for the love of plants

In Australia, 80% of us live in urban areas, spending up to 90% of our time indoors. As a design tool, plants are an adaptable, multi-purpose and easily retrofittable element for the home or office. Plant-scaping can be used not only for sculptural and aesthetic effect but to screen, buffer noise, filter light, purify the air and provide ambience. Recent studies also show that plants in indoor environments can have multiple benefits for our health and wellbeing.

Our survival is inextricably linked with that of the world’s trees. ‘The lungs of our planet’ capture energy from the sun’s rays and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to produce their own chemical energy, conveniently releasing the waste product of oxygen.
Its no surprise then that photosynthesizing indoor plants are good for air quality - providing a continual supply of oxygen during daylight hours. 

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of indoor plants is their capacity for air purification through phytoremediation.
Plants can absorb and metabolize airborne contaminants such as mould, bacteria and the chemical pollutants (VOCs) that are released from our furnishings, paints, adhesives, building materials, paper, textiles and plastics, and can be found in high concentrations in indoor environments. These contaminants mean indoor environments are more polluted than the outdoors.

A University of Technology Sydney (UTS) study on plants and indoor air quality has shown that plants' ability to remove VOC’s works by a symbiotic relationship between soil and the plant; indoor contaminants are pulled into the root zone where soil micro-organisms convert them into food. The researchers also found that pot size; species; and light and dark did not affect the rate of removal. Carbon dioxide levels were found to be removed by between 10 to 25% and carbon monoxide by up to 90%.

Indoor plants can also have a range of cognitive, physiological and psychological preventative and restorative effects. The UTS study looked at the reduction in negative feelings (testing for anxiety, anger, depression, fatigue and confusion) through introduction of plant life found a total negativity reduction of -58% and reduction in overall stress of -50%. 

Lead researcher of the project and plant scientist at UTS, Dr Margaret Burchett has no doubt that greening the ‘great indoors’ with living plants could play an important part in enabling the sustainable urban communities of the future.  She says that increasing our green space indoors could: improve energy efficiency through insulation and temperature control; reduce air pollution; raise spirits and work performance; and improve concentration and attention span.
“They are also a great way to bring more nature to plant-scarce cities without taking up too much space.”

HOW MANY PLANTS?

The UTS study showed that three to six plants in the office kept VOC levels below 100 parts per billion (ppb) — regarded as negligible health risk (Aust. recommended total VOC max. is 500 ppb)

Around 15 to 18 plants per 170 square metre of indoor space could be beneficial for indoor air quality, but even the presence of a single pot plant on a desk could improve someone’s work day.

CARING FOR YOUR INDOOR GARDEN

Successfully growing indoor plants is about getting a few fundamentals right. With the below points nailed, you should find your indoor plants thrive with minimal attention.

Microclimates - The first rule of success with indoor plants is location, location, location. Different areas of a building may have specific microclimates that make them more suitable for certain species.

Light - Plants can be grouped into types that prefer low, partial and bright light. Low light or shade plants can survive with less than four hours of sunlight per day. Partial sun plants need at least four hours of sunlight per day, but not necessarily direct. Full sun plants need at least six hours of sunlight per day. Plants may need to be moved seasonally to avoid or reach the sun and rotated occasionally so that all sides grow evenly.

Temperature - Plants prefer stable temperatures, so avoid placing them close to heaters and air-conditioners that cause temperature fluctuations. Locating them near thermal mass can help even out the immediate temperature range the plant experiences.

Humidity - Indoor plants have a regulating effect on humidity in all climates, releasing 97 per cent of the water they absorb through transpiration. Plants will work to both raise and lower the humidity levels, maintaining an ideal level of between 30 to 60 per cent. Clustering plants in groups increases the surrounding humidity and creates an ideal climate for healthy plants.

Potting and Nutrition - For optimum nutrition plants need high quality potting mix and re-potting as they grow to avoid becoming root bound. Increasing the pot size by only 2 to 3 cm at a time will help avoid rot. Repot, divide and propagate at the beginning of the growing season, placing broken crockery, pebbles or scoria at the base of pots for aeration and drainage. Add a slow release fertiliser or heavily diluted liquid fertiliser such as worm tea periodically.

Watering - Over-watering kills plants as often as under-watering so water with small amounts and often, and don’t leave plants sitting in water. Plants will need less water in winter unless the heating is running at high temperatures. Forming a habit of emptying leftover cups and water bottles into plants will help make the job incidental. Some plants like to dry out between waters.

Trouble shooting - Cleaning the leaves of your plants with a damp cloth removes dust that reduces the plant’s ability to photosynthesize. Indoor plants are susceptible to mould that can exacerbate allergic and respiratory conditions. Physically remove the mould and apply a good dusting of cinnamon over the soil as a natural fungicide. Move the plant to a well-ventilated area of the house and let the soil dry out partially between watering to prevent the mould returning.

WHERE TO PLANT?

Access to light and irrigation systems for indoor gardens can be considered at each stage of the design process.

At a design and build level - Atriums, light wells, conservatories, vertical green walls, in-built garden beds, suspended gardens

In large existing spaces - Anywhere there is dead space, eg: circulation zones, passageways, under staircases, entrances, corners, as room dividers in open plan spaces, vertical spaces growing upwards against windows, under skylights

In small existing spaces - On window sills, along tops of cupboards, hanging in rows and corners, on stands, wall-mounted shelves, chairs, tables and stools.

Using repurposed elements - Enamelware, ceramic teapots bowls/ cups, tins, crates, industrial metal bins and containers, pellets, aquariums and vases for terrariums.

WHICH PLANT WHERE?

According to the UTS study, any green shoot will remove carbon dioxideand release equal amounts of oxygen with adequate light. However, different species may require different conditions to photosynthesize effectively. The more foliage, the better.

Low light - Mother-in–law’s tongues, Janet Craigs, spathiphyllum ‘sensation’, hahnii, peace lily, Aspidistra elatior (cast iron plant).

Partial sun - Bamboo palm, kentia, pothos, happy plant, parlour palm, dracaena compacta, orchids.

Full sun - Yucca, bird of paradise, ficus elastica, golden cane, dragon tree, bromeliads, lady palm philodendrons, succulents.

To lower humidity - Boston fern and English ivy, maiden hair fern, snake plant.

To raise humidity - Lady palm, boston fern, gerbera, peace lily, Kimberley queen, florists mum, warneckei.

For air purification- Aloe vera, golden pothos ,spider plant, peace lily, english ivy, gerbera, snake plant (mother-in–law’s tongue), heart leaf philodendron, weeping fig, warneckei, bamboo palm.

In bedrooms - Orchids, epiphytic bromeliads and succulents release oxygen at night.

Australian native plants for indoors - Umbrella tree, black bean, davidson plum, lilly-pillies, grevillea robusta, rasp fern, fishbone fern.

All photographs by Emma Byrnes

This article first appeared in Issue 30 of Sanctuary Magazine.

the tiny kitchen with a big heart

This is one of those projects I affectionately call a 'LOVE' job.
The inspiring clients - live at The Plummery in Northcote, an impressively productive 280sqm urban block. They are the type of home-owners I respect as they have finished all of the "less-glamourous-but-sensible-jobs" first - adding solar panels; setting up a nectre wood heater; installing home-made double glazing (bubble wrap); and building a wonderful sun-trap conservatory out of reclaimed materials that shelters seedlings, warms the house and even grows tropical fruit! They have also spent many years developing every square inch of The Plummery permaculture garden hence creating an abundance of produce in a self-sustaining nutrient cycle. This cycle includes composting waste; nourishing soils and organic matter; and growing fruits and vegetables from which seeds are then saved for planting the following year. At certain times of each season there will be a glut of produce - with kilos of feijoas, blackberries, grapes, persimmons and plums passing through their tiny lean-to kitchen to be preserved, fermented, dried, bottled and baked.
After years of using this old dysfunctional kitchen Kat and Nik were ready to create a purpose-built kitchen to do all the busy work. In an agreement with Brave New Eco that was part barter-exchange (I've had all my seedlings hand-raised at The Plummery for the past year) we set about designing the ultimate hard-working tiny kitchen in the same six square metre space as the original kitchen but replaced it with high-quality efficient appliances, no hard-to-clean surfaces or fiddly deep cupboards, and with everything they need within arms reach.

"The kitchen is the heart of our permaculture system. We grow most of our fresh produce and make meals from scratch and so the kitchen needed to be able to handle heavy use and lots of dishes! It has a tiny footprint of only a few square metres so we needed bench space and storage solutions. Using local, recycled and sustainable materials was paramount for ethical reasons, but we also wanted a bit of a modern twist. Looking back there are certainly conflicts in our brief - recycled and rustic yet modern, tiny floor plan but with lots of space, heavy duty but with a light footprint - but Megan has somehow delivered on each one of them", says Kat.

For all of the utilitarian function desired by the owners we wanted to steer clear of a cold and minimalist outcome in a home that truly embodies "cosy". To avoid this from happening Brave New Eco merged industrial functionality with an organic, homemade charm. One side of the kitchen became the utility bench with all of the appliances required to make a small kitchen hum. An induction cooktop; a built-in oven; an efficient 450mm wide dishwasher and a tiny 1.25m sink were included under a stainless bench-top making a seamless junction between wet and hot areas that is less likely to get damaged and easy to clean. Terrazzo floor tiles give the splashback a lovely natural stone palette and minimal grout reduces the amount of cleaning needed. In collaboration with the owners we designed a reclaimed Blackbutt drying/shelving plate rack that was made by a local craftsperson, Sam Joddie. It was thoughtfully designed for plates and cups to drip over the sink area.  Kat had the idea to line the shelf trays with the cut-outs of recycled plastic bread crates- this solution worked an absolute treat.

A floating shelf over the island bench houses anything fermenting, soaking, rising, drying or otherwise needing passive observation without cluttering the workbench. This shelf had to be such a height that one shorter and one very tall house-holder (read: Kat and Nik) could both reach it and see under it, so much detailed measuring ensued.  
Knowing the owners had many friends on country properties I set them with the task of finding a dry fallen branch of the right proportions to use as a semi-structural vertical element for the floating shelf unit. They soon returned with a beautiful Redbox branch not too curvy, not too straight. They whittled the bark off themselves to show the beautiful surface below and Sam incorporated the branch into the shelving thus completing our marriage of utilitarian and organic elements. 

"We especially love our dish draining rack which combines drying and storage to cut the chore of putting away dishes. The overhead shelf to store our ferments, cultures and produce which is out of the way but visible so we can keep an eye on what needs to be used up is also fantastic and so beautiful that it has become a real feature in our living room" observes Kat.

The walls were painted in Murobond paints and energy-efficient LED strip lighting is recessed under the open shelving. Kat hand-felted the 'wolf back' pendant light using natural wool.
"We always spent a lot of time in the kitchen but now we relish that time. Jobs like cooking, cleaning, washing up and preserving produce have become so much easier and more enjoyable. So the irony is that we now need to spend less time in the kitchen but we're wanting to spend more time in there", says Kat.

All photographs by Emma Byrnes

indoor air quality

Poor indoor air quality is a major contributor to respiratory and allergic conditions in householders, however instant improvements can be made with the following low cost and easy-to-achieve measures: 

• Actively ventilate your home daily.
  Opening opposing windows and clerestory or second floor windows encourages cross flow and passive stack ventilation. Fly-screens and security screens are a useful addition to your windows and doors to enable good ventilation, day or night, without attracting unwanted insects. Use the middle of the day in winter while your heating is off to get some fresh air in, if your local climate allows.
   
• Take off your shoes at the front door.
  Shoes are one of the biggest sources of indoor pollutants such as lead and pesticides - by removing them you can reduce the dust in your home by up to 50%. Heavy doormats at entrances will also help to reduce pollutants being carried into the home. For a doormat with a social conscience take a look at The Welcome Committee project. 
   
• Keep indoor plants.
  Indoor plants contribute multiple benefits to the interior environment including absorbing volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide, airborne moulds and bacteria, and regulating humidity levels. As well as this, studies have shown that indoor plants have positive psychological benefits. Some resilient indoor plants are Peace Lilies, Mother-in-law’s Tongue, Boston Fern, Rubber plant, Bamboo Palm and Aloe. 
   
• Clean your home regularly. 
  A regular vacuum with a Hepa filter vacuum cleaner, and both a simple microfibre mop and damp-dust to eradicate particulate matter, will contribute to a healthy interior environment.

Follow these links for more information on indoor air quality:

UTS study on Plants and IAQ

NASA study of plants and IAQ

Building Ecology report on ventilation

Air pollution Interactive Map

Photographs by Emma Byrnes

the papered wall

Monomeith Designs wallpaper by Penny Maskell - Designed in Tasmania and hand printed in Melbourne

Low-impact living does not mean austere interior minimalism. An often brave and beautiful interior addition, wallpaper is an enduring investment if you follow your instinct and choose something that you find truly beautiful (or just get good advice!). Wallpaper can be done in a very environmentally-friendly way and can last a long time if well cared for.
Here are a few tips on selecting and using eco pasteups:

• Adding wallpaper to an interior can be expensive, so minimise the cost by choosing a small wall area with the greatest visual impact, perhaps a central space that you can see from many different viewpoints.
• Have you bought an old home with original wallpaper?  Wall-to-wall patterned coverings can be stuffy and overwhelming in an interior, however many original retro and period designs are quirky and interesting. So before you start ripping it off, consider keeping one feature wall papered as a nod to the home’s history.
• Sometimes embossed and relief wallpapers that are of dated colours or torn can be rejuvenated by sealing any damage then painting over. This creates an appealing surface of papery textural interest, without the labour intensive hassle of removing the old paper. 
• Or you can add an old wallpaper to your home - there are great sources on the web of vintage wallpapers in enduring and nostalgic designs.
• Select wallpapers from responsible sources (recycled is best, FSC certified is a close second) and those printed with solvent-free water-based inks. Hand-printed wallpaper gives you an intimate bespoke alternative to the homogenous nature of digital printing.
• Search for low or no-VOC wallpaper options as these Volatile Organic Compounds can contribute to interior environment-related respiratory and allergic health problems. 
• High-VOC products to be avoided are those containing PVC, synthetic fire-retardants, self adhesive wallpapers and vinyl based water papers, often 'waterproof’ and ‘easy-clean’ products. Sometimes products that claim to protect us can introduce harmful and unnecessary elements into your home in the pocket of your good intentions. 
• Use a simple wallpaper paste that doesn't contain toxic chemicals - an effective wallpaper paste is basically clag - like the flour and water home made glue you used to make at school. Many natural recipes are available online to make at home or you can use a non-toxic adhesive option.

Stampeding horses by Florence Broadhurst - an enduring and dynamic design. 

Vintage 1970's photo mural in a contemporary bathroom. Good ventilation is important when using wall paper in a bathroom. 

A tired relief wallpaper is repaired and painted over to beautifully preserve the textural effect. 

Some handy links to Australian wallpaper companies with good eco-credentials:

• Wilding
• Dear Wood
• Origin Wallpaper
• Paper Hands
• Flashback Fabrics
• Cavalier Wallpapers
• Funky Wombat Textiles

The original content of this article was written by Megan Norgate for Green Magazine. Edited by Stephanie Ruddie and Megan Norgate.

westgarth house renovation

In Melbourne's inner-city Westgarth area, this grand old home is the definition of good bones with it's lofty ceilings, multiple bay windows and impressively wide proportions. Despite this, a previous renovation had created a kitchen and laundry that felt pokey, dysfunctional and was falling apart faster than the original home! And like many older homes - especially those with high ceilings, old windows and gappy floorboards - it was proving costly and inefficient to run.
Brave New Eco was engaged to design an interior renovation that would provide a better quality kitchen, family bathroom and laundry; feature generous storage throughout; and make energy efficient retrofit changes. Most importantly, the result needed to sit with the original features and be of the quality that a beautiful family home like this deserves. 

The kitchen cabinets were created with a mix of EO (zero emission) - rated laminate, hoop pine plywood and recycled Australian hardwoods. All of the timbers and plywoods were oiled using natural oils and tints.  Custom fabricated slim-line brass handles were created for all of the cabinets.

New locally-made brass and ceramic pendant lighting and high efficiency LED lighting were installed throughout. The entire interior was painted in low VOC paints and all timber finishes are recycled and oiled in naturally based oils. A graphic colour palette was used to create cohesion between the original and newer parts of the home and to provide a good base for the family's colourful collection of artwork and curiosities. 

We maximised the available space for the kitchen and laundry by reconfiguring the rooms. We removed a dividing wall separating the rooms and replaced it with a space saving double-sided cabinetry unit, then flipped the kitchen and laundry to give the kitchen direct outdoor access and installed a new glass door to allow more light in. The kitchen was opened up to the dining room, allowing better connection between the two spaces and a sightline from the dining to the garden.

Into the dining room went a new cosy window seat, with record storage underneath. Heavy backed 100% linen curtains throughout help keep the heat inside the house as the weather grows colder. Wall and ceiling insulation were added and efficient space heating was installed in the open-plan living area.

To reduce the waste involved in upgrading the kitchen, the old kitchen cabinets were re-purposed in another client's laundry fit-out. Appliances were re-used, and pull-out metal pantry shelves were re-used in the new cabinetry.
The kitchen is divided into two zones: the cooking and washing (wet/hot work) zone and the snacking/ drinking/ socialising zone where family members can make drinks and snacks without disturbing the person at the stove of sink. 

The long thin bathroom was reconfigured to create more circulation space and better functionality. A new shelf was added along the entire length of the bathroom to place useful things in easy reach. Handmade lighting, recycled timbers and vintage mirrors were chosen for their enduring details. 

And finally a few words about the project from our client, Rebecca Burdon:

"We wanted to transform our crafty old house into a much more comfortable and workable home. It is a Victorian house that had been renovated about 15 years ago by a builder/developer. The house had not been insulated and many shortcuts had been taken in the original renovation. Brave New Eco provided sustainable, practical, well designed solutions. (They have) excellent problem solving skills; great knowledge about options, suppliers and quality of different products; great relationships with tradesmen and great attention to detail and advice regarding finishes.
We're enjoying all aspects of our home more. It is far more comfortable to live in. Everything looks and works better. It's a pleasure just to be at home now."

new beginnings

Our new studio is a light filled, retrofitted space with easy access on to a deck overlooking Merri Creek. 

After four years running Brave New Eco from a studio at the Abbotsford Convent precinct we have moved on to new pastures.

We loved our beautiful lofty-ceilinged room with a view over the convent courtyard and of course being part of the convent community was a very special experience. We will miss the daily contact with the convent staff friends and those solid connections we made with other creative enterprises who call the Convent home, namely Cam's, Cone 11 ceramics, Urban Commons, C3, Zaishu, Kage, Easynow and Greencheck.

Why the move you ask?
Our business has grown substantially over the last year and our home at the convent was starting to become a little cramped. In the back of our minds we had started manifesting a new space for ourselves. We had a fairly strong set of criteria - the new space would need to have space for floor sitting and standing; be blessed with generous amounts of natural light; have direct access to the outdoors and needed to be an easy bike rides distance from my house.
Well, we found a new home that couldn't have been better suited to us if we had designed it from scratch ourselves.
Our new studio sits high over the Merri Creek overlooking CERES and is large, light, retrofit with sustainable technologies and has an acre of gardens and creek frontage to look out over.

It's a very exciting project with some new and some old friends. I will reveal more about what is happening here as the year goes on as for the moment we have only just moved in and are still unpacking boxes so to speak. But for now here is a sneak peek at this fantastic eco-design studio and hub.
 

brave new eco + friends

The Brave New Eco philosophy has always been to share our knowledge generously across as many different platforms we can.
And part of that approach has been writing and sharing my own knowledge on sustainable design topics. As well as appearing at various events and institutions as a guest speaker, I am a regular contributor on two publications at the forefront of the sustainability issue in Australia - namely Green Mag and Sanctuary Magazine. 
The investigations I have done for my most recent articles have given me a very strong sense of what an interesting, progressive and authentic community we belong to in the work we do. 

Late last year I was lucky enough to spend a few days staying at a fledgling permaculture farm under the stewardship of Milkwood alumni Fiona Craig. Three years ago Fiona (who was an urbanite to the core) bought 50 acres of degraded hilly land and moved there on her own to create a viable productive landscape and lifestyle for herself. 
What she has done in that time is remarkable and spending time on her property was truly inspiring. I saw a smart, wordly, creative woman happily engaged and fulfilled by her stewardship of the land and, despite the sometimes inhospitable nature of the landscape and weather, her life is steeped in a sense of abundance on both a community and personal level.
Whilst staying with Fiona I slept soundly in her loft bed on homemade organic hemp sheets in a romantic and beautifully converted stone cottage; I ate a feast of local pork with her partner/chef Michael and Stewart from the farmers larder (the local farmer who raised the pig); I walked all over the property seeing the piles of sandstone Fiona has dragged around by hand to edge garden beds; and over endless cups of tea I heard her visions for the future.  
More about this little story features in the January issue of Green Mag. 

I also connected last year with Margaret Burchett from the University of Technology Sydney about the broad-ranging and timely study the UTS Science department has conducted on the function and potential of plantlife in indoor environments. The results are quite remarkable and really highlight the potential of plant life as a deeply integrated part of our indoor environments and on a large scale. I have written about this and how to take care of your indoor plants in the latest issue of Sanctuary magazine. 

Finally, in early January, my mentors and friends at Milkwood ran a story on the work of Brave New Eco as part of their permaculture futures series. In this article you will find me talking about how I use the permaculture philosophy in my work in the built environment as well as the nuts and bolts of running a small business with an ethical framework.
A big thanks to Milkwood for the opportunity to reveal and be able to go in depth on a very important and slightly esoteric aspect of the Brave New Eco business model. 

If you are interested in reading through some of my past interviews and press articles have a look here.

Oh and for anyone who has a building project in the pipeline or looking for general advice on sustainable design options, this weekend you will find me and a plethora of other green home designers, architects and sustainability experts as we provide free advice to the public during 13 minute "dates" at this weekend's Speed Date a Sustainable Expert. Bookings essential.

a philosophical framework for design.

The design industry is rife with unnecessary waste and over-consumption.
BRAVE NEW ECO believes that good design can create beautiful, environmentally-resilient spaces that foster human health and happiness. We don't work with empty gestures - the changes we specify must have the substance and the style. This is not always easy, so we have done a lot of thinking about this, and using the Permaculture ethics and principles as our starting point have created a philosophical framework that guides our decision-making process and ensures positive outcomes.

BRAVE NEW ECO'S Design Objectives:

• Produce no waste and re-purpose other's waste

• Work with the surrounding environment

• Make the least change for the maximum ecological gain

• Co-operate - don’t compete - with existing elements

• Preserve, regenerate and extend what exists already

• Consume less of a greater quality

• Build and design for the entire life cycle

• Support sustainable products and manufacturing

• Future proof: design for diverse use and changing needs

• Consider embodied energy and life cycle assessment

• Design for resource scarcity

• Harvest and dispose of water on-site

• Generate energy on-site by renewable means

• Increase biological diversity

• Create physical environments beneficial for human health and psychological wellbeing

• Find solutions within problems

We WORK TOWARDS this by being:

Resourceful – Frugality is at the heart of our design approach. We make the least possible change for the biggest possible impact. We use what we have around us first and see potential in everything.

Analytical – We research and evaluate all of our designs and specifications for function, suitability and environmental impact. We understand the scientific, economic and ecological background behind our decisions.

Aesthetic – We are allergic to ugliness. It is impossible for us to create something ugly.

Holistic – We design in a social context. We are working to a bigger picture of how humans will live in the future. We integrate many diverse concerns in a single solution.

Generous – We are part of the solution. We share our knowledge openly. We seek constantly to understand how design can justify itself and support the environment while cultivating a better way of living.

OUR DESIGNS ARE:

·      Autonomous. They function with minimal input of materials and energy.

·      Adaptive. Can be changed over time to suit diverse uses, changing climate and technologies.

·      Engaging. They encourage human-to-human and human-to-nature interaction. It’s about being positive about the world we live in.

·      Organic. We favour materials that do not cause harm to humans or the environment.

·      Ecologically active. Our designs incorporate living ecologies and respond intimately to the surrounding environment.

THE BIG PICTURE STUFF:

·      Intergenerational equity. Using a minimum of resources so that future generations can prosper.

·      Humanity’s ecological imperative. Humans must embrace a more symbiotic role with nature and contribute to a healthy ecology.

·      Facilitating social change. By eradicating wasteful and inefficient use of resources we can reduce human consumption.

·      Empowerment and Education. We want to help households build resources and skills so they can adapt to change.

·      Economic security and feasibility. Designing for optimum efficiency provides protection from future scarcity of resources and increased costs.