Beaumont Concepts, an Australian architectural studio, has built a stylish and affordable carbon positive home. It is located in the coastal town of Cape Patterson in Victoria. The prototype of the house Core 9 is designed to provide a better housing solution which is not only cost-effective but also very sustainable. Core 9 home is a part of The Cape, which is one of Australia’s first sustainable housing projects. It features 220 blocks of land where the residents can build a home which can meet specific sustainable home design standards.
Beaumont Concepts gave a statement saying, “With the rising cost of energy and the need to conserve our precious resources, a sustainable home is becoming a highly desirable and more economical option long term. To respond to this challenge and demonstrate how this can be achieved the CORE 9 prototype has been built at The Cape. THE CORE 9 integrates sustainable materials with a low embodied energy.” The Core 9 prototype is a 131-sqm family home. It features a modern kitchen, open-plan living and dining, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, outdoor terraces, and a garage for two cars. The dwelling in the house is designed such a way that it can get maximum natural light from the north as well as cross ventilation all day long.
The interior of the home has large floor-to-ceiling windows, a well-polished concrete flooring, and in-built timber furniture. It has utilized reclaimed bricks, the home also has a series of exposed brick walls which are in contrast with the home wooden panel ceilings and white finishes. The company said, “We firmly believe good design principles should be available to everyone who wants to build their own home, regardless of budget. To this end, we created a construction scale allowing the building to be adapted to any star rating between 6 and 10-star.”
The home is built using a zero-waste idea. It has made use of recycled and up-cycled materials while also adopting a building process which produces minimal off-cuts and waste. The home building material was also chosen for the high quality, durability, and long lifespan. Core 9 home also uses a solar hot water system with rainwater harvesting and solar power as well. The roof of the house is fitted with a series of photovoltaic panels and according to an estimate, the energy cost to run all year will be around US$69.
Beaumont Concepts said, “By using environmentally friendly building products, we’ve reduced the impact of the construction on the environment. In some homes, the products used to achieve the high star rating have a detrimental impact on the environment. But in the CORE home, regardless of the star rating, the products specified are environmentally friendly. Construction materials were also selected to ensure minimal maintenance and longevity.”
