Passive Design

​

'Passive design’ is design that takes advantage of the climate to maintain a comfortable temperature range in the home. Passive design reduces or eliminates the need for auxiliary heating or cooling, which accounts for about 40% (or much more in some climates) of energy use in the average Australian home.

Technology 

​

Smart home technology is gaining an increasing presence in our homes, with varying levels of design accompanying.Many of the technological innovations we considered to be futuristic are becoming a reality. Technology is changing our lives in a myriad of ways including the way we design houses. Technology has developed beyond our wildest expectations and many of these devices are being put to use in the modern home. 

 

Our kitchens are full of technological innovations that our grandparents probably didn’t even dream about. Our appliances use less power than ever before and also allows us to cook, clean, and freeze our food in the most convenient and efficient way. 

 

Home security is becoming a big issue for many people. Live streams from remote access cameras can be accessed in real time by logging into your computer or smartphone when you are away from home. You can literally keep an eye on things while you are out. 

 

Not only do we have the ability to control the temperatures in our home; smart thermostats are able to adapt to our habits. These devices learn what time of the day we increase or decrease the temperature and in what rooms. In this way, they can adjust the temperature according to our needs. 

 

Smart lighting works in much the same way Smart lights switch on and off automatically based on our movements throughout the home. This has obvious benefits of helping save on the electrical bill. Smart lights can even be adjusted using a smart phone or tablet.

​

These innovations are being integrated into modern homes and there are many more technological advances on the way. Fingerprint scanners will be used to unlock our doors in the future. Fridges will list their contents on the outside and remind us when need to stock up on something. We’ll be able to use our phones to order a cold glass of water from the refrigerator – ready for when we enter the kitchen!

​

Housing is becoming increasingly about lifestyle, relaxation, and energy-efficiency. It’s an exciting time to be in the building industry.