If all the sustainability buzzwords like passive solar design and thermal mass seem a bit abstract to you, you should visit the new 8-star home. Called an 8-star home because it achieves an impressive 8-star rating in the Building Energy Rating Services (BERS) system, this home is a stunning example of clay brick as an ideal material for building sustainably and achieving excellent energy efficiency. It’s also a “proof” of the brick industry’s position on climate change and designing buildings that take advantage of the climate they are in.

Designed and built by HIA Greensmart award-winning builders, Jade Projects, the house cost only $200,000 to build and took just 18 weeks to construct. The house is based on the findings of a rigorous 6-year research programme we (Think Brick Australia) undertook in partnership with The University Of Newcastle and the Australian Research Council into the thermal performance of Australian housing. We found that clay brick had excellent benefits for the average family home, including superior energy efficiency, acoustic performance, durability and extremely low maintenance.

Jade Projects’ design built on these benefits to create a “clever” house that delivers amazing reductions in the amount of CO2 produced and water usage (compared to an average Australian home). It uses the climate it’s built in to reduce the need for artificial heating, strategically positioned windows to capture cooling summer breezes and tiled flors that absorb winter daytime warmth and radiate it back at night. Other features of the three-bedroom home include expansive living areas, office/home theatre room, al fresco entertaining area, clever space-saving laundry and two generous bathrooms, across an adaptable floor plan to accommodate the changing needs of a family over time.

It also contributes to our ongoing research - The house is equipped with sensors that will measure the internal air temperature and humidity of the home round the clock, which will feed valuable data back into the research programme.

Visit the 8 Star Home to learn about designing for Perth’s climate, achieving energy efficiency and passive solar design. The house features step by step signage throughout and a simple but comprehensive guide which you can take home and apply to your own building projects.

Quick Facts:

State: WA

Brick Type: Austral Bricks Elements bricks in Zinc and Cervantes bricks and Midland Bricks' Granite Set 50mm Georgian

Address: Revolution Rd, Perth, WA

Links:

8 Star House Showcase and images

More about 8 Star House

About the climate design research

Climate design for your location

Jade Projects