At Zen Architects, principles of Ecologically Sustainable Design (ESD) are integral to our design approach and inform our unique architectural aesthetic

We are committed to energy efficiency by employing innovative passive solar design to decrease reliance on heating and cooling, and encourage use of energy efficient products and alternative energy systems. We select materials that maximise thermal performance while minimising carbon emissions produced through embodied energy.

We are committed to water conservation, integrating rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling to our buildings. We design buildings to respect and enhance their landscape and ecology, while connecting the occupant with the natural environment.

Sustainable materials are selected on a life cycle basis, considering environmental impacts during procurement, manufacture, use and end of life. We investigate the use of prefabricated materials and structures to maximise speed and efficiency of construction, improve affordability and minimise material wastage.

We are dedicated to increasing social sustainability through designing buildings that encourage creation of community and are imbued with the spirit of equality.

Please click on the Principles above to learn more about our approach to applying ESD to buildings or select the projects to view our exemplars of sustainable building design.

At Zen Architects, we are committed to reducing water consumption to ensure that ecosystems such as rivers, parks and wildlife remain healthy, while not compromising the water supply of future generations.

We begin by limiting water used in our buildings through selecting water-efficient appliances and fittings and landscaping with drought-tolerant indigenous plants.

We then design our buildings to harvest rain water and recycle grey water to minimise reliance on precious fresh water for tasks such as washing, showering, flushing, garden watering and even drinking. These used in conjunction with chemical-free on-site sewerage treatment can ensure total water autonomy of a building.

We use knowledge of local rainfall patterns to calculate expected water collection, and then calculate the occupant’s anticipated water use. We then use our expertise to select the appropriate rain water harvesting and storage systems, grey water recycling systems and on-site sewerage treatment systems.

At Zen Architects, we design energy efficient buildings that consume less fossil fuels and create less pollution, while being more comfortable and costing less to run than other buildings.

Our innovative approach to passive solar design harnesses the environment’s resources to provide natural lighting, heating and cooling, making our buildings comfortable year-round. This is complemented by our use of sustainable materials, such as high performance insulation, to minimise excessive heat loss and gain and thermal mass to provide stable temperatures.

We have extensive experience in specifying energy-efficient appliances, lighting and heating systems, and we constantly research new energy-efficient technologies.

We have expertise in selecting alternative green energy sources to meet the specific energy loads of our buildings within the available budget and using the natural resources of the site such as sun and wind. We incorporate systems such as solar hot water, solar hydronic heating, solar power and wind power into our buildings.

At Zen Architects, we are committed to maximising energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by using passive solar design principles to reduce reliance on artificial heating and cooling.

We design the size and orientation of windows with regard to seasonal sun paths so that in winter the sun passively heats buildings. Meanwhile in warmer months, we employ shading devices such as eaves and landscaping to keep the building cool.

We use knowledge of local environmental conditions to harness prevailing breezes to naturally cool buildings, and utilise air currents within a building to create thermal chimneys that remove hot air via stack effect.

We use sustainable materials containing thermal mass to absorb the sun’s heat, keeping a space warm in winter cool and in summer.

We have the creativity to make passive solar design work in difficult urban settings, on small blocks, with planning and heritage restrictions, and overshadowing by surrounding buildings.

At Zen Architects, we design buildings that respect and enhance their natural environment, while connecting the occupants with the landscape.

We design buildings that respect and work with existing site features and vegetation. We also work with landscape architects, horticulturalists and garden designers to incorporate new landscaping into our buildings to contribute to their environmental performance.

Plants assist passive solar design by cooling air used for natural ventilation and shading a building in summer.

Drought-tolerant indigenous plants contribute to the water efficiency of a building while restoring biodiversity by encouraging native birds and animals.

Landscape can be used as a layer of insulation in the form of rooftop gardens or green walls to further enhance energy efficiency.

We use domestic gardens to contribute to the self-sufficiency of a household through use of herb gardens, vegetable patches, bush tucker and composting.

At Zen Architects, we are committed to using building materials that make a positive contribution to the health of the occupant while having minimal impact on the environment.

We use recycled materials where possible to reduce raw material consumption while creating an individual aesthetic. When using new materials, we strive to source sustainably-harvested products with low embodied energy.

Inside a building we are mindful of occupant health and use materials with minimal off-gassing and toxicity.

We select materials to maximise the passive solar performance of buildings, using thermal mass to absorb and retain the sun’s heat in winter while keeping cool in summer.

We use high performance insulation to dramatically increase energy efficiency by minimising excessive heat loss and gain.

We research new sustainable materials and experiment with application of traditional materials such as investigating pre-fabricated materials that minimise material wastage, while maximising speed and efficiency of construction.

The pre-fabricated house concept is an ongoing investigation by Zen Architects into methods of delivering sustainable housing at an affordable cost.

This stems from our belief in social sustainability and the principle that everyone has the right to inhabit sustainable, healthy, light-filled, energy-efficient and water-efficient buildings.

The use of pre-fabricated sustainable materials and structures maximises speed and efficiency of construction, improving affordability and minimising material wastage, thereby improving sustainability.

The modular planning of the pre-fabricated building allows for adaptability and accessibility, as the non-load-bearing lightweight partitions can be rearranged easily. Extension to the house is also relatively easy through addition of modules.

We are constructing prototypes of the pre-fabricated house and images will be published soon.

At Zen Architects, we are dedicated to increasing social capital through the design of buildings that encourage creation of community and are imbued with the spirit of equality.

We believe that everyone has the right to inhabit healthy, light-filled, energy-efficient and water-efficient buildings. As such, we are committed to producing affordable forms of sustainable housing through developing cost-effective forms of construction, such as our pre-fabricated house.

We are committed to supporting local communities by using local builders and tradespeople, and by sourcing sustainable materials through local designers, manufacturers and suppliers.

We are dedicated to strengthening cultures and improving cultural awareness and understanding of indigenous communities through our work with the Victorian Aboriginal community.