73 Edward St. 2015

House Notes – 73 Edward St.

This beautiful architecturally redesigned terrace combines a range of energy of efficient features from LED lighting to appliances, thermally efficient windows, cross-ventilation and stacking, skylighting, rainwater tanks and a hot water heat pump. There is clever re-use of materials, extensive use of recycled timber and plantation hoop pine. Materials that were no longer useful on-site were recycled into other building projects.

Tours will run every half hour for 20-30 minutes and run throughout the day when visitors will be guided through the house. Tasty snacks will be available in the garden with donations going to Charlie’s Community Garden and an ATA stall will also be operating with books and magazines for sale.

The house was designed in 1998 and construction finished before the Olympic Games in 2000. It has been a share house for the 20 years and had to weather a range of tenants. Recent works revisited the original design to improve thermal performance of the building with improved glazing, draught-proofing and insulation as well as the construction of a “bikeport” that makes cycling out from the back of the house the easiest option.

The rear garden provides important habitat with a massive lemon-scented gum that has orchids and a frog pond below. At the front of the house a small bed of edibles has even been planted. Importantly it is a house that is in transition and at this point is without solar PV and still uses gas for cooking. It is an opportunity to learn from the lessons of how houses can shift over time, what features to look for when buying a terrace and how to get the bones right so it will last another 100 years.