TECHNICAL

Community Houses

Indigenous community houses due to their remote locations and high levels of use and overcrowding are often not made of building materials or use construction technologies that are common in houses in urban areas.

It is important to understand the reality and context of community living to be able to create something useful and realistic.

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The reality of Community Houses

Data collected from over 10,000 community houses show these houses have a lack of a healthy living environment, including temperature control devices to keep a house cool, especially in hot weather. This has implications on people's health, life & development.

Large amounts of research and reports also show the real threat of climate change making places too hot to live. This will increase the need for active cooling, enhancing energy insecurity issues, and the trickle on effects which come from this in overcrowded, remote conditions.

The living environment in community housing is not just restricted to the built fabric. The yard becomes an important living space for additional family to 'stop' in and always must be considered (see drawings of yard use).

Yard taps are good for people camping in the yard, for pets and to help water trees and grass to help shade the yard and lower the temperature of the ground.
Power cords running through windows and doors make holes in the building and let hot air inside because windows and doors can’t close properly. Outside powerpoints will fix this.
Strong fences are good so family camping in the yard can build shade structures to make more shaded places to sit and sleep outside and cool the ground.

House Types & 3 Key Problems

3 Key Problems with community houses are;

Thermal Bridging

The Thermal Image pictures of community houses show where hot and cold parts of the house are. These pictures show alot of heat is coming from outside to inside the house through the walls, ceiling, lights and vents.

Bad Orientation

Orientation means the way a house faces. Good orientation (passive solar design) can make a house hotter in winter and colder in summer, because the house is using the sun and wind to help. Bad house orientation can make a house hotter in summer. This means you need an air conditioner more, and more money ($) spent on power cards.

Not Right for the Climate

Houses should be made with different materials and have different size verandahs in different climates. For example, Alice Springs is in a ‘Hot Dry’ (arid) climate but Sydney in NSW where it snows, is in a ‘cool’ climate.

(Click to enlarge images, information also found in download)