Sustainability

At BY Projects, whether we are creating an architecturally designed house or providing a commercial architect service in Melbourne we strongly encourage all of our clients to embrace sustainable building practice. We design ecologically integrated sustainable buildings because we care about the environment, the community and the built form.

In sustainable architecture, the term sustainability refers to the philosophy of designing the built environment to comply with the fundamental principles of social, economic, and ecological sustainability. By regulation, all residential buildings must adhere to a 7-star energy rating and commercial buildings to their maximum Green Star ratings. However, we endeavour to look to creating carbon zero buildings.

Being the best go green architects in Melbourne, we also provide Sustainable Building Statements, Storm Water Ratings and BESS Reports.

Passive Solar Design

Sustainable architects in Melbourne build buildings that are designed in response to climate and local conditions to be more comfortable and cheaper to live in. Local conditions such as solar access, slope, prevailing winds, and trees offer advantageous solutions for passive heating, cooling, and ventilation. By siting and orientating new buildings optimally around these conditions, the built form will naturally achieve comfort. It’s possible that when passive design principles are utilised to their fullest extent, no active heating or cooling systems will be required.

Materials

The primary factor to consider when selecting materials is embodied energy. As the best sustainable architects in Melbourne, we use a responsible materials that are naturally occurring, renewable or recycled. Locally sourced materials reduce transport-based energy. Insulating well helps to block unwanted summer heat and prevent the escape of warmth during winter. Clever use of materials with high thermal mass such as stone, brick, concrete and rammed earth will stay cooler for longer in summer and hold heat longer in winter. Recycling and waste reduction is achieved during the construction process via working collaboratively with the builder.

Costs

Depending on the extent of passive design principles employed, you can expect build costs to be marginally higher. However, the increased build costs must be balanced against lower occupancy costs and the benefit of passive design. As an example, consider a 7-star standard house vs a 7-star passive solar house. Where the standard house has not taken advantage of passive heating/cooling solutions, it must make up for it with higher performance double glazing and insulation, resulting in increased building costs.

Energy

Before considering producing energy on-site, consider reducing the energy demand. Passive design goes a long way in minimising energy demand, and this is furthered by selecting energy efficient household appliances. A few renewable energy production options include wind and hydro power. However in Australia, solar (PV) panels are the most common option as they can pay for themselves through energy production within 3-5 years!

Water

Similar to energy, reducing water demand is the first step. This can be achieved with low flow taps and showerheads, and efficient (WELS rated) appliances and toilet cisterns. The next step is retaining water on-site. Rainwater is collected from roofs and stored in above or below ground tank systems. This can be used for flushing toilets or even treated for drinking water. Storm water will potentially run off-site and pollute local waterways and drains. But instead, it can be retained on-site with rain gardens and permeable materials. Greywater from household appliances can be collected and treated on-site for watering gardens.

Beyond 7 Star

At By Project architecture, we offer the best sustainable architect service in Melbourne. And we provide a hierarchy of options for sustainable development ranging from 7-star, green buildings, net-zero carbon, all the way through to carbon positive buildings. 7-star energy ratings are a minimum requirement under the Australian Building Code. Carbon zero buildings challenge the norm of buildings as consumers by producing more water and energy than they consume.

Testimonials

BY Projects Architecture - Architects Melbourne
4.6
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Jordan Hughes
23:36 01 May 25
Barbara Oh
08:27 11 Jul 24
I highly recommmend the team at BY Architecture.

Barbara, Howard and the team designed a wonderful extension to my late 1960s Melbourne home, ran the tender process to find me a builder, and superintended the build contract.

The design process that Barbara took me through was comprehensive, well-considered and highly collaborative, and the resulting extension and renovation was incredibly well-tailored to my specific needs and desires.

The tender process was similarly well-run, and we ended up choosing a builder that Barbara had worked with many times before and recommended. The recommendation was a great one and the entire build ran very smoothly, with the many quirks arising in a typical renovation being dealt with intelligently and with no fuss.

During the entire time I worked with them, Barbara and her team went over-and-above to keep me happy. As a result of their attention to detail and their focus on customer service, they ensured that what can often be a stressful time was actually a pleasure. I cannot thank them enough and would work with them again in a heartbeat.
thir carc
12:44 17 Jun 24
Barbara is very friendly and easy to work with. Thank you for the great advices.
Response from the owner 23:14 17 Jun 24
thank you Arik. Happy to be helpful
Emily Campbell
02:59 31 May 24
Barbara and the BY Projects team were fantastic to work with for our knockdown-rebuild. We had no idea what we were doing or getting ourselves in for, and through every stage of the process Barbara explained everything and was supportive and transparent.
She drew plans for a beautiful house for us which fulfilled everything we wanted while adding such flair and style that we never could have imagined ourselves.
I was so glad to have her and her team on my side throughout the build process, as we would have struggled to advocate for ourselves (or even notice) mistakes or defects by the builder.
Overall, we just couldn’t be happier with the final result.
Response from the owner 06:53 31 May 24
Thank you for your enthusiasm Emily. And thank you for trusting us with your dream Home. It's been a pleasure working with you and your family, and we trust you will enjoy your home for the years to come.
Jennifer Hauptman
03:43 04 Feb 24
Koray Yazgan
03:49 13 Mar 21
We recently had the pleasure of carrying out a renovation for Barbara and BY Projects Architecture.
The project ran very smoothly from receiving the plans, to handover day.
Barbara pays very close attention to detail and takes great pride in her work.
We look forward to working with BY again on future projects.
Response from the owner 22:11 30 Mar 21
Thank you Koray. It was a pleasure working with AMCON Homes, we look forward to working with you again in the future.
Janardhan S
05:35 15 Feb 21
Barbara provided excellent professional advice regarding Town planning and approval process by the Council. She went out of her way to find the right information and help me. Will surely use their services again when necessary.
I would highly recommend them.
Response from the owner 01:37 16 Feb 21
Thank you Jarardhan. We do hope you find a more suitable site soon to build your dream homeBarbara
Sophie Banfield
13:34 29 Apr 20
We were in a very difficult position after a VCAT rejection. Barbara came into our project and reimagined what was possible with our property. Going from a house with three shops with significantly reduced value to a development with two town houses, a cafe and all able to be subdivided into three separate properties. Barbara was positive, enthusiastic, charming at planning meeting and all in all kept us positive and hopeful. Barbara went through the whole process with us and I would say went above and beyond what would generally be expected. She worked well with our development team, working out strategies for planning challenges. We are very thankful for her time and energy.
Mark Shannon
23:46 24 Aug 19
We engaged Barbara and her team many times over many years for our Building Development Projects, including Multi Residential, Child Care and Mixed Use. Most recently for a couple of houses in Port Melbourne with complex Heritage Overlay requirements.

Barbara worked with us closely to ensure all design requirements were achieved to exceed market expectations. All permit requirements were managed in a professional and timely manner, and all processes were met on time and on budget.

The finished buildings were outstanding and the realized sales well above market expectations.

We highly recommend BY Projects Architecture for their Design sense and construction experience.
Virginia Jackson
05:25 24 May 19
I have worked with Barbara and the team at BY Projects on a number of projects now. Its hard to think how you could get better value for money. They are great architects - that goes without saying. But its the extra mile they go to on your behalf in order to secure the very best for you that makes all the difference. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for your next project.
Response from the owner 06:02 24 May 19
Thank you Virginia for your kind words. It is always a pleasure working with you.

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