A perennial problem for architects is the integration of services gear with their design. Here, for example is a modest cottage in a remote location on the South Australian coast which has had to go autonomous with all its services, and is almost covered with their gear.

Its roof supports as many solar power panels as it can, plus a solar hot water service collector panel. The power is stored in lithium-ion batteries located in the big cabinets on the east (left side) wall. There is 27 kilowatt-hours of power storage. The hot water is stored in a tank inside the roof, where it can add to the heat economy of the house.

The roof has to catch all the water the house’s occupants will use and store it in adjacent tanks – there are 55,000 litres for the house, plus 10,000 litres for bushfire protection. The water is put through a salt interceptor before it reaches the storage tanks. It is pumped to useage points by an electric pump adjacent the eastern wall.

Bushfire protection is provided by an Embarr automatic system. An electric ‘eye’ – on a pole in the middle of the roof ridge – activates a sprinkler system if it detects a band of ultra-violet which only flame emits. The sprinklers are powered by a diesel pump by the eastern wall.

Air conditioning is of the reverse-cycle type: this needs a external condenser unit which is located outside the – you guessed it – eastern wall. (The lee side of the eastern wall is the most protected from moisture-laden winds from the breaking surf 500 metres away.)

Finally, there are comms: the TV antenna and aerials for the phone and internet services.

As usual, the architect has tried to integrate all the gear for these services into the design with the initial design and, as usual, not quite brought it off.