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70 tonnes of Packed Earth for Thermal Mass
A Gippsland couple wanted to build an energy efficient, healthy home as a part of their green lifestyle. They developed their design with an architect friend and then engaged Darren Christie of Baw Baw Sustainable Constructions, to construct the home. The house was designed around a 70 tonne, packed earth thermal mass. With health, lifestyle and energy efficiency in mind, they designed features into their home which help to maintain a comfortable temperature and humidity all year round.
Energy efficient planning
Energy efficient design starts from the ground up. The house is built on a waffle pod concrete slab. Waffle pod slabs incorporate foam blocks which form an insulating layer between the house and the cold earth. Putting waffle pods into the slab also means that less concrete is used, a building material consumed on a massive scale in construction today accounting for approximately 5% of global CO2 emissions and 17% of landfill waste worldwide.
House orientation and features for energy efficiency
House orientation in relation to the suns path is a crucial factor in maximising the thermal mass’s potential. 14.5o off due north, the house captures the sun in winter through large windows in the atrium, storing the heat in the thermal mass. Louvered windows in the wall allow the movement of warmed air away from the atrium to warm the rest of the house. A strip of dark tiles that run the entire north length of the house also help to capture heat and release it into the house.
