteria, with a lower score meaning the product is more environmentally friendly. Steel roofing has a score of five - compared to some other roofing products which scored as high as 20.
"For example, COLORBOND® steel has a low ecological rating. This means the energy expended to produce the steel is offset by the product's expected lifespan and long term low environmental impact, due to its recyclability. The result is a lower score."
The Healthy Home project's goal of re-using as much natural water as possible was boosted by the use of a steel roof and tank to provide clean water quality and the Department of Natural Resources designed greywater treatment system.
