Join us for an evening of robust discussion from Canberra architects and industry professionals who are featuring projects in Sustainable House Day 2025.
The topic of discussion will centre around the theme of creating low carbon homes and the best strategies to reduce embodied and operational impact. From minimal cost interventions through to broader holistic investments, the benefits of different approaches will be discussed and debated amongst panel members.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear and learn about low carbon building products from a curated selection of suppliers and manufacturers.
Optional in-person or online attendance.
This is a free event, but registrations are essential.
Speakers
Ric Butt
Ric Butt is an architect, builder and environmental designer and principal of Strine Environments. He has been designing and building in Canberra for the past 40 years using basic environmental design principles and pioneered high mass construction using insulated precast concrete panels. Ric's buildings need almost no artificial heating or cooling to achieve a pleasant and comfortable internal environment.
Claire Reece
Claire Reece is a co-founder and director at Sonder Architects which was established to collaborate with clients and seek better ways of living. They strive to innovate residential architectural practice and focus on sustainable building outcomes and a response to nature. It is a purposely small practice where clients gain from the directors' collective years of experience to achieve considered spatial planning and delightful built outcomes. Sonder Tower 1 is an adaptive reuse project comprising an extension and retrofit to an old house, which is open as part of Sustainable House Day 2025. The project was modelled as part of the Canberra Low Carbon Challenge 2022, where it was exhibited and prized for its low embodied energy and efficiency.
Michael Tolhurst
Michael is a registered architect and Passivhaus designer at Maxa Design with over 20 years of experience. He was the first architect in the ACT to become a Certified Passivhaus Designer in 2016, believing it to be the best tool with which to reduce the heating and cooling energy demands in our homes, and at the same time improve occupant comfort. He is passionate about delivering comfortable, resilient and sustainable buildings, and has designed his own award-winning and certified Passivhaus home, Narrabundahaus.
Jenny Edwards
Jenny is sole owner and director of Light House ArchiScience, a multi-award-winning business that integrates science and design to deliver highly efficient, all-electric, climate resilient homes — new and renovated — in the Canberra region. She is not an architect or building designer but a scientist with a deep interest in housing and design.
With over 200 architectural projects completed, and provision of advice on hundreds of retrofits, Light House has shown there is growing demand for smaller, smarter, sustainable, gas-free housing. Despite only doing smaller, smarter sustainable homes, Light House projects have won numerous local and national architecture and housing awards.