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The Green Building Show

What is sustainable architecture? Environmental building design? Environmentally sustainable design principles?  

Weekly The Green Building Show explores it all. From understanding – and explaining - what drives energy efficiency and the principles of passive solar design to the meaning of star ratings, life cycle analysis and low embodied energy, each week's podcast has a new take on designing and building green.

We tap the expertise of leading Australian sustainable architects and green builders around the country and we also answer the questions you ask us.

You can subscribe to The Green Building Show via iTunes, Libsyn, Libsyn or this website...and you can access a video or audio file.

Plus, we also tap the expertise of leading Australian sustainable architects and green builders in a series of podcast interviews all about green building. We’ve also provided a starter series – key articles on green building essentials:

Simply use the RSS button to subscribe to updates as they come through or dip into the archives to discover simple explanations of the principles behind environmentally sustainable design.

MOST RECENT POSTS

this week How to futureproof your home: glazing
this week How to futureproof your home: sarking
this week How to futureproof your home: reverse brick veneer
this week How to create a realistic renovation budget
this week How to renovate for profit
this week How to manage your tradesperson
this week How do I plan my renovation?
this week How to design and build for a hot climate?
this week How do I design for a fire-prone area?
this week How do I design for a cyclone?

How to futureproof your home: glazing

In both hot and cold climates, double-glazing can improve a home’s thermal performance by a third.

How to futureproof your home: sarking

When assessing the retrofit options to make your home more sustainable, comfortable and cost effect, sarking should be one of your first port of calls.

How to futureproof your home: reverse brick veneer

When it comes to renovating your home to be sustainable now and in the future, reverse brick veneer is a radical and practical solution.

How to create a realistic renovation budget

Renovation costs are notoriously difficult to calculate but with detailed planning and preliminary cost estimates, you can keep your budget under control.

How to renovate for profit

Renovating is a realistic and achievable way to build wealth quickly, according to Australia’s renovating queen Cherie Barber. Here’s how she does it.

How to manage your tradesperson

Deciding on a tradesperson? Insist on references and remember that the tradie with the least amount of marketing material is often the best, according to project manager Sarah Wood.

How do I plan my renovation?

Renovating is a long-term investment that can have some serious consequences for your future living costs and quality of life – so you want to make sure you get it right.

How to design and build for a hot climate?

Expert advice on building and designing in extreme heat. The importance of shading external walls with eaves, creating uninhibited cross ventilation and more.

How do I design for a fire-prone area?

How proper window seals save lives, and more. If you live near the bush, knowing how your new home should be designed for a fire-zone is essential.

How do I design for a cyclone?

Knowing how your home should be designed and build to withstand this extreme weather could be a lifesaver. Start by maximizing your anchor points.

How do I design for a flood?

Want to protect your house with good flood design? Start by eliminating the need for retaining walls and by building off the ground.

How do I create a sustainable kitchen?

This week hear from sustainable design and construction specialist Sharon Hamilton from Your Abode.

The key to a great kitchen space

The key to a great kitchen is creating a fit for purpose space, according to kitchen design expert Nadia Herskie, from Blue Tee Design.

Creating the kitchen of your dreams

Want the kitchen of your dreams? Gavin Hepper, owner of award winning kitchen design firm Concepts shares his expert advice.

Kitchen and bathroom trends

Two of the most important areas in any house: the kitchen and the bathroom. We tap the expertise of a number of experts to help you create a space in your own home that suits the way you love to live.

How colour evolves

Di Swinbourne, head of colour at Sydney Design School, explains how colour trends evolve, and where they are headed in the future.

Creating your own colour palette

Author, interior stylist, and colourist Sibella Court explains what it takes to create your own colour palette.

Creating the perfect colour scheme

Interior designer and colourist Rickki Stubbs, explains how to create the perfect colour scheme throughout your own home.

How to build your own deck

Horst Lueckl – director of GJ Gardner Homes North Sydney – explains the in’s and out’s of building a deck, and says new materials are giving the traditional wooden deck a run for its money.

How to save water in your home

Water expert Tony Robinson provides insightful and practical advice on how to save water throughout the home.

Green Building Show EP 14 – summer DIY

In the lead up to the long awaited summer holiday, the Light Home team will take a look art some DIY projects that homeowners can do in and around their own homes.

Green Building Show EP 13 – Can a sustainable renovation add value to your home?

This week we wrap up our series on Green Renovation. Carlos Martinez sits down with Jeff Perkins, a property valuer who explains how a sustainable renovation can have an impact on the value of a home.

Green Building Show EP 12 – ensuring your renovation is sustainable

This week on the Green Building Show we continue our investigation into green renovations.

Green Building Show EP 11 – the problem with greenwash

This week, Carlos Martinez speaks with David Baggs, CEO of material certifier Global Green Tag. 

Green Building Show Episode 10: what is a green renovation?

This week on the Green Building Show we begin a brand new series on Green Renovation. We’re going to find out what a Green Renovation is, what you need to know in order to do one yourself, and how it can benefit your family, your bank balance and the environment.

The Green Building Show EP 9 - building an energy efficient home

In this episode we wrap up our series on the energy efficient home. Carlos Martinez speaks with Marc Emans, the co-owner of eco designer homes to get the builder's perspective on designing and constructing a sustainable, and energy efficient home.

The Green Building Show EP 8 – creating a 9.5 star rated home

In the show this week, Carlos Martinez speaks with Sophie Barrett, a building designer who describes the process she followed to created a lightweight home that’s achieved a 9.5 star rating, for under $250,000.

Energy ratings explained

Energy assessor Anthony Nolen to help us make sense of the plethora of rating schemes and tools throughout Australia.

Green Building Show Episode 6: Key drivers of an energy efficient home, tropical housing series, green jewellry, the business case for solar

This week on the Green Building Show we continue our investigation into the energy efficient home. Carlos Martinez sits down with Steve King, a senior lecturer of architecture at the University of New South Wales, to find out the key drivers of energy efficiency within a home.

Green Building Show Episode 5: What is an energy efficient home? Green furniture; Lightweight apartments; Weatherboarding vs extreme weather

This week on the Green Building Show we begin our series on the energy efficient home, to find out what energy efficiency is and why you should care. To kick off the series Carlos Martinez sits down with Richard Hyde, a professor of architecture at the University of Sydney.

Episode 4: The key to carbon neutral, light-weight in Currumbin, re-inventing the light bulb, advice from Kevin McCloud

This week on the Green Building Show we wrap up our series on the carbon neutral home. Carlos Martinez speaks with Craig Riddle on what it really takes to get a truly carbon neutral home.

Episode 3: Designing a carbon neutral home, sustainable Stradbroke, prefab electrical, lightweight flooring alternatives

This week on the Green Building Show we delve deeper in the carbon neutral home, we bring you the week’s hottest new product, we assess a lightweight and sustainable home on North Stradbroke Island, and we answer your questions.

Where is the carbon in my home? Fremantle’s sustainable gem, structural insulation panels vs traditional framing, the underside of eaves.

Episode 2: This week in the Green Building Show we continue our investigation into the carbon Neutral Home, bring you the week’s hottest design and building trends, assess one of WA’s most sustainable homes, and answer your questions.

The carbon neutral home - what is it and why you should care; You Asked Us, Ambassador's Choice, What's Hot and Steal that Idea.

Welcome to first episode of The Green Building Show, the weekly podcast about green design and building.

Sustainable flooring: concrete alternative

Even the DIY savvy among us can experience a sense of dread at the thought of pouring, leveling and polishing a concrete slab for an internal floor space. But what are the alternatives?

Green building materials: Axolotl launches ‘world first’ concrete door range

Architectural products supplier Axolotl has released a ‘world first’ door range that appears as though cast from solid concrete, but carries none of the associated risks or restrictions.

Sustainable building: creating a carbon neutral home

Offsetting the green house gas emissions created throughout the construction of a home is no easy task, but with sustainable building design and the use of natural products you can be well on your way to cutting your home’s environmental impact.

Rebates axed but solar still on the rise

The Queensland Government has axed its $1,000 solar hot water rebate for households, but solar providers say they won’t go down without a fight.

Green design: Sydney’s green policy push

The City of Sydney is on a green crusade: one policy in development will encourage roof gardens while another may see investment in sustainably-designed property become more profitable.

Sustainable design takes the lead in Canberra

A new development in Canberra's CBD - boasting Geothermal heating and cooling systems, and integrated wastewater systems - has become the pilot project for a new sustainability rating tool.

Sustainable design: where form meets green

Light Home rounds up the most inspiring eco-friendly design pieces from Sydney’s recent designEX show.

Sustainable living: Brisbane’s first ‘eco-village’

A group of like-minded Brisbane residents have set out to create the city's first sustainable community, where occupants will not only live with a low carbon footprint but embrace a co-operative lifestyle including shared facilities.

Affordable building: Sloping sites

Building on a slope is most builders’ worst nightmare. As well as the design challenges, there is the issue of earthwork and the ongoing problem of effective drainage to be solved.

Affordable building: Building with panels

Affordable building: Building with panels

Affordable building: Carpenters are key

It’s no secret that building a new home isn’t cheap. In fact, it’s possibly the single most expensive project you’ll undertake in your lifetime. However, there are ways and means of saving money to make the experience more affordable.

Healthy home: How to prevent mould

Mould: it may seem innocuous but this all-too-common household problem is in fact a silent health hazard. Here’s how to prevent it.

Healthy home: How much technology is too much?

It’s everywhere. No matter how hard you might try to avoid it, it’s all over your home, most likely it surrounds you all day at work, it’s in your car and it’s probably in your pocket 90% of the time, too.

Healthy homes: Plants are a lifeline

Plants could hold the secret to a simple, easy, cheap and fail-safe way to improve your home’s health.

Energy efficiency basics: building an eco home

Passive solar design, grey water recycling, solar panels, bio pools and light bulbs. Knowing where to start when you’re designing an energy-efficient home – or making eco changes to your property – can be tough.

Water recycling: How to recycle blackwater

It sounds nasty and it sounds out of the question, but it’s not. There are systems out there that make it possible to clean and re-use the sewage generated from your home.

Water recycling: the lowdown on greywater systems

Did you know you could save thousands of litres of water every year by getting to grips with greywater?

Green outdoors: Bio pools and how they work

We love our swimming pools in Australia. In the summer months, they’re pretty much an essential.

Green windows: What is WERS?

Choosing energy efficient windows for your home can mean the difference between sweating it out indoors or getting the right amount of heat in – and out.

Protect your home from bushfires: Part 2

To ensure your home is safe in a bushfire prone area, look at your building design, know your bushfire plan and commit yourself to ongoing maintenance!

Protect your home from bushfires: Part 1

Making a home safe in a bushfire prone area starts with the basics: creating a defendable space and removing excess vegetation.

Green Cities Conference 2012 – Rating Tool Revolution: Part 2

The future of energy and water efficiency ratings for green buildings will see current rating tools merge into one according to a leading panel of sustainability experts from the Green Cities 2012 conference.

Green renovating – an expert’s tips, part 5

Vertical ventilation is the key to cooling your home without having to use electricity argues solar consultant and architect, Derek Wrigley.

Green renovating – an expert’s tips, part 4

Locating building materials so that they absorb, store and release heat in all the right places is a aspect of designing an energy efficient home.

Green renovating – an expert’s tips, part 3

Free heat? Now that’s worth having. Here’s a simple tip on making the most of wasted sunshine to help make your home more energy efficient.

Green renovating – an expert’s tips, part 2

With a moving source of heat energy a seasonally adjustable sun shade device combined with small eaves, makes far more sense than fixed eaves, argues architect and solar consultant Derek Wrigley.

Green renovating – an expert’s tips, part 1

Do you want to sacrifice glamour for comfort? In a new six-part series we share the top tips from architect and solar consultant Derek Wrigley on putting comfort first.

Speed date a sustainable designer

Hundreds of homeowners will be hooking up with leading architects and building designers for the annual ‘Speed Date a Sustainable Designer’ event this weekend.

Green light: LED lighting more energy efficient

Commonly used to light up gadgets and everyday household appliances since the 1960s, LED lights are now outshining fluorescent and incandescent bulbs as the best alternative for energy-efficient lighting.

Green building: the zero carbon home

Building an affordable house with zero carbon emissions is now a reality for everyday Australian families thanks to the latest CSIRO project.

Sustainable Building - The Vertical Forest

Should we be expanding vertically in urban areas rather than spreading out in urban sprawl?

Green Undressed: Green Roofing - Steel vs Tiles

How do I choose between tiles or steel for my roof?

Green Undressed: Green Cement

Greening the concrete jungle just came a step closer with an eco-friendly alternative to traditional concrete.

Green flooring: How green is linoleum flooring?

In our search to find the greenest flooring material possible, we look at linoleum, a flooring choice making a comeback.

Green flooring: How green is hardwood flooring?

In our search to find the greenest flooring material possible, we check out hardwood’s credentials.

Green flooring: How green is bamboo flooring?

In our search to find the greenest flooring material possible, we see how bamboo stacks up.

Green flooring: How green is rubber flooring?

We’re looking at the most sustainable flooring options on the market. This week we’re checking out rubber’s green credentials.

Green products reviewed: green flooring

In our search to find the greenest flooring material possible, we’re looking at the most sustainable flooring options on the market.

Green building explained: Are you in hot water?

Hot water is one of the biggest energy guzzlers in the home. Here are two ways to use hot water smarter

Green building explained: How green is your roof?

Green roofs vs rooftop garden: While typical rooftop gardens are primarily an aesthetic feature of a buildings ‘roofscape’ the green roof embodies proven sustainable concepts.

Green lighting: Make the switch to LEDs.

Save money and the environment by making the switch to a more efficient type of lighting: LEDs.

Green lighting: Make the switch to CFL.

We take a look at how you can save money and the environment by making the switch to more efficient types of lighting.

Green lighting: Why you need to make the switch.

We take a look at energy efficient lighting and why all households should make the switch.

Green building: The science behind solar panels.

We take a look at the science behind one of the most talked-about alternative energy sources in the world today.

Green building explained: Building with reconstituted limestone blocks.

We delve into R-values in response to a reader’s question about using reconstituted lime blocks.

Sustainable Building: The 10 Star Challenge

Designers are stepping up to the challenge of designing a 10 star home.

Green kitchens: How green is stainless steel?

In our last green kitchen post, we take a look at just how green stainless steel is to use to deck out a sustainable kitchen, and find out what materials Sydney couple Vanessa and Dan Winter have selected to use in their green kitchen.

Green kitchen: How green is bamboo?

Want to get the most sustainable kitchen possible but don’t know what products to use? Over the past two weeks we’ve followed Sydney couple Vanessa and Dan Winter on their search for the greenest possible kitchen. This week, we take a look at how well bamboo stacks up.

Green kitchens: How green is plywood?

Last week we introduced you to Vanessa and Dan Winter, a Sydney couple on a search to find the most sustainable materials for their new kitchen. This week, we’re taking a look at how well plywood stacks up.

Sustainable Building: How to get a green kitchen

“How do I design a kitchen that uses sustainable materials?” From plywood to bamboo to stainless steel, we’ll research just how green these materials are to help you can create a green kitchen of your own.

Sustainable Building: What’s green about pre-fabricated huts?

When you’re thinking green, smaller is often better.

Sustainable Building: What makes an 8 star home?

While a 6 star energy rating is good, we look at what it took to build this 8 star home.

Sustainable Building: Why double brick is nuts in Perth

Challenging convention in the double-brick market of Perth.

Sustainable Building: How to fix the weakest link

Glazing has a very big impact on the energy efficiency of a home. But what do you do if you've got too much facing the wrong way?

Sustainable Building: Design demo

How a design duo is using their own urban infill project to explore green building and an urban farm.