Hawkesbury EarthCare Centre 2021

House Notes – Hawkesbury EarthCare Centre

Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRAA) and Renew Western Sydney will each have a stall and members of each group will be available to answer your questions. Plants, seeds and books will be on sale.

Tours of the building and gardens will be conducted if/when its approapriate

The EarthCare building utilises passive solar design, and a variety of building materials and techniques to demonstrate sustainability options in domestic and commercial construction. There are walls of rammed earth, mud brick and straw bale.

The interior is finished in a combination of rendered mud and plasterboard, with ceilings of straw panel. There is an underground tank for greywater and a composting toilet. The corrugated iron roof supports panels for a grid-interactive solar power system (the panels are currently being replaced). The kitchen benches are recycled timber slabs and other materials have been used wherever possible. There is an outdoor mud brick pizza oven.

The Centre is managed by HDRA, has developed organic gardens maintained by members and covers half a hectare. These gardens are a living demonstration of sustainable growing methods. The gardens feature organically grown fruit and vegetables, and demonstrate ecologically sound farming methods.

The EarthCare Centre demonstrates what people can achieve when they work together. The building project has been completed almost entirely by volunteer workers using materials donated by sponsors. Money for the building has also mainly been raised through voluntary fundraising efforts.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2016
2017
2018
2019
2021
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Cross ventilation
      Passive solar designed home
      Shading
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans
    • Water heating:
    • Solar hot water (flat panel)
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Drip irrigation

    • Water harvesting and saving
    • Dowmus composting toilet, reticulated water
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • Natural daylight
      Skylight
    • Window Protection:
    • Deciduous tree/vegetation
      Shade Sails
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Sustainable materials:
    • Earth, recycled timber and fittings
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Basins/sinks
      Concrete
      Doors
      Kitchen cabinets
      Paving
      Timber
      Windows
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Ceiling
      Floor
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Solomit straw panels
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • Unknown
    • Floor Type:
    • Insulated rubble
    • Internal / External Walls Type:
    • Mud brick
    • Internal / External Walls Rating:
    • Unknown
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • No
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • $150,000
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • $100,000+
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 200m2 approx.
    • Roof
    • Metal (Colorbond)
    • Wall Materials
    • Mud brick
      Rammed earth
      Strawbale
    • Window and Door Types
    • Louvre windows

    • Window and Door Types
    • Smart glass
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 2
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 2
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Bee hotels/friendly
      Composting
      Drip irrigation
      Edible garden
      Organic
      Permaculture
      Native plants
    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Recycle
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Cross flow ventilation
      Natural light and ventilation
Location
Richmond NSW 2753
    • Housing Type:
    • Shared Community
    • Project Type:
    • Community Garden
    • Open with support of
    • Renew Sydney West Branch
    • Builder
    • Various

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