Transitioning to a Greener Future: Victoria's Shift to the 7-Star Minimum NATHERS Rating for Buildings Explained
In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on sustainability and energy efficiency in building construction. As a result, many countries have started to implement stricter standards for new buildings, to reduce their environmental impact and maximize energy efficiency. In Australia, Victoria is leading the way by transitioning to the new 7-star minimum NatHERS rating for all.
Six Key Insights for Exceptional Kitchen Design: A Guide for Renovation and New Builds
Kitchens have significantly evolved from merely functional spaces for cooking. In contemporary households, they often serve as the vibrant epicentre of daily life, witnessing the hustle and bustle of family activities, from the crack of dawn to the close of the day. These dynamic spaces play host to multifaceted interactions - from parents preparing meals while assisting with homework, to friends congregating for pre-dinner cocktails and conversation, and in larger abodes, even functioning as an additional living area. Consequently, it's imperative to meticulously plan your kitchen design from the outset, ensuring it aligns perfectly with your lifestyle and household needs. Drawing from our extensive experience in crafting diverse kitchen spaces, we've established a set of essential design principles that guide every project we undertake.
Top 5 Budget-Busting Mistakes in Home Building and Renovation (and how not to make them)
Curious about what mistakes can cause your home building or renovation project to break the bank? Let's explore the top five pitfalls that lead to overspending, as well as strategies to steer clear of them.
A recent survey incorporated the responses of 500 homeowners who had their homes constructed within the past ten years. The results were surprising: a staggering 62.5% of Owner-Builders exceeded their initial budget.
10 Key Principles of Environmentally Sustainable Design: Enhancing Building Performance and Comfort
In the escalating pursuit to create a world that respects our environment, applying environmentally sustainable design (ESD) principles to new developments is crucial. These principles extend beyond simply 'going green.' They encompass a broad range of ten categories that collectively contribute to reducing negative environmental impacts and improving the health and comfort of building occupants. This blog post provides a comprehensive analysis of these ten categories: indoor environment quality, energy efficiency, water efficiency, stormwater management, building materials, transport, waste management, urban ecology, innovation, and construction and building management.
Going Off Grid with Solar Energy for Your New Home Build
Are you currently contemplating the idea of embracing an off-grid lifestyle and harnessing the power of solar energy to fuel your home? With the right knowledge and expertise, it is indeed possible to establish a dependable and self-sufficient power system that caters to all your electricity requirements for your upcoming construction project. Here are some valuable tips to help you kickstart your journey towards energy independence and sustainability.
Should You Share Your Building Budget with Your Builder Before Starting Your Project?
Building a home or renovating your property can be an exciting yet daunting experience, especially when it comes to budgeting. While some homeowners fear losing their competitive advantage when revealing their building budget, it's essential to maintain transparency with builders and designers. In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of sharing your building budget with your builder before commencing your project.
Rethinking Home Building and Design in Australia: A Holistic Approach
The traditional approach to home building and design in Australia often overlooks crucial factors such as climatic conditions, environmental impact, and individual family needs. As a result, many homes struggle to maintain a comfortable temperature and fail to effectively utilize space, leading to unnecessary expenses and compromised satisfaction for homeowners. At Cooper & Blake Architecture, we have pioneered a unique Holistic Home approach that addresses these concerns, ensuring a personalized, efficient, and sustainable living experience.
Your guide to environmentally conscious paints & coatings.
The components and ingredients of paints and coatings can drastically influence both environmental health and human wellbeing. When you're searching for environmentally friendly options, it's crucial to understand these impacts. Here's what you need to know to make a more informed, eco-conscious choice when selecting paints and coatings for your home.
Want to avoid the 5 most common mistakes when renovating or building a new home?
Are you looking to start a new home build or renovation project? We understand that it can be overwhelming to think about how you'll bring your vision to life. With big decisions and costs involved, the process may seem confusing and stressful, even though it's an exciting adventure.
But don't worry, we're here to help! Let's take a look at the top 5 mistakes that people often make when building or renovating their homes.
Houses Awards Shortlist 2023 - New Homes Under 200m2
Welcome to our blog where we delve into the exciting world of the Houses Awards 2023! In this post, we'll be discussing the shortlisted category of New Homes under 200m2, which features some truly stunning architectural feats. We've analyzed the shortlist and have selected our two favourite homes that we believe could win the prestigious award.
What is Holistic Architecture and why we should create a Holistic Home
Holistic architecture offers a solution to that feeling of needing something more out of your living environment. Blurring the boundaries between indoors and outside, it's an approach based on creating a unified whole that improves harmony and sustainability. Not only does holistic architecture bring beauty into residential spaces – it also brings practical advantages for everyone from busy families to young professionals in need of calm; as well as for designers looking for form and function. So what is holistic architecture about? In this blog post, we'll dive deeper into explaining its concept and uncover why having a holistic home can benefit us all!
The Australian Ugliness, Featurism and our suburban landscape today
The Australian Ugliness has become an icon of mid-20th-century urban suburban life. In his book, Robin Boyd wrote that the fixation with a 'nice couple (or few) of features', as we choose to forget all else, can create a disconnectedness from our built environment. Through this disconnection and feature-focus style of designing he argued that occupants missed out on developing connections and meaningful experiences with their home or neighbourhood. With today’s increased development pressures and competition for space it is no wonder then, that many contemporary towns suffer from suburban ‘featurism’ – sacrificing connection in favour of exteriors masquerading design variety through facade articulation. So what can architecture do for an occupant beyond superficial visual pleasure? This blog post aims to use a critical analysis of Boyd's work and draw conclusions about how his theories may contribute towards today’s approach to urban planning so our towns are more than capable of providing solutions beautiful at scale and connectedly liveable for those inhabiting them.
The Value of Hiring an Architect in Australia
Building a home is a huge investment not just in terms of money but also in terms of time and effort. You want to make sure that the end result is a home that meets your needs and makes you happy. That’s where an architect comes in. In this post, we’ll explore the value an architect brings to the table, the requirements to become a registered architect in Australia, and why it’s worth the investment to hire one. Additionally we outline some important questions to ask your architect prior to signing up!
What is Net Zero Architecture?
If you’ve ever been curious about net zero architecture, this blog post is for you. Net zero architecture is an essential component of climate action—one that can reduce emissions and save money in the long run. In short, it’s a way to design buildings which are “zero net energy” — buildings which produce as much energy as they consume over the course of a year.
5 Ways to add high-impact value to your new kitchen without blowing out your budget.
When it comes to adding value to your home, the kitchen is often one of the most important rooms to focus on. A new kitchen can be a big investment, but there are ways to add high impact without blowing out your budget. Here are five tips to get you started.
Bringing it back to basics: The quintessential verandah house
The verandah house is an icon of Australian design, and it's no wonder why. These homes are simple yet stylish, and they offer a relaxed way of living that is perfect for our climate. Whether you're looking to renovate your home or build a new one from scratch, a verandah house could be the perfect option for you. Here's everything you need to know about these quintessential Australian homes.
Smart design ideas for designing a beautiful home on a narrow site
If you're looking to renovate or build a new home on a narrow site, there are some smart design ideas you can use to make the most of your space. By being strategic about how you layout your rooms and choose your finishes, you can create a beautiful home that feels open and welcoming. In this journal entry, we'll share some of our top tips for designing a narrow home.
How good design can impact Health & Wellbeing
In today's world, it is not enough for a home or building to look good—it must also be designed in such a way that it increases the health and wellbeing of its inhabitants. Good design not only improves the aesthetics of a space, but also optimises passive thermal comfort through the use of natural light, natural ventilation, and natural materials. Here, we explore how good design can improve your health and wellbeing.