Sanctuary: Modern Green Homes

Build green, build beautiful, build affordable. Sanctuary is Australia's premier magazine for people looking to build and renovate sustainably. The magazine profiles the work of Australia’s leading environmental architects and designers and provides a wealth of ideas and advice on how to make your home more sustainable, no matter what your budget. Discover the latest design ideas and cutting-edge green technology, and tips and solutions to help you create a comfortable home for life. Each issue features lavish, full-colour spreads and floor plans for sustainable new homes and renovations. Regular topics include affordable housing ideas, design for climate, energy saving technology for the home, prefab and modular design and more. Sanctuary is published by Renew, a not-for-profit organisation that inspires, enables and advocates for people to live sustainably in their homes and communities.

Sanctuary: Modern Green Homes

Letter from the editor

PRODUCTS

REVIEWS

Like a charm • A smart renovation vastly improved functionality and sustainability in this small Melbourne home, keeping within the original footprint and retaining the cute period character.

Greenhouse spectacular • This Passive House is comfortable throughout Canberra's often extreme seasons, and has a greenhouse attached for year-round gardening.

Urban retreat • All-electric with heat pump hydronic heating, this inner-city Adelaide home is designed for low bills and comfort.

Homestead living • This owner-built, affordable home reinvents an older style of architecture while supporting a self-sufficient family.

Passive House revival

Bike haven • Smart design maximises functionality in this cosy Melbourne home, with plenty of natural warmth and light plus space for bikes and pets.

New beginnings • Catherine's new hempcrete home in the Witchcliffe Ecovillage, south of Perth, offers her much more than simply a place to live.

Infusing interiors with natural forms and features • In part two of our series on biophilic design, we delve deeper into its practical applications. Architect Fiona Gray explores two fundamental elements – environmental features and natural shapes and forms – and how they can enhance the aesthetic appeal of living spaces as well as improve health and wellbeing.

Huff'n'Puff Haus

One-stop shops for energy upgrades • If you want to do a home energy upgrade, it can be hard to know where to start. One-stop shops offer advice, information and referrals all in one place; we take a look at what they're all about.

130-year-old cottage goes modern electric • Not sure where to start on the electrification journey? Working with a one-stop shop can help streamline the conversion from a gas to an electric home, as Marnie and Ryan discovered.

Understanding the ban on engineered stone • A recent ban on the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs marks a significant step forward for worker health and safety. What does it mean for homeowners?

Evolution of a live-work pioneer • Dempsey Warehouse is a living experiment in alternative forms of housing that has been going for over 45 years. Architects Carol Marra and Ken Yeh have lived and worked here since 2006, and recently completed a judicious renovation to usher the beloved compound into its next phase.

A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE • Toni and Robert McLeish are looking to improve their Canberra rental property so it's more comfortable and energy-efficient for their tenants, and also for their own future retirement. The experts at Neighbourhood Architecture help fine-tune their plans.

Birds in the 'burbs

DESIGNERS IN PROFILE

renew.