According to Dunbar’s Number theory, humans can only really maintain about 150 practical connections with quality relationships at once. That is, there is a cognitive limit on human groups at about 150 individuals. The theory suggests tightest circle has just five people loved ones. That’s followed by successive layers of 15 (good friends), 50 (friends) and 150 meaningful contacts. These numbers have been derived from studies of people and primates by Emeritus Professor Robin Dunbar and others.

Density also plays a role however more importantly, shared and interaction spaces are vital. For example, people living in apartments with lifts might not bump into each other often enough to maintain a useful bond. This is why including community facilities blending it with mixed-use or retail in such cases is extremely valuable. These facilities provide the essential infrastructure that enable the “glue” to form between residents, and the wider community.

Sustainability advocate Ben O’Callaghan believes the same theory can be used to design communities to be more successful, based on his intentional community experiences. That is, residential developments should be grouped in a way that creates a community of approximately 100 to 150 people and no more. “Beyond this people forget names and trust relationships cannot be formed. Below these levels, a group becomes too insular, and economies of scale break down. For example, if you have find you fail to get along with a small number of people in a community of just 15 dwellings (about 40 people) you may not want to attend any social events and end up leaving. However, in a community of 30 dwellings minor conflict is much easier to cope with and work around because there are many more events and opportunities to be with people you get along with”.

This is not to say that you cannot have a ‘community’ of 20,000 homes, which some housing developers attempt. The groupings/hamlets just need to be designed in such a way that supports people being able to have closer bonds without being overwhelmed. That is, they each need their own identity and shared facilities or social network. Examples include physical infrastructure such as meeting hall and place to share a meal, and virtual tools such as an online residents forum, group or email group. This allows the community ties to strengthen and trust to build, for example to share emotions, materials or childminding. Designing the infrastructure and space to enable such random connections to occur it critical early on in the planning process.

Examples based on experience living or visiting different communities include:

1. In the Ecovillage at Currumbin, Australia’s most awarded residential estate, 440 people reside across three residential stages. These are intentionally broken down into Ecohamlets with the aim of enabling bonds to form between occupants, who see each other across the regularly, because they are designed in circular groupings. In practice the community is a little large with residents not being able to remember everyone else’s name or form meaningful relationship with all 440 residents. Similarly, the layers of governance and land-use makes decision making slower. This doesn’t stop many valuable relationships forming though, as evidenced by the amount of sharing that goes on daily for items such as trailers, child-seats and locally grown fruit. Interestingly, even at this size, the community still hasn’t been able to attract an in-house plumber to the site which many residents would value! A unique feature was the main bridge that was partially designed to be one lane only, to slow people down and force them to speak with each other rather than rush past. The communal letterboxes and recycling bins are similarly designed.
2. The most famous Cohousing model suggests 15 to the optimum size of a cohousing community is between 15 and 30 households. In 2016 Ben O’Callaghan was a guest speaker at the University of Technology Sydney with Cohousing advocate Charles Durrett who wrote the ‘bible’ on Cohousing back in 1988.
3. Living in a body corporate community in Canberra of 18 units was large enough to hold diverse experience and skills, for example to trade computer repair skills from one resident, for a meal from an elderly resident. The residents even managed to galvanise its legal skills to win a case to stop an incompatible high-rise commercial development occurring on its border. A community with a smaller number of dwellings might not have been able to achieve such feats.
4. Canberra Cohousing Association planned 26 homes and founded a design group based on that population which worked well during the planning phase.
5. Christie Walk in Adelaide is a perfectly sized three storey community with 27 homes and 2,000sqm of gardens https://www.urbanecology.org.au/eco-cities/christie-walk/
6. Ben’s masters research of sustainable housing at the University of Sydney also helped confirm parts of Dunbar’s theory and the value that optimal dwelling numbers can provide to urban planners, developers and designers alike.

Ben continues to work with other designers, landholders and government to design more sustainable communities with the infrastructure to provide the foundation to enable stronger relationships.

For more on “Dunbar’s Number” see his TED talk or research at https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0158

Christie Walk, Adelaide, Australia

We have changed to using two electric cars and upgraded our solar array to 11kW to charge them. I personally haven’t been to a petrol station for over 2 years (since owning the Model X Tesla). Despite their capital cost, they are 75% cheaper to run and are leaders in the field of road safety “Both the Model 3 and Model X achieved the highest Safety Assist scores recorded to date at 94%” https://thedriven.io/2019/12/20/telsa-models-x-and-3-ranked-among-australias-top-3-safest-cars-for-2019/ “Personal transport can be a larger contributor to greenhouse gas emissions than homes so I think it is important to address and integrate the solutions to both” . It is crazy to think these cars pay more in taxes that other types despite their much lower emissions over the life of the vehicle, and other social and environmental benefits.

Ecomplish is so proud to have been associated with the GBCA for over 10 years! I remember attending one of the first public forums on the Council’s plans in Canberra back in 2003; I had personally experienced some of the huge gaps in the building industry, that thankfully Green Star now fills. It has been wonderful to be involved and helping to improve some of the credits within Green Star that make it such a dependable and robust certification system. I have also lost count of the number of nation-wide Green Star Assessments I’ve completed for the GBCA; these projects are all amazing in their own rights and are providing the leadership we continue to need in society to address climate change today.

YourHome is best sustainable house guide our Government has ever commissioned. The addition of free sample House Designs merely adds to its credentials as an easy-to-use resource for anyone interested in improving their home or considering a new house. It is now easy to build homes that achieve 7.5 to 9 Star NatHERS ratings. Enjoy them, and remember to tailor them to suit your specific block and local climate www.yourhome.gov.au/house-designs #yourhome #sustainablehousing #sustainabledesign #esd #solarenergy #passivedesign #passivehouse #NatHERS

Ecomplish is proud to have just been engaged on another James Cook University design project, this time for the Technology Innovation Centre by KIRK Studio. We cannot reveal much yet but sustainability professionals dsquared and Ecomplish have high hopes. The project is looking to back up its big ESD claims with a nation-leading green building certification.

Design credit: KIRK Studio, Brisbane Australia

After reviewing the electric car options, I opted to purchase the Tesla Model X six months ago and have not regretted it. The technology in these cars has to be seen to be believed. Safety for my family was a key factor, and this car is one of the safest SUVs in the world to that swayed me. However, even the i30 we own has AEB. The Tesla goes further though, with its autopilot features, cameras, multiple sensors, and a low centre of gravity due to the 5000 heavy batteries in its floor. That weight is also a disadvantage of course, as it makes it a very heavy car which requires more energy to move it. It can however tow 2 tonne.

Now that I have a Tesla I’m keen to share it so if you want to hire it you can check the calendar for its availability here https://www.ecobenno.com.au/rent-tesla Schools can also hire me and the car for Future Energy Shows.

One of the biggest pros of the Tesla is its low operating costs. There is NO engine to service, so no spark plugs, radiator, carburettor to break or worry about – in fact only 26 moving parts. Basically you just replace the (big) tyres, brake pads and wiper blades every few years. They say we should service them every 12 to 18 months but a friend hasn’t serviced his Model S for over 3 years because its running so well. The 75D model I have, has dual motors at the front and back. You can put the shopping (or kids) in the front trunk (frunk) if you really want to : ) Most electric cars also cost about 75% less to fuel it (with energy) however because I use my solar panels its basically free to charge it.

Should people buy them?  If you want to support Tesla and help lead the transition to 100% electric vehicles then go for it, but remember that they are currently more expensive than traditional ICE cars, so I advise most people to wait until 2024 when price parity will be achieved and the capital costs will be much lower.

I charge my Tesla using solar power from my 6kW rooftop PV array or my SOLAX/LG Chem batteries, or local Queensland Government superhighway or Tesla Superchargers if I’m traveling long distances. Either way its all renewable power so a step in the right direction. Most life-cycle studies indicate electric cars are better for the environment, despite the embodied energy in their batteries, as they don’t require fossil fuels to power them. They also have fewer components and will take over ICE cars very soon.

Apart from the autonomous driving, which allows it to drive itself on open highways with ease, some other outstanding features include the automatic handbrake, a 43 cm touch screen, games, an internet browser (which appeared in the October software update), Netflix, smooth acceleration, great handling, Dancing Car Mode and falcon wing doors (which have pros and cons). On top of all that it includes the standard luxury items such as heated seats, powered seats, automatic headlights and high-beams, keyless entry, fully collapsible seats (you can fit a bed it in, or 7 people). And for fun you can also Smart Summon the car from the other side of a car park, right to your feet. The first Smart Summon in Australia in a Model X was completed by me here.

In summary the car is amazing and beyond my expectations. I’m getting used to it now and hate driving other cars in comparison but realise it is a bit investment at this stage. It has however educated me a lot, and this helps me to understand how charging systems work, where they should go and the various different charge station types, which helps with designing and future-proofing buildings and communities. Also my 13.5kW SOLAX battery system has taught me a lot about the limits of batteries and how important charging times and use are to optimise their capabilities. Their interaction with an electric car also changes they way the solar system should be managed; feel free to contact me if you want more advice on solar PV, batteries and EV relationships; or if you are thinking about an EV purchase, I can get you some free supercharging.

I am looking forward to seeing the Model Y in Australia when that comes out, which is a smaller SUV version and will be easier to park. The other option arriving in Australia soon will be the be the KIA Niro EV, which will be better than the current Hyundai Kona EV.

Here are two videos of my Tesla MX showing off…

Thanks to Tesla for pushing the envelope and leading the market. Someone has to do it.

Congratulations to Loving Hearts childcare centre again for becoming a Finalist in this year’s Banksia Sustainability Awards in the medium business category. See the Early Learning Centre Case Study here.

Ecomplish is proud to launch the short documentary film (below) we have just finished shooting and producing about the sustainable building called “The Science Place”. This James Cook University $80M centre has been certified LEED Gold.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is the world’s most recognised Green Building certification system, with only the most sustainable buildings achieving a Gold rating. Ecomplish and leading Australian Ecologically Sustainable Design (ESD) experts dsquared were employed as the sustainable design consultants for the building from 2013 to 2016. Ecomplish was also asked to produce the documentary.

“We took footage of the design and construction process over several years to record is challenges and industry innovations” said Ben O’Callaghan, Director of Ecomplish Sustainability.  

“The Green Building Industry is getting better at promoting smart sustainable buildings and this exemplar is a credit to James Cook University and all those involved in its design and construction” said Ben.

The 6-minute video describes the sustainable design features of the building and examples of the university’s leading-edge research embedded in it.

“Both the students and researchers say they love it,” said Ben.

dsquared completed the LEED submission for JCU with the assistance of Ecomplish, the internationally awarded architects Hassell and leading construction company Lend Lease.

The film was Selected for showing at the Great Lakes International Film Festival in October 2019.

For more information about sustainable buildings and how to design or promote them, feel free to ask Ecomplish.

Want to study in a space like this? You can at JCU:
https://www.jcu.edu.au/courses-and-study

Loving Hearts childcare centre constructed by Jorgensens, has taken out the Queensland Master Builder’s Excellence in Energy Efficiency and Environmental Management Award. Ecomplish was proud to be involved in the project, conducting the first feasibility study in 2015, then managing the sustainable design. We are also engaged to manage the centre’s sustainable operational performance, to ensure the building is optimised and continually delivering as predicted. The project is now eligible for the National Australian Award on November 24. The centre also obtained the UDIA’s first EnviroDevelopment rating for a QLD childcare centre! See the Early Learning Centre Case Study here.

Jorgensens:

This year, Ecomplish has been working with a major residential developer to conduct ‘innovation’ focus groups and test a new concept in sustainable living, in three capital cities.

Stay tuned for more information on the potential new premium offering, as the results come in..

Congratulations to Jorgensens Builders for winning the Master Builders Queensland Excellence in Energy Efficiency and Environmental Management award – Gold Coast.  Ecomplish was proud to be involved as the sustainability manager on the project, which is arguably the most sustainable childcare centre in Australia. See the Early Learning Centre Case Study here.

Keynote speaker Ben O’Callaghan presented to a full room of 70 residents at Huon Hill on Wednesday night about a visionary grass-roots ecovillage project called Little Springs Village in Wodonga, Victoria. Ben also took the audience through several interesting statistics on Currumbin Ecovillage in Queensland, the most awarded residential estate in Australia. The event was covered by The Border Mail the next day.

A small group of long-time Leneva (Victoria, Australia) friends started taking steps to plan the project after touring Currumbin Ecovillage and falling in love with its vision, community facilities and design. Project Coordinator Kyleigh Andrews opened the event and invited feedback from the attendees and the wider community, so that it could be designed by the community, for the community. The Little Springs Village project is visionary as it aims to deliver several innovations in a peri-urban setting, unique to the area, such as:

• a place for farmers to retire, where they can still lead agriculture in fertile gardens surrounding their homes
• a place for families and those interested in sharing resources, to save on time and money
• infrastructure to support collaboration, health and sharing including a pool, gym, storage spaces and library
• designs support the synergies between younger and older generations using cohousing and ecovillage principles
• a variety of high quality shared equipment such as bikes, tools, trailers, baby strollers, machinery and a variety of share cars
• the highest levels of environmentally sustainable building
• a demonstration project that the local Council can use to promote best practice urban design and educate others
• Ecomplish has been engaged to provide professional advice on the planning and sustainable design of the strategic project.

Local residents and landholders on the coast of Queensland have employed Ben O’Callaghan of Ecomplish to provide professional advice on the planning and design of a new sustainable community. The site is amazing and will provide produce for residents on the fertile soils, near Yeppoon’s coastline, the gateway to the famous Great Keppel Island. Is Yeppoon the Gold Coast of the north?

We cannot say any more right now, but standby for more information as this exciting project evolves!