DARREN BOWMAN DESIGN

Sustainability Talk

Thu, 10 May 2012 04:55:00 +0000

As a past student of the Diploma of Sustainability I was honoured to be asked to give a brief talk to prospective students at the 2012 introductory session last night. I outlined how I have put what I learnt during the course into practice and how I have applied the knowledge to my business. I included the main elements of Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) as well as our sustainable office practices; things like energy efficiency and paper use. I also touched on how being interested in sustainable building lead to my involvement in the Eco-Cubby program. I took the Eco-Cubby model along from Napoleons Primary School to display.

I believe my talk was well received and may have influenced some building design students to enrole in the sustainability diploma. Another benefit was catching up with the Craig, (my teacher) and Andrew, a fellow past student who delivered an interesting talk about how he has applied his knowledge to his work, including his new business Backyard Harvest.

I wish to thank Laurel and Craig from the National Centre for Sustainability at the University of Ballarat for giving me the opportunity to share my experience with the new group.

BDAV Webinar - Improving Energy Ratings

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:25:00 +0000

I participated in the BDAV webinar presentation by Tony Isaacs yesterday, which offered tips on how to improve energy ratings using FirstRate5 software. Tony is a guru of energy ratings and had a part in the system's development when working for the Sustainable Energy Authority (now Sustainablity Victoria). Tony presented plenty of great tips for tweaking energy assessments and improving building thermal performance. One that made an impression on me, was that insulated concrete slabs may be an advantage in Ballarat. This agrees with recent research for a sustainable project of ours in Ballarat, which included an opinion from sustainable building design guru and columnist for Sanctuary Magazine Dick Clarke.

McManus Drive Gets its Skin.

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:25:00 +0000

The site was buzzing with tradesmen yesterday; brickies, electricians, carpenters, all working seemlessly together to advance progress on this most exciting project. As the brickwork climbs up along the eastern side, carpenters are fixing the Scyon Matrix cladding to the front of the house. A burnt orange colour sample that rests on the scaffolding hints of an adventurous colour scheme to be full revealed shortly.

Internally you can start to get a feel for the spaces. The living room ceiling soars up to the north, to celestory windows that will let sunlight penetrate deep into the home. The high external wall shows the deep studs required to resist wind-loads and allowing an opportunity to insulate the wall well. Beyond the kitchen, the floor steps up to an informal living space that opens out to the backyard at ground level.

McManus Dv Progress

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 06:35:00 +0000

I called in to see how our McMannus Drive project was coming along over the long weekend. Unfortunately the builders actually took the weekend off and I couldn't get in. I can't wait to walk through this project now, so I'll be going back!

McManus Drive Residence

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:15:00 +0000

On a steep site like this the biggest challenge is always getting to floor level. We worked from survey drawings to model the site in 3D to determine heights for this project. According to builder Kane Twomey, the floor levels worked out "spot on". Perfect is good enough for me! With that challenge complete Kane is now framing walls.

Elizabeth Street Progress

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:25:00 +0000

This picture is retrospective, as the Elizabeth Street project is now complete and occupied by happy owners. As the painters put the finishing touches on the outside on this sunny Autumn day you can appreciate how the sun shines into the interior of the house. According to the owner, the tradies commented on how the unheated house was still lovely and warm on those crisp Autumn mornings, even before it was completed. See finished photos in our project gallery.

McManus Drive Residence

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:30:00 +0000

Kane and Dave from Twomey Building put the reinforcement in the trenches as our latest project gets off the ground. The boys are hoping for good weather until the concrete is poured.

With over 5 metres of fall over the house the design for this house took some nutting out, but it promises to deliver a great result. Once out of the ground framing will go up quickly. Ecocrete concrete will be used for this project as well as sustainable plantation timber framing.

The Story of Stuff

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:40:00 +0000

This is the best explanation of the hows and whys of consumption. A must watch! The "Story of Stuff" makes you realise how you've been conned into believing that you need more stuff to be happy. This is an engineered idea to grow the economy, but to the detriment of the environment and humanity. Don't go shopping until you have seen this film in its entirety. http://youtu.be/9GorqroigqM

Climate Quandry

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:50:00 +0000

Love this!

Honestly, how bad would it be? Think houses that use less energy, lower energy bills, energy that comes from clean renewables, less pollution, cleaner water, enough water, better health, clean air, etc. etc. etc... What would be wrong with that?

Building industry rejects carbon tax.

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:56:00 +0000

The AWA have supported the HIA policy not to support a carbon tax. An interesting stance given the number of green building schemes and regulations being rolled out. Promotion of clean energy production could only be a good thing, but perhaps there is insufficient detail to draw conclusions on a carbon tax and the cost implications to ordinary Australians. Maybe stringent efficiency standards are the go if we are to meet our CO2 targets, though that could surely be made simpler than it is where building regulations are concearned. The Green Building Council Australia (GBCA) have released a paper in support of an emmisions trading scheme or other carbon pricing mechanism. More information about the pros of a carbon price from the GBCA here: http://www.gbca.org.au/uploads/203/3787/Carbon%20Paper_LR.pdf

Elizabeth Street

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 04:29:00 +0000

My Elizabeth Street project is progressing nicely. Time has been spent lately on detailing and internal linings. Outside it is great to see the render finish nearing completion. It is always a relief to see jobs materialise as per the design intent. Walking into the centrally located living area and seeing the light streaming in through the high windows to the north and the east to create a lovely light-filled interior was one of those moments.

6 Star Thermal Performance is Here.

Mon, 02 May 2011 04:09:00 +0000

The 6-star standard came into effect yesterday in Victoria. Don't panic! Although more onerous than the 5-star standard that it supersedes achieving 6 star compliance isn’t difficult if basic design principles are considered from the start. The right orientation is now even more important. The standard also considers glazing, insulation, draft-sealing, etc as it did before and it still includes a requirement for a rainwater tank or a solar hot water system. The 6-star standard also requires fixed lighting to be considered and stipulates maximum wattages per floor area.

According to the building commission 6-star houses will be 24% more efficient that 5-star houses and will save the occupants a further $100 / year in energy costs.

The 6-star standard applies to all new houses, appartments and townhouses as well as alterations and additions. The extent of compliance varies with alterations and additions.

We can advise you on what extent you will need to go to to comply. We will also continue to provide Deemed-to-Satisfy assessments and reports under the Building Code of Australia provisions as well as performance based assessments and reports using Firstrate 5 software.

Download the Building Commission 6-star brochure here.

Apply for an assessment here.