inhabitat

sydney

exterior of black-clad home with large glass doors opened at bottom and large glass window on upper floor

Glass elements dramatically open up a solar-powered Sydney home

In Sydney’s affluent suburb of Kirribilli, a contemporary solar-powered home stands out from its Victorian manor...

White garage with red and green striped door

This space-saving tiny home offers sustainable housing atop garages in Sydney

As the housing crisis in Sydney continues to intensify, some are tapping into the real estate potential in the...

This design presents stacked prefab units that are floating in a bay.

Designers envision innovative affordable housing for Sydney

The Sydney Affordable Housing Challenge, organized by Bee Breeders, calls for ideas that try to solve the affordable...

Aquas Perma Solar Firma, CplusC Architectural Workshop, green renovation, carbon-positive house, vertical gardens, solar power, rainwater collection, courtyard, aquaponics, vegetable garden, urban farming, green architecture, Sydney

This self-sustaining Australian home harvests its own food, energy, and water

Building a self-sustaining home can involve a higher upfront investment, but it usually pays off in the long run...

Freshwater Granny Flat by Ulrika Saar, Freshwater Granny Flat by Freshwater studio, Freshwater Granny Flat by Avalon Constructions, Blackbutt timber and zincalume, retractable glass wall backyard studio, multipurpose backyard studio

Breezy studio shows how to fit a lot of function into a small space

Don’t be deceived by this studio’s small size—architect Ulrika Saar of Freshwater studio designed the "Granny...

Allen Key House, Architect Prineas, green addition, Sydney, modular structure, Californian Bungalow, bungalow, natural light, courtyards, light well, modular design

Modular shed-like addition turns a 1930s bungalow into an open, light-filled home

A 1930s California Bungalow in Sydney received a modern shed-like addition that maximizes the usability of the...

Tinshed, Raffaello Rosselli, sydney, tin shed, recycled materials, studio apartment, studio,

Rusty tin shed transformed into beautiful two-story studio in Sydney

  Tin sheds are a part of Australia's building vernacular - which is why a dilapidated shed in Sydney was...

green building, biomimicry, future cities, One Central Park, Sydney, Australia, Jean Nouvel, Patrick Blanc, green wall, vertical garden, urban village, city park, multi-use building

The world’s tallest vertical garden lives and breathes in Sydney

Designed by Parisian architect Jean Nouvel in collaboration with French artist and botanist Patrick Blanc, One...

Sydney Park Water Re-Use Project, Turf Design Studio, Environmental Partnership, Sydney Park, Sydney, Australia, water, water issues, recycled water, reclaimed water, reused water, water reuse, reusing water, nature, park, landscape architecture, landscape design

Sydney project reclaims enough water to fill 340 Olympic-sized pools each year

Sydney in Australia has taken bold new steps to address water scarcity. As part of their goal to fulfill 30 percent...

Skylight House by Andrew Burges Architects, Skylight House in Sydney, recycled brick house, bungalow renovation in Sydney, energy efficient bungalow,

Old bungalow transformed into a light-filled dwelling with recycled brick

Andrew Burges Architects revamped a “badly planned” 1940s bungalow in Sydney into a light-filled dwelling for...

The Upcyclist, James Gallelty, The Bower, Australia, Sydney, tiny house, tiny bedroom, tiny house movement, tiny houses, tiny homes, solar power, led lighting, space saving furniture, fold up bed, upcycling, reclaimed materials, salvaged materials

Australian Man Builds Tiny, Solar-Powered Retreat Using Almost 100% Recycled Materials

Galletly and The Bower realized early on that building a tiny house atop a 6x8 box trailer was nonviable, and so...

Sydney, Australia, Clover Moore, city council, Sydney city council, politics, policy, fossil fuels, oil, gas, oil and gas, Australia fossil fuels, banks, fossil fuels banks

Sydney plans to divest $500 million from fossil fuels

Sydney can now add its name to the list of cities working to divest money away from fossil fuels. The city council...

Llewellyn House by studioplusthree, Federation home restoration, Federation home renovation. Llewellyn House in Sydney

Recycled bricks add rugged contrast to this contemporary Sydney home

Juxtaposition is at the core of the Llewellyn House design. “The conceptual starting point was contrasting tones...

great barrier reef structure, halimeda bioherms, great barrier reef bioherms, new bioherms, australia reef, james cook university great barrier reef, dr. robin beaman, jody webster, university of sydney great barrier reef, queensland university of technology great barrier reef

Scientists discover an enormous, hidden reef behind the Great Barrier Reef

New laser data from the Royal Australian Navy has revealed a massive reef behind the rapidly dying Great Barrier...

Escu House, Bijl Architecture, green renovation, Sydney, suburban house, green veranda, timber balustrades, natural light, pendant light, built-in furniture, green architecture

New protective timber slats shield the renovated Escu House from Sydney’s sun

The architects extended the front living space to incorporate the existing veranda and introduced a vertical slatted...

Irving Street Brewery, repurposed building, Tzannes architects, Sekisui House, Frasers Property, power plant, Sydney, mixed-use development, green architecture

Repurposed Sydney brewery boasts a pioneering rooftop power plant

The project is part of A $2 billion scheme developed by Frasers Property and Sekisui House, which will include...

all around lamp, maria novozhilova, led, led lamp, led light, milan design week, milan design week 2016, local design australia, milan, sydney

Soothing pyramidal LED lamp illuminates etchings of familiar cityscapes

The LED-powered All Around Lamp was first featured at Milan Design Week 2016, hosted by Local Design Australia....

2016 VIVID Festival, VIVID Sydney, light installations, Sydney, light projections, Sidney Opera House, Australia, indigenous people, light design

VIVID light art dazzles the streets of Sydney

This year, in addition to the regular sites where artists show their beautiful work every year, the organizers...

Cut-away Roof House, Scale Architecture, timber cladding, Sydney, green addition, green architecture, natural light, courtyard, hardwood, timber facade

Timber-clad Cut-away Roof House in Sydney puts a modern spin on traditional pitched roofs

The 2-story house functions as an addition to an existing semi-detached house located on the city's lower north...

Art and Sydney, Sydney, art, street light disco, light installation, installation, street art, martin place, martin place Sydney, reflective mosaic, mirror ball, disco ball, public art, design

Glittering Street Light Disco installation transforms Sydney’s public space

As part of the 'Art and About Sydney' festival, an installation called 'Street Light Disco" turned one of the street...

The Goods Line, The Goods Line landscape architecture, The Goods Line by ASPECT Studios, Sydney elevated park, Sydney High Line, High Line is Australia, Sydney urban design

Abandoned railway line becomes a thriving elevated park in Sydney

Built in the 19th century, the Goods Line railway used to transport important Australian commodities such as coal,...

circular building, Darling library, Sydney, Kengo Kuma, green library, timber facade, timber, green architecture, makerspace, public buildings

Kengo Kuma unveils plans for spiraling timber-clad library in Sydney

The building will be located at Darling Harbor, adjacent to the city center, and will include an "Innovation Exchange...

Foolscap Studio, Lendlease, The Streets of Barangaroo, Sydney, pop-up, pop-up spaces, cardboard tubes, green installation, temporary spaces, green wall, urban garden, landscaped seating, community space, Wulugul Pop Up

Wulugul Pop-Up installation in Sydney is a multifunctional urban space made of recyclable cardboard tubes

Lendlease, the developer behind The Streets of Barangaroo, commissioned Foolscap Studio to design the 170-meter-long...

Mirrored Ziggurat, Mirrored Ziggurat by Shirin Abedinirad, Shirin Abedinirad, Sydney, ziggurat, Mesopotamia, Underbelly arts festival, mirrored art, mirrored installation, mirror artwork, mirrors,

Mirrored Ziggurat connects the earth and sky in Sydney

The Mirrored Ziggurat was inspired by the ancient pyramidal Ziggurat structures built in Mesopotamia for religious...

Allen Jack+Cottier, sleeping pod, private house, Sydney, green renovation, warehouse renovation, green materials, resin, natural light, LED lights, green lighting

Old Sydney warehouse transformed into a modern man cave with a hidden sleeping pod

The 1060-square-meter warehouse, which once functioned as a food manufacturing factory, was altered to house a...

Arclight light installation, Vivid Sydney, light festival, light installation, green lighting, recyclable materials, recycled plastic, mangrove forest, Sydney, Australia, green design, art installation, interactive art

Pandora-like Arclight mangrove forest pops up in Sydney Harbor

The installation echoes the native mangroves of Australia's waterway, with branches and roots spreading out and...

green design, eco design, sustainable design, Andrew Burges Architects, Pittwater House, Beach House, timber shade facade, Sydney Australia

Australia’s Pittwater House opens and closes with timber shade facade

The Pittwater House’s floor plan is divided into pavilions, one addressing the beach and the other facing the...

Frank Gehry, paper bag building, Dr. Chau Chak Wing Building, University of Technology Sydney, sustainable design, green design, green building, green architecture, sustainable architecture, green star certification

Frank Gehry’s “paper bag” building opens at the University of Technology, Sydney

Gehry’s concept for the 11-story Dr. Chau Chak Wing, named after a UTS benefactor, was in fact a treehouse—“a...

plastic, trash, garbage, litter, ocean, clean up, sea turtles, Australia, Sydney, wildlife rehabilitation, danger, health, recycling, conservation

Sea turtles face growing danger due to plastic trash in Australian waters

Sea turtles living off the coast of Australia face a growing danger in their own habitat: ocean plastic. The amount...

Cash for Containers, recycling kiosks, Australia, Australia recycles, rubbish, cans, bottles, drink containers, beverage containers, cash for recyclables, recycling, bottle recycling,

Australia encourages recycling with “Cash for Containers” kiosks

Australians are being encouraged to increase their recycling habits with a program called "Cash for Containers"....

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