Hacksaw House has been announced as the winner of the Building Designers Association of Victoria’s (BDAV) 2018 10-Star Sustainable Design Challenge.

This annual Design Challenge invites BDAV members to prepare a residential design across any climate zone in Australia for either a single dwelling or multi-residential project that achieves a NatHERS 10 Star energy rating.

Hacksaw House, which was designed by Gruen Eco Design in collaboration with Paperback Design, was recognised as the winner this year for its highly creative and innovative design approach. Its designers investigated alternatives to the more traditional north-south floorplan, producing a zig-zagging north façade that invites the sun to penetrate deep into the house for long hours throughout the day.

“With a strong focus on employing recycled materials in the design including; concrete slab, brick and timber, Hacksaw House boasts sustainability from the ground up. Sustainable design begins at the drawing board and Hacksaw House is an excellent example of how sustainable materials and features can be incorporated into the early stages of building design,” says Gruen Eco Design director Simone Schenkel.

SUHO studio received a commendation award for its collaboration with Studio Element Australia on the ‘Sagacious Today’ design that carefully considered all aspects of sustainability.

“The ‘Sagacious Today’ design went beyond being just 10-Stars and carefully considered all aspects of sustainability from passive solar design to thermal performance, embodied energy and life cycle assessment, affordability, regenerative energies and its interaction with the surrounding landscape,” according to the judging panel.

For more background information on the 2018 winners as well as a list of past 10-Star Sustainable Design Challenge winners, please visit www.bdav.org.au.