Medland Residence, Sydney Australia

In the grip of the worst drought in a century, Australians showers together. Dam levels are reported daily in newspapers, as well as the modern environmental barometers of environmental pollution and UV light. All kinds of water restrictions are in force. Gardeners are prohibited from using pipes in the heat of the day. In some cities, the family dog did not wash, even with a bucket.

Chris Medland emergency procedures in place. “We are using more efficient appliances … and maybe we’ll take the kids once too often in the pool, instead of giving a bath, “he said. An hour north of Sydney and half-spread in a low altitude house on a hill rubber trees and bushes, Chris, his wife Angela and his three boys to keep their total water consumption is less than 40 gallons per day. It’s impressive, even by local standards, where the average daily consumption for individuals dropped to 90 gallons. Effort to dirty, but the family is ready: keep four tanks, each with a storage capacity up to 6,000 liters of water from the roof of the giant home collected. “All it takes is a storm,” said Chris, “and the reservoir is full.”

But as a mechanical engineer and head of the engineering firm with experience in environmental, Chris had more in mind of his cabin dream green as water harvesting. With architect Joel Farnan and Michelle Findlay, who built a house that functions Medland created entirely on its own energy through solar panels and a wind turbine placed on top so that it “never louder than trees. ”

“What we’ve been so much about this place that it was a big yard,” says Chris. “We had a little cabin on the site. And it was so hot, because they face west. In the afternoon, we will pack everything and go into one of the gorges, where we had evacuated a large area of grass. And. We cook on the grill, because the oven was the shit we say: “Come children, we’re off to dinner,” said the children would come back filled with sticks and weapons and we do a fire. And that’s really enjoying the space we do not want to lose. ”

By the network are the masters of their own Medland energy. The house is equipped with all modern conveniences, dishwasher, swimming pool filters and dry, they run in the early hours to warm the house. Below deck there are 14 batteries store industry, a week may be long in power. “If there is not much sun coming in batteries washing, we do not run the dishwasher. We at hand,” says Chris. The organic waste is composting, while the waste can be recycled goes to Sydney with the family when they leave.

The architects have combined to prevent a mission down on the farm alfalfa, nuts and berries design of sustainable architecture. Following the contours of the landscape, the house embraces the small hill with two sections butterfly in opposite directions: the living room to the east, bedroom and bathroom on the west.