A shared interest in green, sustainable homes

From the outset, the brief from the client was for a comfortable and spacious family home, suitable for teenagers and they wanted to exceed the building code from an environmental and performance perspective. Therefore, the homeowners requested products such as Solar-Rib® from the outset both for future-proofing and aesthetic appeal.

Dimond Roofing®’s Solar-Rib® profiles widely spaced ribs gives clean and pleasing lines to the roof and can also be paired with Photovoltaic Laminate (PVL) solar power technology. Photovoltaic Laminate (PVL) had previously been installed on a new shed roof on site with Solar-Rib® so the option was already there to increase the potential solar power production at the property going forward.

The home, owned by Dale and Alison is on a lifestyle block on the outskirts of Rangiora, set amongst a hazelnut orchard and only minutes away from the owners’ business premises. The home provides four bedrooms plus an office with a sound-proofed master suite away from a games room for harmonious living with teens. The large kitchen-pantry-dining-living space receives all-day sun and opens to outdoor rooms to east and west. There’s a second lounge separated by cavity sliders which also accesses the veranda. 

Patios, an outdoor room, two bathrooms, double oversized garaging, large laundry, separate WC, a services porch, entry and media room complete the layout.
Bringing all the sustainable features together, the design process was influenced by the Solar-Rib® profile which determined many layout and flow decisions such as the orientation of the house with a long east-west axis enabling a large expanse of north facing roof to ensure future solar collectors would be as efficient as possible, and the roof was pitched at 30 degrees for the same reason.

The 100 per cent recyclable Solar-Rib® roofing choice was easy, incorporating passive design principles, facing all the living and bedrooms to the sun and adding a veranda roof to the north facing bedrooms to provide shade in summer while allowing for winter sun. The house was also designed for in-slab heating with a highly efficient air-to-water heat pump (powered by PVL) and to make sure the entire floor slab was well insulated and isolated from the exterior with a slab thermal break. 
Rainwater from the roof is collected via a sealed system for collection in a rainwater tank. Its current use is for garden watering but can easily be upgraded to provide potable water in the future.

Cladding for the home was a mixture of clay bricks from Austral (a company now making carbon neutral bricks) and FSC sustainably managed, certified cedar. Growing trees for firewood to fuel the wood burner in the living room is easy with the home’s lifestyle block location.

In terms of meeting the owner’s brief the home will contribute to their well-being for decades to come. They immediately benefitted from their investment in that they have a warm, dry, quiet and comfortable home to live in; over time they will reap the rewards of minimal running costs from free power, water and heating long after the payback on the initial investment

The Solar-Rib® Profile

Solar-Rib® can be installed with Photovoltaic Laminate (PVL) solar technology which then enables electric power generation. An attractive profile offering elegant looks, Solar-Rib® can be installed without the PVL, with the laminate being added onto the profile later if desired. 

Roof Profile: Solar-Rib®

Colour: Slate

Architect: Architectural Draughting & Design Ltd

Builder: McKenzie Builders Ltd

Installer: CS Roofing Canterbury