Every home exists in its own specific setting, which includes the geographic location, topography, climate and terrain. Your home design should respond to the particularities of your site, and you should carefully consider factors such as rainfall, temperature extremes, access issues, the threat of bushfire, flood or wind, and many other factors.

Micro-Environment

The micro-environment of your site includes the climate, weather, seasons, aspect and terrain. Australia has eight different climate zones, and inside each zone there are also microclimates. For example, Sheffield where I live is cooler than Hawley Beach where we regularly build, despite being only 30 kilometres apart.

Trees, Slopes and Earthworks

Many people are attracted to sites with beautiful tree cover; however, trees can present the risk of both falling and bushfire. If you have a steep site, you may need to make a big site cut with cost implications — but steep sites can often be cheaper to buy, and the constraints can produce amazing design outcomes.

Orientation

The positioning of your dream home on your building site is critical. It pays to sketch up a site analysis. In colder climates of Australia, it's best to orient your home to face north to make the most of the sun.

The biggest problem I see are homes that are not oriented the right way. Often the garage is a solid wall or there are few or no windows facing north. We use computer software to map the summer and winter solstice to analyse what effect the sun will have on building design and performance.