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Design Sustainability

When you think design sustainability, you may think of design elements or materials that improve building performance, reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources, or minimise waste. But that’s not all there is to consider – what about intention, the value that comes with the emotional qualities the physical space embodies? These are the elements that make a house a home.

That said, if you’re seeking to pursue a sustainable design, it’s important to reflect on the intention of your renovation and how that aligns with your lifestyle values, as well as the materials you use and performance benchmarks you reach. Below are a few questions you may want to ask yourself:

Do you actually need the space?

When looking at new home floorplans they have countless living spaces – a home theatre, lounge, activity, games room, playroom, media room and rumpus… the list goes on. How many living spaces do you actually need though? Sometimes new homes have more living spaces than they do occupants. Is this of value to how you would like your family to live? Often in these scenarios, spaces go left unused for weeks at a time, or the family disperses when they get home and have nothing to do with one another.

How do you see the lifespan of the space – how long will it serve its intended purpose, and can it be easily repurposed after that?

As we evolve, our homes should evolve too. Mindful that nothing in life is static, the goal of designing for longevity is to consider the flexibility of the spaces created and design durable and timeless spaces with a long lifespan. Depending on where you’re at, you may want to consider how the space would accommodate a home business, young family, teenagers, or if you need to give care for ageing parents. This may dictate what materials you use and what elements you choose to be fixed e.g. choice of flooring, built in storage, position of doorways etc.

To explore this topic more, follow the link to read our recent article – Five Ways To Repurpose Spaces In Your Home.

How often do you accommodate visitors – is the extra guest room of value?

If you don’t host guests that often and it’s left empty for the majority of the year, is the need for a guest room of value for you? In some instances, it leads to an unnecessary additional space to dust and furnish.

Room size – how big does the room actually need to be?

Homes, and the individual rooms inside them are getting bigger and bigger with each year that passes. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average home size increased three percent in the last calendar year – bumping Australia above the US on the leader board of who is building the biggest houses in the world. The bigger the house, the bigger the construction cost and the more it will cost over time to heat, cool, furnish and clean. From a design perspective, this desire to make everything bigger can lead to poorly designed areas with wasted space or areas with no natural light and ventilation.

Having one living space that works well for the flow of your day-to-day life with good natural light, acoustics and ventilation, a seamless connection between the indoors and outdoors is much better than having multiple smaller spaces that separate everyone. When adopting this approach, not only are you comprising the rooms but you’re also comprising the use of the whole home. We believe this leads to the making of more memories as families are more connected when they share spaces – this forms the legacy of your home.

Now that you’ve reflected on these intentions and values, what does sustainable design mean to you? Is it more than ticking the boxes required for structural and performance building compliance?

If you would like to know more about design sustainability, contact us today: https://www.designerhomeextensions.com.au/contact