Location and climate

Located in a rural area on the outskirts of Melbourne in the Dandenong Ranges, the site covers approximately 10 acres on a gentle ten-degree slope to the north-west. The site was originally a tree plantation with one acre to be cleared to form the house site and the remaining area to be retained for commercial tree-plantation purposes. An existing public access road is situated to the north-east of the site with water, electrical and gas services available at this point. No sewerage services were existing on the site.

Heating degree hours for Melbourne are 33,059 and cooling degree hours are 300. The Dandenong Ranges region, however, experiences temperatures several degrees cooler than that in Melbourne with an approximate range of -5 degrees Centigrade in winter to the high 30s in summer. Prevailing winds are from the south-west in winter and the north-west in summer. The high point of the site receives particularly strong air movement with breezes rising from the valley to the west. The internal comfort temperatures are designed to fall between 18 and 25 degrees Centigrade.