Simply sustainable

Natural gathering place: the kitchen features black Stonex benchtops, oak veneer joinery, gas hobs and a concealed pantry.

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A focus on energy-efficiency reaped rewards for the owners of this award- winning Canterbury house, as David Killick reports.

Living close to nature and having a sustainable home were top priorities for Diana and Neil Allardyce when planning their new home at Rolleston, south of Christchurch.

It was a winning formula: the house won a Sustainable Design Award for architectural designers Bob Burnett and Shizuka Yasui in this year's 2008 Canterbury and Westland ADNZ awards (featured in at home in July).

Diana, a nurse manager, comes from South Africa, and husband Neil, an osteopath, is from England. Both loved New Zealand when they came for a visit and decided they could live here. "We just don't appreciate how lucky we are," says Diana.

Avid fans of architecture, the couple wanted a house that was warm but economical to run - and, "I had to have space and light," says Diana.

In one of Canterbury's coldest winters in recent years, the house has performed remarkably: last month's power bill came in at about $150. That's excellent even for a small home; for a house that measures 350sq m, it's amazing. Why the house does so well comes down down to three main factors: design, choice of materials and some smart products.

Clean, simple horizontal lines are a nod towards Japanese architecture, a signature of the designers.. Wide eves allow the lower-angled winter sun to stream in - through double-glazed windows with low-emissivity glass, naturally - while screening out the higher- angled summer sun.

Materials were chosen with energy efficiency in mind. The thicker-than- average concrete floor pad is insulated, storing heat. Walls are timber framed, packed with environmentally friendly wool insulation and clad with creamy oamaru stone blocks, then topped with Linea weatherboards for contrast.

A sunroom on the north-east captures the heat. Overhead sunshades can be closed off for cooling in summer. South African slate flooring in this area provides additional thermal mass, storing then gradually releasing the sun's heat.

Heating throughout the home depends on a single but grunty heat pump system. Water is heated and pumped through pipes embedded in the concrete floor slab. The Allardyces simply keep it set on 16deg and find the house stays comfortable.

In the living area, tiles around the perimeter assist heat transfer to the floor slab and bamboo flooring. If heating needs a boost, they can switch on a gas fire in the main living room. Even with snow on the nearby Port Hills, the fire is seldom needed.

Design: Architectural designers Bob Burnett and Shizuka Yasui, of Bob Burnett Architecture. Winner of a Sustainable Design award in the 2008 ADNZ (Architectural designers of New Zealand) regional design awards. Builders: H&R Garlick. Materials: concrete, timber frame, oamaru stone, Linnea weatherboards, double glazing, bamboo, slate, marble and ceramic tile florring. Heating system: Single heat pump unit heats water flowing through pipes in concrete floor bed; gas heater in living area. Other: hi-tech hub controls audio-visual, computer, and lighting. 

Ceiling fans waft the heat down into the living spaces. Skylights maximise natural lighting.

The home is also fitted with a hi-tech command centre, so it is future-proofed for TV, sound, computers and lighting. The only trouble is figuring out which light switches do what.

Public areas are towards the front of the house, and private areas towards the rear. Neil's consulting room opens off a spacious atrium. Doors lead into an intriguing shaped main living area. At 3.4m high, it meets Diana's requirements for light and space. A six-seater curving leather sofa (from D. A. Lewis) faces the feature wall and fireplace, and a huge slab of macrocarpa forms a striking centrepiece.

Walls are neutral and warm, with oamaru stone also being used inside. To the east is a casual sitting area and the sunroom, with a water feature in metal by Christchurch artist David Lloyd.

Further back are the dining area and kitchen, with its black Stonex benchtop. A separate pantry area can be closed off. It's great for entertaining - just throw the debris inside and forget about it, says Diana.

Bedrooms and one bathroom open off a passageway. The main bedroom is on the southern side. The ensuite marble bathroom features a simple, tiled shower area. Diana says the skylight above the bathtub is great for gazing up at the stars at night. It also faces a patio area, to be planted with a Japanese garden.

Two other family members were also important: tonkinese cats Jabu and Simba, who have their own pet toilet.

Landscaping is still to be completed. Already the curving gravel chip driveway forms an attractive entrance to the property. Come summer, Neil and Diana can look forward to relaxing outdoors, as well as indoors - and continuing to enjoy a comfortable climate year round.

- © Fairfax NZ News