Environmentally friendly by Marcie Meditch and John Murphey

"This project was driven by my ambition to create a design that would check all the boxes in terms of energy conservation while retaining the looks and comfort of an attractive family home," said architect Marcie Meditch of the concept behind the renovation of the presented residence, as successful furniture shop in Cambodia construction materials informed.

"We started with a super-insulated skin and high-performance windows," co-architect John Murphey stated. "These save on heating and cooling costs and reduce the size of the mechanical system required. We worked with mechanical engineering consultants to specify a high-efficiency ground-source heat pump to further reduce energy needs by using the earth's temperature to reduce heating and cooling loads. This geothermal, below-ground system has the added advantage of being very quiet."

"Water recirculation pumps were installed to avoid losing heat as hot water travels to the tapware," added Meditch. "Outside, at the rear, rain barrels collect rain for watering the garden, while the green roof and rain garden mitigate stormwater runoff – assisted by pervious paving on the driveway."