Net Zero Design - Services

We provide Sustainable Building Design and ESD consulting services for home renovations and extensions, new buildings of any type and urban design/master planning projects. Our mission is to make sustainable and healthy building affordable and accessible to anyone through early integration of holistic design principles. This includes site-specific factors and the wider context with regards to resources, material supply chain, climate and community.


DESIGN QUALITY

Every project is unique - we develop an understanding of your personal values and project vision, the site and its wider context to create individual, high quality buildings that support health and wellbeing and enhance life quality. Our continued applied research on innovative materials and construction methods aims to further improve efficiencies, sustainability standard and build quality.


LESS IS MORE

We help to save the environment and cost; firstly by avoiding unnecessary space, materials and technology and prioritising retrofits / repurpose where possible.
Our philosophy is to create more with less - flexible, adaptable and multi-functional spaces, designed for longevity and long-term use. We support local production and use resources wisely by specifying durable, recyclable and/or biodegradable materials.


COLLABORATION

Our integrated approach aims to maximise value through early design collaboration with the project team, balancing environmental, social and economic considerations. Investment in front-end design is the best way to identify risks and opportunities and save cost overall. Most importantly, our collaborative and transparent approach makes the process easy to understand and enjoyable.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN


1. Introduction
We offer a free 15min. phone conversation and recommend a meeting at your property* to discuss your project vision. Some discussion points are:

- Local context, constraints & opportunities
- Design ideas, material/construction preferences
- Spatial and functional requirements
- Health requirements & sustainability targets
- Timeline and budget

Once we have a good understanding of all requirements, we provide a detailed fee proposal.. We also help with site selection, pre-purchase or early strategic advice and provide feasibility studies to investigate what is possible on the site.

  • The fee for a site visit: is charged on an hourly rate. It gives you valuable upfront information to decide how to proceed and is credited upon engagement.


2. Master planning / Concept Design
Net Zero Design’s concept phase typically includes:

- Start-up workshop to explore design ideas & master planning strategy
using images, sketches, diagrams etc.
- Detailed return brief for your review and feedback
- Initial town planning investigations & other project specific factors
- Collaboration with other experts if of advantage, e.g. bushfire, ecologist
- Site analysis + 2-3 sketch design options with basic 3D modeling and graphic illustrations

The designs are compared against the brief and budget for you to decide on the preferred option to proceed with.



3. Design Development
Your preferred design is developed into a more detailed 3D model with input from consultants. Our point of difference early in this project stage:

- Energy Efficiency Assessment
- Thermal comfort- and solar studies
- Collaboration with builders for cost estimate (smaller projects)

Working with builders early on aims to optimise sustainable design quality and cost. We can recommend a company or work with your preferred builder if you already have a company in mind.

 

4. Development Application / Building Approval
At this stage we confirm statutory requirements and assist with lodging a Development- and/or Building Application. Because we focus on front-end design, usually only some fine-tuning is needed in documentation, ensuring that all consultants’ information is fully integrated.

5. Construction Documentation
We provide different levels of documentation, from a number of project specific details in discussion with the builder to comprehensive detailing. We design projects with critical detailing in mind to resolve this in early stages as much as possible with sketches and the 3D model. Our focus during construction documentation is to ensure that the design quality is maintained and optimised within your budget.

6. Contract Administration / Project Management
Our integrated approach from the early design stage creates a good understanding of the project by all parties and a collaborative working environment.

We recommend contract administration to control quality and reduce risk, hence saving time and cost overall. This ensures that all aesthetic considerations, healthy building- & energy-efficiency measures are fully implemented and your project is delivered on time and to budget.

Should you decide to use another form of contract, we are available to answer Requests for Information (RFIs) from the builder.

7. Post-occupancy evaluation
Optional services after completion, in collaboration with other experts:

- Energy efficiency- and air tightness testing
- Hygrothermal performance testing
- Real time monitoring

We are also available for any future adaptions and/or stages.


Whether you are only exploring initial options or have more detailed ideas, we would love to hear from you and discuss your project.

 

SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTING

All Hallows Catholic School, Five Dock NSW
Architect: BVN Sydney, completed Oct. 2018
Photo: Katherine Lu


Net Zero Design offers sustainability consulting services to private clients and likeminded organisations. We have worked with leading firms such as Thomson Adsett, BVN and PDT Architects. Our integrated approach, diverse experience across many sectors along with technical expertise has added proven value to projects.

We appreciate that working towards a sustainable future requires input from experts in different fields. We welcome collaboration with likeminded professionals who challenge best practice and aim to offer real solutions to address the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and housing affordability.

Our R&D focused work is based on regenerative and net-positive design principles, in collaboration with industry and academia. We are proficient with Building Information Modeling (BIM), Building Performance Analysis to optimise both CAPEX and OPEX and continue to explore new tools and technologies to further improve the triple bottom line.

If you plan a unique sustainability project, you are most welcome to get in touch - it could involve e.g. a social cause, an innovative industrial building, a modular / prefab project, ecosystem restoration or any prototype development.

CONNECT

Contact us

Net Zero Design
c.renger@net-zero-design.com

3/4 Albert Street (Siena Waters)
Margate QLD 4019
Brisbane, Australia