THE HOUSE

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
It cannot rot, burn, succumb to flooding, breakdown under UV damage,corrode from salt air exposure, be eaten by termites, requires minimal maintainance and nothing you can throw at the roof can damage or adhere to it,it is inert.

The exterior and interior walls are AAC Autoclaved Aerated Concrete. A mixture of sand, lime, cement and aluminium sulphate powder.The concrete is cured in an Autoclaver 'steam pressure cooker' The aluminium sulphate powder turns into a gas which creates a buble throughout the mixture and seals each cell with a silicate membrane.It is an organic non toxic material, made from some of the most abundant materials on our planet.It is resistant to water molecules but allows water vapour to pass through it.

The direct fix exterior and interior plaster also breathe as does the protective paint, giving the building a continuous movement of air. The plaster is made of the same material as AAC with mineral additives.

The paint structure combines water repellant properties of silicone paint with a surface micro- structure based on the lotus leaf effect by reducing the contact area for dirt and water to adhere to and consequently washes off easily with rain fall or maintainance washing..

THE ROOF

HMWPE: high molecular weight polymer
This material is a 'matrix structure' where the necessary component additives can be introduced into the matrix at the time of manufacture: ie UV stabalizers , fire retardants ect.

The molecular structure gives it great tensile strength and rigidity (1/8 the weight of steel, yet allows movement "expansion and contraction" limited to 0.25 of 1%. It is an oil based resin but has no heavey metals,no carcinogenics,or volitile calorifics.It is made from virgin materials.It is non toxic,non staining and has very low moisture absorbtion.

The roof has been specifically designed for for this house on this site ,to deal with extreme wind, sun, and salt air that the Pacific Ocean constantly throws our way.

SKYLIGHTS

The large double glazed skylights are spec'd to sit flush with the roof line , allowing unobstructed flow of rain water accross the skylights.

A new system had to be designed and tested to allow the glass sections to be flush mounted on polymer support seats, then glued and sealed to a material 'POLYMER' resistant to adhesion. Added to this the wind loading of 5kpa uplift required reserch and development by NZ glass and adhesive manufacturers. This spec was acheived. Photo's coming soon.

POWERED by WIND

Verticle Axis Wind Turbines
The main visible feature is the 2 X 600 watt Verticle Axis Wind Turbines 'VAWT' which are incorpoated as part of the house design and connected to a part of the house structure. The brother and sister turbines sit at 5.5 meters , are ground mounted ,yet not stand alone. The 'black' light-weight carbon fiber blades , that are almost silent '36db' at 3 meters, dissapear into the surrounding native bush resembling a mature manuka tree.

These VAWT's run more efficiently than conventional turbines in low to light variable winds. They begin generating at 3.5/ms 'miles per second' .Its aerodynamic design and high efficiency generator ensure a high energy collection rate.

POWERED by SUN

PV Solar Mats
The main feature of these new innovation mats is the 7mm thick stick on flat mat that adhere directly to the flat roof line. This allows me negative detail to the roof line to reduce wind resistance causing wind whistles.

Solar Heating

Summer Solar hot water heating is well documented and there are many types and brands , but are a must on any building wanting to acheive self or partial sustainability.

POWERED by FIRE and WATER

WET BACK
The steel box open fire log wet back system into a header tank and then into a large capacity water storage tank where the water never laves the tank is the best way to save power and water. This system requires some set up but once in place you can forget about filling a hotwater cylinder with cold water, heating it by electric element ' hugely expensive' and then emptying it and starting the process all over again continuously.

The LCWSS 'large capacity water storage system' works by running a small amount of water through a continuous lenght of pipe within the tank which heats the water to the set temperature as it passes through.

On- site Water Catchment and Effluent Treatment are also incorporated in the landscaping design. more to come on those systems soon.