A sustainable house is simply one that makes effective use of resources and energy flows available to the site.

• It uses the sun to keep the house warm in the winter, heat the water and produce the power.
• It uses the wind to channel prevailing breezes to cool in summer.
• It collects the rain that falls, to be used efficiently throughout the house and garden.
• It uses the mass of the earth on which it sits to maintain stability of temperature.
• It uses the land to provide native habitat and human nourishment.
• It uses the soil to recycle wastes.

More broadly, it minimises its footprint by choosing materials that avoid habitat destruction and limited resources, are low in embodied energy, and implements technology that use electricity and water efficiently.

And lastly, a Sustainable House is one that has a sense of sanctuary, is light and warm, connects the user to the environment, and is a healthy place in which to live and grow.

See our design principles derived from this definition.

See our 7 points guide on designing a sustainable house.