House that follows the sun wins GreenSmart Home of the Year

An innovate home design which enables the property to follow the sun has won Australia’s 2013 HIA GreenSmart Home of the Year.

MAG Constructions and DNA Architects, of the ACT/Southern NSW region were awarded GreenSmart Home of the Year, and received the GreenSmart Spec Home Award for their innovative project, “Girasole”, which is Italian for sunflower.

The four-bedroom home is built on a steel-framed motorised turntable and is controlled by a touch screen pad. Supported by 28 wheels and driven by two whisper quiet motors, the home can rotate through 360 degrees and has been designed to literally track the winter sun through the living areas and avoid the harsh Australian sun in summer. It is able to operate at three speeds and represents high tech, environmentally-friendly living at its best.

Continuing on the sustainable living theme, electricity for the home is provide by 24 photovoltaic cells (situated on top of the four-car garage) generating 10,500 kilowatts of power per annum. Beneath the garage is a huge rainwater tank of 120,000L capacity which will allow the new owner of the home to live independently of traditional power and water services.

The award was presented at the national HIA – Stratco GreenSmart Awards ceremony, where builders from around the country were acknowledged for their efforts in environmentally-responsible housing.

One Response to “House that follows the sun wins GreenSmart Home of the Year”

  1. Angela Says:

    That is amazing! I’m sure it’s a pretty penny to create a home such as this, but what an added benefit to our environment in a day and age when words like ‘energy smart’ and ‘green home’ factor in when marketing a listing.

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