Two sustainable ACT homes were awarded at the 2023 HIA Australian GreenSmart Awards, announced on Friday 25 August.
Local businesses, Light House Architecture & Science and 360 Building Solutions, won the HIA Australian GreenSmart Sustainable Home Award.
Their winning project was a compact, 7.9-star energy-efficient home that cleverly adapts to an awkwardly oriented and sloping site to optimise solar passive gains.
Light House Architecture & Science and 360 Building Solutions also won in the HIA Australian GreenSmart Renovation and Addition Project category.
This accolade went to a thoughtfully executed renovation that refreshed an outdated and uncomfortable 1960s Canberra duplex into a modern, energy- and water-efficient living space.
The GreenSmart Awards recognise the best in sustainable housing. Winners from around Australia were recognised for their contribution to sustainable building practices.
The highest accolade, the 2023 HIA Australian GreenSmart Home, was awarded to NSW sustainable builder Blue Eco Homes for their project the ‘Yellow Rock Passive House’. Built upon a bushfire-ravaged site in the Blue Mountains, the winning home incorporates the still-standing garage and pool husk into the new property, a three-storey fully accessible home that hugs the sloping bushland and maximises the block’s orientation for natural sunlight.
HIA Managing Director Graham Wolfe said the awards recognise HIA members who deliver the latest in environmental design excellence and sustainable building practices.
“With the incoming changes to the National Construction Code, energy efficiency, water savings, and condensation are important considerations for clients, designers, builders, and material suppliers alike,” said Mr Wolfe.
“HIA’s commitment to sustainable building outcomes through environmentally focused design, innovation, and construction has not altered over the 23 years the HIA GreenSmart program has been running.
“Our members demonstrate that comfort, security, innovation, and value for money can coexist in a sustainable built environment,” he said.
Awards major sponsor, the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS), provides energy ratings for new dwellings and major renovations, which helps create energy-efficient, resilient, and comfortable homes for the future.
For more information on NatHERS, visit nathers.gov.au
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