Chapel Hill earmarked for Retrofit revolution According to Brisbane's leading sustainable building and renovation expert, Chapel Hill is the perfect suburb for a ''retrofit revolution'' which would see older inner city suburbs given a breath of new life through sustainable renovations and master planning. Brett McKenzie, CEO of one of Australia's most innovative and sustainable building and design firms Sustainable, is passionate about making communities more liveable and has ambitions to see South East Queensland return to ''village life'', particularly among inner city suburbs, to prevent further urban sprawl. "Brisbane is best placed as a metropolitan city to establish real change and provide leadership internationally in re-establishing the village lifestyle due to its history as a big country town," Mr McKenzie said. ''Suburbs like Chapel Hill or Kenmore may be older, but have the perfect ingredients to be retrofitted, which would see the area rejuvenated through simple but considered design; encouraging village life and more sustainable communities,'' Mr McKenzie said. ''This can be achieved by creating a master plan.'' He said a master plan considers everything from establishing guidelines for home owners when renovating to redefining transport and transit paths. It also incorporates the redesign of shopping strips to create a more village atmosphere, encouraging cooperation between local businesses through integrated office hubs which have community water tanks, solar power parks, and edible, productive gardens on public land. ''Rather than travelling to a big major centre and consuming fuel, communities should be able to access everything they need just around the corner,'' Mr McKenzie said. ''Pockets of land could be given back to the community to allow fresh vegetables to be farmed and sold at the local store and access provided to community groups. ''Communities could all contribute to the purchase of solar panels for renewable energy and by purchasing collectively, they would lower the original outlay cost. ''Not only does a suburban retrofit rejuvenate tired and run down business precincts and minimise a community's carbon footprint, the aim is to create a community atmosphere where residents actually know each other and their local butcher, grocer, banker, hardware store etc, as previous generations did." He said it was about building better citizens through a better living environment, and this could be achieved through all levels of government and the community committing to a master plan. Mr McKenzie said his dream would be to work collaboratively with all levels of government to retrofit a Brisbane suburb to demonstrate that older suburbs could be transformed to be more sustainable and that village life could be recreated. He said the building and development industry's needed to move away from the monoculture of broad scale development methodology. However, while it is a mammoth task to change current industry standards, he said individuals could make a difference now by retrofitting their homes. ''We want to strive to make a real difference by using individuals to retrofit one suburb at a time,'' he said. ''A well-planned retrofit can make your home a living and breathing entity that connects with its local environment and minimises its carbon footprint, saving you money on electricity and water bills." With livings costs on the rise continually and the recent hike in electricity costs, Mr Mckenzie said now was a better time then ever to look at making your home more sustainable. Sustainable's total home retrofit solution incorporates everything from replacing old light and tap fittings with new energy and water saving devices; incorporating recycled materials into design; maximising light and ventilation; and creating landscape solutions that bring the outdoors in. ''Small interventions and intelligent design concepts can totally transform the look and feel of a home and make it substantially more cost efficient,'' he said. "By taking a more sustainable approach to renovating, you are not only saving yourself money in the long term and adding value to your home, but minimising environmental impact. Most importantly, adopting a sustainable approach to your home will ultimately improve your family's quality of life and health well into the future.''