About Me
about SOUL environments:SOUL environments stands for Sustainable - Organic - Universal Living environments. The driving force behind SOUL is Yurgen Beschorner, an architect, designer and planner, living in Coolum Beach, working from home and specializing in sustainable housing.The area of sustainability emcompasses three main fields: Environmental - economical - and social sustainability; with some projects having overlapping aspects of several - ideally, of course, having all three of the above areas of sustainability.The emphasis of SOUL environments is clearly placed on environmentally conscious housing projects - but Yurgen
has extensively worked on a multitude of low-cost-housing projects (economical sustainability) and has designed and documented in excess of 100 public housing projects in Queensland, comprising more than 1000 public housing units
(social sustainability) - most notable of which are two boarding and community housing projects in Brisbane, West End, Apelt Street, of 20 Units and in Woolloongabba, between Hawthorne and Wilton Streets, of 40 Units; both of these two projects have won several awards from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 1999 and 2000.SOUL environments is currently envolved in the design and documentation of an ambitious display housing project with Hamish Gray of G+N Building Contractors for Mark Hall in Mooloolaba, featuring stormwater harvesting and storage, water recycling, solar hot water and general solar energy production, implementation of passive solar design principles as well as the re-use of some of the materials gained from the demolition of the old house on the site.
The design incorporates a large, existing decidious tree on the western side of the house, a Poinciana, and will provide several more mature trees and palms. The planned landscaping works will, together with expansive areas of water integrated around the house as well as inside the house, create a pleasant micro-climate, which will allow to live in this climatically conscious design without the use of airconditioning, exploring the best possible strategies of capturing cooling breezes and optimizing cross flow ventilation throughout the house...........
************************************************************
*29 August, 2008The 'Gaia project' has gone from conception to construction.A sublime lunch at the 'Spirit House' in Yandina has marked the progression of the project from conceptual and design phase to the start of its construction stage. The occasion of the luncheon at this magical venue allowed the team to see several 'ecosmart' fireplaces in use in the restaurant, which also operates as an agent for this novel
fireplace system - the decision to integrate one or two of these great fireplace systems into the Gaia project was a very easy one ...
In the first half of August the existing old single storey brick veneer/slab on ground/timber truss roof house on this site in 10 Culbara Street, Mooloolaba, has been demolished, salvaging as much of the existing structure as possible for reuse in the proposed new two storey house: the hardwood timber trusses will be reused as smaller remilled timber battened garage door, screens and trellises - the beautifully weathered old hardwood jetty timbers will be incorporated into the fencing of the new house and even the brick and concrete rubble, instead of going to the tip and adding to wasteful landfill will be crushed into smaller aggregate, which will be reused in the concrete batches for footings, slabs and driveway.
Today the comprehensive design and engineering documentation has been submitted to the private certifiers for building approval.
Next week the building will be set out and the excavation works for pool and under ground stormwater storage will commence ... exciting times ahead ... if you would like to get a sneak preview of the look of the finished building: please see a couple of 3D images by 'shazzam' stodios under 'pics' - 'the Gaia project' album!
