{"id":39818,"date":"2022-08-08T18:36:42","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T06:36:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propertynoise.co.nz\/au\/?p=39818"},"modified":"2022-08-08T18:36:42","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T06:36:42","slug":"the-block-2022-has-gone-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propertynoise.co.nz\/au\/the-block-2022-has-gone-green\/","title":{"rendered":"The Block 2022 has gone green"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOTO: The Block<\/strong><\/p>\n

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If you thought you knew what to expect from\u00a0The Block<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>this year, think again.<\/p>\n

\"Ex-AFL<\/a><\/div>\n
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From Bondi to Byron for ex\u2014AFL star and The Block quitter<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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For starters, this season will take place not in an urban setting but against the rural backdrop of Victoria\u2019s Macedon Ranges. Contestants will be renovating homesteads relocated from around the country and set on 4 hectares of land. They will have 40,000 square metres of space to work with \u2013 a far cry from the 73 square metres they had in the show\u2019s first season 20 years ago. In a spicy twist, host Scott Cam will be renovating his own home alongside the contestants.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/div>\n
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Watch The Block \u2018conwoman\u2019 hold her own in a WAR press conference | WATCH<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But perhaps the biggest change is that these homesteads are completely off-grid and more ambitiously sustainable than anything we\u2019ve seen on the show before.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe once did a project in Melbourne that was 8-star rated, so we have tackled these issues before, but this series gave us a chance to take all of that to another level,\u201d says executive producer Julian Cress. \u201cI personally believe that sustainability is a hugely important subject for all of us to discuss and I know that we\u2019re not leading that conversation. We believe that most Australians are very conscious of sustainability now, so we just wanted to try and showcase some of the real leading-edge technologies that are available within this series.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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‘We were just trying to use the absolute best and most sustainable practice in everything that we did this year,’ says Julian Cress, co-creator and executive producer of The Block. Photo: Supplied<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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To that end, the show partnered with RedEarth Energy in installing 50-kilowatt ground-mount solar arrays to supply electricity to each property, and they enlisted the help of Rinnai, which is pioneering new geothermal heating and cooling methods.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/div>\n
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The Block 2022: What to expect from the season dubbed the \u2018best yet\u2019<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sustainability Victoria, meanwhile, helped ensure each home meets a minimum 7-star energy rating. Building and landscaping materials were recycled on a mass scale to minimise the ecological footprint of the renovating process, and all of the wastewater from each of the properties is used as irrigation for the gardens. All windows and doors are triple-glazed, and window frames are made from fully-recyclable PVC (thanks to Aluplast).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe were just trying to use the absolute best and most sustainable practice in everything that we did this year,\u201d explains Cress.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Fifty-kilowatt ground-mount solar arrays supply electricity to each property. Photo: Channel Nine<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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To Cress, one of the most exciting aspects this year is the show\u2019s use of a 3D printer to print an entire pool cabana in just 28 hours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThis is one of the most incredible things any of us had ever seen,\u201d he says. \u201c\u2026There\u2019s zero building waste. The cost of building it is about 40-50 per cent less than normal building methods. And the products you use to build it all come from fully sustainable sources. It is, I believe, having watched it unfold before my very eyes \u2026 the future of building.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Julian Brenchley, the show\u2019s architect, says this year\u2019s show took a three-pronged approach of sustainability, resilience and a \u201cnew rural\u201d sensibility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe love the idea of being able to reuse old houses and that ties really well into sustainability for us,\u201d he says. \u201cIf we can reuse something, why not?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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‘It was just grass,’ says Block architect Julian Brenchley. ‘And then all of a sudden within 12 weeks we\u2019ve got six completed houses.’ Photo: Channel Nine<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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The houses are oriented to interact with their environment and take full advantage of views towards Mount Macedon\u2019s \u201cRed Rock\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In terms of resilience, the houses are self-sufficient, designed to stand the test of time, and bushfire-resistant thanks to non-combustible Truecore steel frames.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/div>\n
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Scott Cam\u2019s ex-home now a sad \u2018mausoleum\u2019 that should be next The Block project<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Brenchley says the season was not without its challenges (thanks to the material and labour shortages that are plaguing the whole construction industry), but it has had an extraordinary outcome and been a \u201cgreat adventure\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt was just grass,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd then all of a sudden within 12 weeks we\u2019ve got six completed houses with swimming pools. It\u2019s extraordinary to see that, from go to whoa \u2026 we do that often enough on\u00a0The Block<\/em>\u00a0in suburban environments, but we\u2019re [usually] starting with a built form. To me that\u2019s been really exciting, and to do it in a sustainable way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/div>\n
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The Block\u2019s Deb and Andy Saunders list their stunning holiday home<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

READ MORE VIA DOMAIN<\/a><\/p>\n

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