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Sustainable Alice Springs Home for Surviving the Australian Desert

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The clients adore the extreme beauty of the Alice Springs desert and wanted an age-in-place, sustainable home from which to enjoy the desert for the rest of their lives.

Australian firm Dunn & Hillam created a home that is self sufficient in energy and water, with solar panels on the roof supplying electricity, and banked in a battery rather than connected to the distant grid.

The home is also dug into the ground to try to moderate the incredible temperature extremes from highs of 45C and lows of -6C.

For the hottest desert days, the cool pool is a must.

The clients love the desert, its vast views, and its warmth.

Much of the year is crisp, dry and mildly warm days and clear starlit nights.

The roof is suspended above the house, cooling the air underneath.

An interior courtyard is placed to maximize shade in the hottest part of the day.

The butterfly roof is for draining the maximum amount of rainwater to the tanks below.

As well as natural steel and natural concrete blocks, part of the exterior is compressed fiber-cement boards that need no maintenance.

Fiber-cement boards are well-equpped to handle the UV attack from the sun.

Altogether, a very practical home that truly makes the best of living in such a challenging – and rewarding – climate.