sanctuary magazine issue 10 - all together now - castlemaine, victoria green home profile
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Sanctuary S
An eco development strikes gold in rural Victoria
By Fiona Negrin
Lilting bird song, stately river red gums and
abundant foliage give the impression that were
far from civilisation. So its a pleasant surprise to
realise that the local shops and train station are
a ten-minute walk away. Gently perched in the
landscape, so modest you dont notice them at
rst, are eight small homes. Welcome to Munro
Court, a sustainable housing development in
the old Victorian gold mining town of
Castlemaine.
The idea was to build very small houses
with a modern feel but rustic aesthetic; homes
settled in Australian bush gardens, says
designer Robyn Gibson of Lifehouse Design,
based in Castlemaine. The development was
initiated by a local couple, Sue Turner and DonWild, whose vision was to build a cluster of
energy-efcient modern houses that harmon-
ised with the landscape. Social sustainability
would be a key criterion, as would the potential
for elderly people to downsize in comfort and
age in place.
Sue and Don teamed up with Robyn
and Paul Hassall of Lifehouse Design, and
Sues son Sam Cox of Sam Cox Landscaping,
to turn the vision into reality.
Although the houses are placed
to each other, they dont have boun
so strategic design was employe
sense of seclusion.
All living areas face onto the s
bathing areas of the neighbou
so nobodys living areas look into
says Robyn. Additionally, there a
earth mounds and plantings betw
to provide privacy.
Robyn and Paul worked close
to harmonise the houses with the
The homes, none of which is larg
square metres (the average ne
Australia is around 240 square me
an unobtrusive colour scheme of stan, and are built with natural mater
and timber, including Cypress
reclaimed from farm windbreaks. R
trees frame the plantings, which
species. Robyn muses, The wh
lled with foliage you look at the g
the houses. Thanks to appropr
choice and generous mulching, the
thrived in a climate of increasingly
and hotter summers.
ALLTOGETHERNOW
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Sanctuary S
Residents share responsibility for tending theommunal vegie garden, emptying the compost
and feeding the chooks. Sometimes they dineogether. And it happens entirely organically
Living at Munro Court are young families,
ouples and single retirees. One of the latter is
in, who volunteers at the University of the
ird Age and enjoys bushwalking. Win wasnt
pecially looking for an environmentally
stainable home, but she was charmed by the
ouse. I walked into this room and I just
ought, its so beautiful, so full of light. And the
ishes, the colours, so much thought has
one into details and the ttings.
Win also appreciated the houses roomi-
ess. A small space can be well used. Theres
ns of storage. Big windows and high ceilings
ve a sense of spaciousness. Its a small house
ut it feels like a big house because it has the
ght proportions. Within three hours of seeing
e house, shed bought it.
Win has since become a convert to sustain-
ble living. The ecological design isnt some-
ng that I was looking for but Im totally thrilled
th it because it works so well. In winter, the
orning sun pours into her north-facing
ndows and ten minutes later, the living room
is warm. Castlemaine is notorious for its
extreme temperatures. Win says she looked at
old houses but they had no north-facing
windows, and their bi-monthly gas bill was
$600. I didnt want that. This house is efcient
to run. My biggest bi-monthly gas bill in winter
was $80, and I was never cold.
To compensate for Castlemaines frosty
winters, the houses at Munro Court have large,
north-facing double-glazed windows and high
levels of insulation to keep the heat in. Concrete
slab oors help maintain a stable temperature
even on the chilliest nights, and gas heating
boosts warmth when needed. Summers can
be scorchers, but theres no need for active
cooling in the houses because external awnings
and pergolas offer shade, while doors and
windows can be ung open and ceiling fans
operated to move cool air through the house.
Munro Court cheerfully fulls its brief of
social sustainability. Robyn and Win nish each
others sentences as they list the occasions
that bring neighbours together: to have drinks
when a new person moves in; to hold re
management meetings; and to participate in
revegetation working bees. Residents share
responsibility for tending the communal vegie
garden, emptying the compost and feeding the
chooks. Sometimes they dine together. And it
happens entirely organically.
One of the really nice things here is that
theres no formal organisation for any jobs to be
done, says Win. People ask me, who owns
the chooks? Do you have rosters? Do you have
a vegie bed each? but its not organised like
that. People pitch in when they have time and
we all share produce. Elderly neighbours who
cant contribute to the garden still share eggs
and vegetables from the garden. Its very
pleasing and generous.
SamCox Landscape,based
inMelbourne,designed the
gardenswith softborders,
boulders,andlowwateruse
Australiannativeplants.
Adevelopmentlikethiswith
modestbuildingfootprints
releasesmorelandareafor
vegetationandsocial amenity.
Thereponsibilityfor tendingthe
gardenrests withthe community,
whichfosters socialcohesion
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Their vision was to build a cluster of energy-efcientmodern houses that harmonised with the landscape
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52 Sanctuary
Munro CourtDesigner Lifehouse DesignWebsite www.lifehousedesign.com.auBuilder Various (Mike Ruggles, Wild Homes,
Gerard K House, Kym Jermyn)Location Castlemaine, VICProject type Residential developmentCost House & land packages from $235,000 (2003)
to $430,000 (2009)Photography Rachel Pilgrim (Well Earth Studios) & Andrew Lecky
Hot water
Various solar hot water systems including Edwards Beasley 180L
solar hot water system with Rinnai Innity gas boosted units and Quantum
heat-pump systems (www.edwards.com.au)
Renewable energy 5 of the 8 houses have BP grid-interactive photovoltaic systems of
various sizes from 450W to 1.5kW (www.bpsolar.com.au)
3 houses buy GreenPower
Water saving
All houses have Aquaplate corrugated iron tanks by BlueScope Steel
ranging from 4500L 30,000L capacity
1 house has a Wattworks Automatic Grey Water Recycler
(www.wattworks.com.au).
All bathroom and laundry waste lines converge to a single line outside
the houses for possible future connection to greywater systems
Passive heating & cooling
North orientation
Casement-style windows used generally throughout development
for maximum capture of cooling breezes
Active heating & cooling
HunterPacic Typhoon reversible ceiling fans (www.hunterpacic.com.au)
Rinnai Energysaver gas space heaters (www.rinnai.com.au)
1 house has Greenheat solar assisted hydronic heating
(www.greenheat.com.au)
Windows & glazing
Miglas or Valley Window double glazed windows
(www.miglas.com.au; www.valleywindows.com.au)
Lighting
All homes have a mix of low-wattage surface and recessed downlights
Paints, fnishes & oor coverings
Wattyl i.d. or Dulux Eco Choice low-VOC internal paints
Victoria Carpets Heather Point range, 80% wool cut-pile broadloom carpet
Mineral silicate external paints including Keims Granital mineral silicate paint,
and Porters Paints mineral paint
Sustainable Features
North-facing external walls
are protected from the harsh
summer sun by slat eaves
combined with a trellis. The
deciduous vines growing on
the trellis will give shade in
summer, while allowing winter
sun through in colder months.