Design & Environment
With a focus on sustainability, we aim to tread lightly on the earth. The bus apartment was inspired by a desire to re-use, recycle and make the best use of resources often not utilised. Prior to beginning its new life at Huntingdon Tier, the Treetops bus was used to transport children to school in North Western Tasmania. Upon being decommissioned, the bus was saved from a fate of being crushed for scrap metal.
The renovation process involved using as much recycled material as possible – the interior walls were salvaged from a 100 year old barn nearby, while the kitchen bench was re-purposed from the underfloor joists of a 150 year old house in West Hobart. The chairs on either side of the kitchen table are original bus bench seats (although from an older bus) and the bathroom basin is recycled from another house demolition, destined for landfill.
Outside, the deck has been crafted from a derelict farm shed which was to be burnt down if not salvaged. The hot tub is made from an old vat, unused for many years and, like the bus itself, destined for scrap metal. Heated by an internal wood stove – also recycled – this takes some time to heat, however it is worth the wait.
Being completely off-grid, solar and wind energy supply the power necessary for all of the apartment’s electrical requirements. The water used is rain-fed, while the waste is filtered and re-introduced to the landscape. A modern composting toilet means that water use is minimised, while the compost is used to fertilise new native vegetation plantations on the property.
