Live and adapt
Many of the homes we build today will still be in use in 50 or even 100 years. Ensuring our homes are both liveable and adaptable is a key challenge for all communities.
Liveability means ensuring our homes are comfortable, healthy, efficient and connected to the community. But it also means the home is functional, safe, secure and attractive for current and future occupants.
Adaptability means that our homes can cope with changes to our households and to the climate. Making homes that are flexible, adaptable, and resilient helps us to respond to both predicted and unexpected change. It also means that we limit our environmental footprint to ensure that our communities remain sustainable.
In this section
The liveable and adaptable home
A liveable and adaptable house can respond to changing household needs without requiring costly or substantial alterations. Careful design and planning helps to make sure your home suits you now and in the future.
Adapting to climate change
Our homes keep us comfortable and protect us from the weather. To make sure your home can cope in a changing climate, you can explore potential design solutions to help manage heatwaves, low rainfall, storms, or sea level rise.
Bushfire protection
Homes and their natural surrounds can be designed and built to reduce the risk of exposure to natural hazards such as bushfires. In bushfire prone areas you house site can be assessed for bushfire attack levels (BAL) and appropriate design and construction methods and materials can reduce the likelihood of bushfire damage to your home.
Zero energy and zero carbon homes
Zero energy and zero carbon homes produce as much renewable energy as they use; carbon positive homes produce more renewable energy than they use and export the excess energy to the electricity grid. Zero energy, zero carbon and carbon positive homes play an important role in helping to reduce the rate and impact of climate change.
Indoor air quality
Poor air quality can cause health problems. We spend a lot of time inside our homes, so it is important to ensure good indoor air quality by finding ways to prevent or limit air pollutants and ventilating our homes well.
Food and organic waste
Household waste includes food and organic waste, which can be treated and recycled onsite rather than being sent to landfill. There are various options for turning food and garden waste into valuable organic resources.
Safety and security
The design of your home and outdoor areas can affect safety (how often accidents occur) and security (likelihood of crime). Careful design will make your home safer and more secure.
Noise control
The design of your home can also affect how noisy it is. Your choice of floor plan, layout, and building materials will affect how noise travels into, within, and out of your home.
Landscaping and garden design
Sustainable landscaping uses native and indigenous vegetation with low water requirements to provide habitats and encourage biodiversity. Additional benefits include shade, storm water management and the ability to grow your own fruit and vegetables.
