iDesign

Georgia O’Neill

“I am completing a double degree of Civil and Architectural Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering at UOW. The passion and diverse thinking I have encountered throughout the challenge from all teams has been incredibly inspiring and I cannot wait to see the future we create.”

Evelyn Parrish-Gibbons

“I will be entering my second year of a Bachelor of Primary Education Dean’s Scholar at the University of Wollongong in 2022. I am passionate about sustainability and in particular better education around the Sustainable Development Goals. This challenge has given me the opportunity to go outside my comfort zone and learn unique things that I can take with me into my future classrooms.”

Parimal Salunkhe

“I am in my final semester of Master of Civil Engineering at the University of Wollongong. The challenge has provided me with the one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn and apply various aspects of sustainability in our design. It is indeed a great experience, which I believe would be beneficial for anyone who is willing to make a positive impact in this world and their own career.”

Nicole Ellingburg

“I am finishing my first year of a Bachelors of Sustainable Communities at the University of Wollongong. I am a mature age student, although I had a passion for all things sustainable for a long time, it has only been recently that I have discovered that I can really make a career out of it. Hence my return to uni life, and I am loving every minute of it.

The primary building materials we chose for our design are:

• Recycled steel for the frame - due to its strength less of this material is required for the frame and supports for a 2-story house
• Interlocking Recycled Plastic Bricks [6] for the exterior - made from recycled plastics which require no mortar or other adhesion material
• Recycled textile insulation batts - provide thermal and acoustic insulation, from a material that is in its infancy of recycling. [7]
• Dura Panel [8] for the interior - Australian made from agricultural waste these panels will form the internal walls, ceilings, and base floor for the building. Providing acoustic, and thermal insulation and fire resistance that Gyproc, which is traditional building material used for these interiors do not.

These materials, when used to build houses, provide a strong, efficient, and fast building method. Providing both sustainable and affordable housing for people globally.

A life cycle analysis was conducted comparing 2 of the major components in traditional houses, with the alternatives used in our design. The materials analysed were:

• Cement used for traditional foundations compared with cement used for recycled tyre footings [11]
• Brick mortar used to create traditional walls compared to interlocking recycled plastic bricks [6]

As can be seen by the calculations below, our design has the less embodied carbons as compared to a conventional house. Moreover, due to its innovative design, solar power generation and rainwater harvesting techniques it requires less operational energy which leads to less operational carbon emissions

Cement production creates ~7% of the world's CO2 emissions and is the largest contributor to embodied carbon in the built environment [9].

Difference between embodied carbon of concrete and mortar required for conventional brick house and LEGO House is shown.

Embodied carbon emissions
For M25 concrete- 559 Kg CO2e/m3
For mortar- 0.182 Kg CO2e/m3

For conventional house-
The foundation raft- Concrete- 22 Cu.m- 12300 Kg CO2e
Brickwork mortar- 4 Cu.m- 0.728 Kg CO2e

For Lego House-
Footings- 4 cu.m- 2236 Kg CO2e
Brickwork mortar- 0 kg CO2e (Interlocking bricks, no mortar required)

The materials that are used most in our design have been chosen as they can be reused many times. The steel will be affixed with plates and screws, the Dura Panel [8] will also be affixed with screws and the plastic building bricks [6] slot together without adhesive or mortar. As such, the installation will be done in such a way that it can be disassembled easily and can be further reused or moved to another location for reassembly.

We have designed this house for an Indigenous occupant and their family, both nuclear and extended. We conducted interviews with several Indigenous people who had all spent time in social housing growing up. From this, the design needs of the occupant became clear, with the following features being listed as necessities for the occupant:

• multiple bathrooms with separate toilets
• a clear connection with and extremely easy access to a larger outdoor space.
• A comfortable and liveable outdoor space both in the front and rear of the house that invites connection.
• Large gathering spaces both within and outside of the house that allow for large family gatherings and learning experiences.

We decided to focus on the comfort of the occupant in regard to creating a healthy home. Most importantly we focused on increasing the amount of natural light being drawn into the building. We thought this was especially important as in a row of townhouses as only the 2 end houses are able to have side windows.

As such we have included a clerestory window in the roofline facing east leading to a lightwell where the staircase is to capture the sunlight and illuminate both the upstairs and downstairs living areas, and the kitchen. The bedrooms are also at the front of the house to capture the light, and minimise the cooling required for them in summer.

From our interviews we established that social interaction is especially important for the Indigenous population. As such we have designed the fencing with gates to each of the neighbours' properties that can be locked from either side for privacy and security, as necessary. We have added a back gate to the property and enlarged the outdoor living space available with bifold doors at the rear of the house. Additionally, we have removed any front fencing replacing them with communal seating, and communal planters designed for food. The children can learn together how to grow their foods in a cultural learning experience while socially interacting with each other.

Internally we have designed an open concept home which features large living spaces for family and community gatherings on both stories of the house.

Overall, we have designed a home that allows for cultural learning, which was specified as important in our interviews. The extra outdoor space leaves room for traditional plants to grow and an outdoor fireplace to be situated. These elements are important as they allow Indigenous children to explore their culture outdoors in a safe environment.

Recycled steel for the frame is easily sourced and readily available in Australia. 

Durra Panel [8] is an Australian product with their main manufacturing plant in Victoria.

Recycled Plastic Bricks [6] are originally a Columbian product created by Conceptos Plasticos. However, they have been manufactured in Africa and Asia as part of UNICEF programs [10] and could easily be manufactured in Australia to assist with our growing problem with plastic waste.

Recycled textile insulation battens [7] are currently being produced in Europe. However, with the large amount of textile waste in Australia, creating these insulation batts in Australia could create another new manufacturing source and more jobs in Australia.

The simple layout of our design allows it to be easily flipped to fit into the alternate nature of townhouses.

The interlocking materials used in our design allow for an easy and quick construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction. As no glue or mortar is used in construction.

The house being on footings constructed with recycled tyres [11] rather than a concrete slab speeds up the construction time and allows for it to be located in various geographical areas. Additionally, it considerably reduces construction costs. with an estimate of Australians paying between “$200 to $300 per cubic metre” [12] for poured concrete.

The materials allow for easy replication, and the plastic bricks are easily mass produced. A manufacturing plant in Australia could utilize the 84% of   2.1 tonnes of plastic that was sent to landfill in 2018-2019 [3]

In our design we are focusing on cost saving measures for the tenant by:

• Using solar panels from Tractile Solar [4] which will produce energy for the house as well as providing heating and cooling through the roof.
• Energy derived from the solar panels will run all the appliances within the house.
• With an off-peak hot water system being installed.
• Using under house water tanks from Aquacomb [5] for both grey water recycling in the gardens and toilets and freshwater collection for use within the house. 
• Using recycled textile insulation will increase fire protection, thermal and acoustic insulation [7]
• Coupled with Dura Panel [8] for floor, wall and ceiling panels additionally increases thermal and acoustic insulation.
• Natural lighting supplied by clerestory windows will also reduce the amount of energy used during the day for lighting.

The innovation underpinning our design is in an effort to redefine residential construction, by maximizing the amount of construction materials made from waste materials, especially those waste materials that are not currently efficiently recycled within Australia and either find their way to landfill or are shipped overseas.

By finding ways to construct by recycling these materials: steel, plastic, textiles, tyres. We can add manufacturing markets and jobs to Australia, reduce waste, and add to the circular economy.

Additionally, as these building materials create fast and cost-efficient buildings, we may be able to help address the current social housing crisis in Australia.  [1 & 12]