Environment
Saffire has been built using a framework of environmental sustainability. Core principles underlying the development are “the protection of healthy sites” and the “healing of damaged sites”.
The original Saffire site was a caravan park and backpackers’ accommodation, and so had suffered a great deal of degradation and erosion. The Saffire site occupies a small portion of what had been cleared and eroded, and so a great deal of time has been spent revegetating the site with 30,000 native plants to encourage a return to its natural form.
Consideration has also been given to bushfire management, collection and conservation of rain water, minimal use of night lighting of landscaped areas, construction management and the long-term maintenance of the site.
The landscape design draws from the concept of a coastal sanctuary, reflecting what it might have looked like prior to Western civilisation and restoring the natural ecosystems where possible.
Ongoing environmentally sustainable practices include:
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Limiting further impacts on the landscape through activity
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Insulation
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Double glazing
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Highly energy efficient hot water usage and lighting
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Natural cycle air flow systems