EcoHouse

The EcoCentre is located in the St Kilda Botanic Gardens' old Park-Keeper's house. The original building, a 1966 brick veneer was less than one star from an energy efficiency perspective. Local community environment group initiated the 'EcoHose project' to transform the house to demonstrate sustainable building and garden design and practices. In 2003, it was retrofitted to a 5 star level - which was state of the art at the time.

The EcoHouse

• promotes sound living practices
• is a beautiful nourishing environment
• supplies its own energy and is energy efficient
• is made of non-toxic, recycled and local materials
• collects its own water and transforms its waste water into a resource.

 The property features:

• solar panels 
• solar hot water 
• two types of window insulation 
• floor insulation 
• door insulation
• roof cavity convection 
• ceiling insulation
• CFL lighting
• treatment of grey and black water on-site using a special sewerage worm farm
• a vegetable garden on-site to make the building food-sufficient 
• recycled timber
• compressed straw walls between rooms
• plant shading and retractable awnings to keep the sun off windows in summer
• water tanks 
• compost 
• fertiliser production (using worm farms)

Since then, public awareness and design efficiency have moved along by leaps and bounds and the EcoHouse is now being retrofitted to a 6 star standard with improved window insulation options installed across different windows, display of new lighting technologies in various rooms (LED and T5) as well as new stovetop showing the latest technology.

'EcoHouse' tours for the public are run each weekend and for groups such as schools and universities during the week by arrangement.

Original Project Team 2002-2003

EcoHouse Project Coordinator: Peter Barker 2000-2003

EcoHouse Strategic Co-ordinator: Jo Samuel-King

Building Architect Peter Ho - peterho@phooey.com.au 

Landscape Architect Martin Reeves - mail@landarche.com.au 

Construction Management Fooks Martin Sandow Anson - www.fmsa.com.au 

Original Vision

To transform the house and garden on the corner of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens into a model sustainable building that will provide education and inspiration to the wider community, acting as a seed for further change. In addition to the redesigning and refitting project, audiovisual displays and other educational programs will be developed to assist the general public in putting sustainable living ideas into practice