Earthship Ironbank
This profile is written and maintained by the homeowner, architect, or builder.
House Notes – Earthship Ironbank
Earthship Ironbank is Australia’s first council-approved Earthship, and it’s also a BnB for everyone to enjoy! The purpose of this building is to educate people about Earthship design principles and let them experience off-grid living in a self-sufficient home.
Because it’s the first of its kind to be approved in Australia, this project also demonstrates radical new construction methods, such as the use of earth-filled car tyres (without concrete footings!) that are compliant with the National Construction Code and with council.
At Sustainable House Day you can meet the designer and owner-builder, Dr Martin Freney, whose PhD thesis investigated the environmental impacts of various house construction materials and off-grid living systems. What’s the most sustainable way to build your home? Dr Marty knows!
This house has a myriad of sustainability features, including:
- Earth floors (sooo sustainable – no cement)
- Ferro-cement earth-covered roof (bushfire proof)
- Earth-sheltered design using earth-filled tyre walls (super energy efficient)
- Greenhouse for food production
- Wastewater treatment
- Passive heating and cooling
- Underground earth tubes for passive heating and cooling
- Earth- and lime renders
- Tadelakt bathtub made from cans and bottles
- Off-grid renewable energy system with battery bank
- 60,000L of rainwater tanks, one of which is made out of 300 car tyres
- Bushfire sprinklers powered by batteries.
Folks, you’re gonna have to see it to believe it!
Read more about Earthship Ironbank in issue R133 of Renew magazine.
Designed and built by owner, Martin Freney, Earthship Eco Homes, to find out about workshops click here.
This house achieved a NatHERS rating of 6.3 stars using NatHERS accredited software (AccuRate). Find out how the star ratings work on the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) website.
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
- Energy efficiency:
- Draught proofing
Efficient lighting
Efficient appliances
Energy monitoring
- Passive heating cooling:
- Passive solar designed home
Shading
Thermal chimney
Thermal mass
- Active heating cooling:
- Heat exchange ventilation system
- Water heating:
- Solar hot water (evacuated tube)
Wood fire wetback
- Water harvesting and saving features:
- Underground rainwater storage
Blackwater system
Grey water system
Hot water recirculation
- Underground rainwater storage type:
- Polytank and tyre tank
- Underground rainwater storage Size:
- 55,000L
- Energy Efficient Lighting
- LED lights throughout
Natural daylight
Skylight
- Sustainable materials:
- Hempcrete, ferro-cement, car tyres
- Recycled and reused materials:
- Aggregate
Basins/sinks
Bottles
Cans
Timber
Tyres
- Insulation Type:
- Ceiling
- Ceiling Type:
- Ferro-cement, insulated, earth-covered
- Ceiling Rating:
- R5.0
- All-Electric Home?
- No
- Energy star rating:
- 6.3 Stars
- Renewable energy used:
- Solar PV off-grid
- Size of PV system:
- 1kW
- Total cost of home when constructed:
- $170,000
- Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
- 10% extra on build cost
- Estimate of annual savings:
- $2000 p.a. on running costs
- House Size
- 70m2
- BAL Rating
- BAL – 19: Increasing levels of ember attack and ignition of debris with a heat flux of up to 19kW/m2
- Roof
- Gravel (greenroof) and hempcrete insulation
- Wall Materials
- Cob construction
Hempcrete
Rammed earth
- Wall Materials
- Car tyres filled with earth
- Window and Door Types
- Double glazing
- Window and Door Types
- Operable skylights
- Universal design accessability
- Adaptive design
- Number of bedrooms
- 1
- Number of bathrooms
- 1
- Garden / Outdoors
- Bee keeping
Chickens
Composting
Drip irrigation
Edible garden
Green roof
Organic
Permaculture
Native plants
- Healthy home features
- Airtight house design
Indoor plants for air filtration
Lime render/wash
Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
- Housing Type:
- Standalone House
- Project Type:
- New Build
- Builder
- Martin Freney
- Designer
- Earthship Eco Homes
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