Upon stepping into off-grid home, Driftwood, designed and built by The Sociable Weaver, a simultaneous grounding, and feeling of expansion washes over you.
Grounded by the rhythms and cycles of Mother Nature, Driftwood is completely off-grid and self sufficient – from electricity, to water, to waste. Laying on eight acres on Wadawurrung Country on the Surf Coast, the 175m2 home oozes spaciousness. As Designer of the home, Michael Nowlan said,
‘We really wanted to show that an off-grid home doesn’t need to just be sustainable, it can also be beautiful, and spacious.’
Driftwood is a glorious example of how the three P’s of Intention – People, Planet, and Profit – can flow together in a stream of flourishing unity in the built environment. From The Sociable Weaver – a certified B Corporation since 2019, to Koala, to Koskela, all the way to responsible bank, Bank Australia – step inside Driftwood, and you’ve basically arrived at a B Corp Party! For those who don’t know, the B Corporation certification measures a company’s entire social and environmental performance, making it easier than ever to identify the businesses who are verified in walkin’ their talk. For the owners, who work in a B Corp and renewable energy, their intention was to create a home that is deeply aligned with their values, from corner to corner.
For each Sociable Weaver designed home, an eTool Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is performed, allowing the team at TSW to quantify and measure all aspects of the environmental impacts of each design. Over its lifespan, it is expected that Driftwood will emit 635 tCO2e less than average or standard buildings providing the same functionality. For those of us whom this figures wooshes straight over our heads, this amount is equivalent to: 3,807 trees planted; or 167 cars taken off the road for a year; or 85 zero energy Australian homes for a year; or 19,000,000 balloons of CO2 gas removed from the atmosphere!
Off-grid living takes treading-lightly on the Earth to a new level, and this stunning Sociable Weaver home shows that self-sufficiency, achieving spacious comfort, and beauty, are all possible under the one roof. To live off-grid is to truly be held by the elements. The feeling of this experience is akin to the feeling of a long exhale, a relaxing of the jaw and shoulders, a melting into the Knowing that it’s okay to just be. Imagine if each of us were held by our homes in this way!
A mecca for conscious and meaningful collaboration in business, within the walls of Driftwood, there also lies a beautifully personal collaboration between a brother and sister. It’s impossible to look past the incredible work of Melbourne-based Artist, Hannah Nowlan, adorning the walls. What makes the pieces all the more special, is knowing they are sitting in the home designed by her brother, Michael Nowlan.
“While the form of our work is different, we both create with a deep purpose of moving towards abetter world. It’s so special to have Hannah’s work (with frames made by dad!),in this home!” says Michael.
The inspiring energy, truly sustainable design, and quality build allows Driftwood to hold the family with support and love in the everyday, and will do so for generations to come. The open living space and kitchen in the heart of the home brings the inhabitants together, while allowing fluidity and space for retreat when time for introspection is needed, or when friends come to stay. This thoughtful design, paired with the durable materials will allow
Driftwood to provide comfort and functionality throughout both the seasons of weather and the seasons of life.
From big picture collaboration, to a kindred vision for a more connected and sustainable world, every square inch of Driftwood celebrates what it is to create with deep intention, and a whole lot of heart. It shows us the power of collaboration of businesses, and the power of choice of individuals. And what a relief that this journey that can sometimes feel overwhelming, can indeed be full of joy, beauty and hope.
A heartfelt thank you to all of the incredible, like-minded brands who collaborated on this sustainable project: Koskela, Koala, Cultiver, Kobn, House of Orange, Plyroom, and Hannah Nowlan.
Driftwood lays on the unceded lands of the Wadawurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We’d like to acknowledge the Wadawurrungpeople of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of this land. We acknowledge their ancient and continuing connection to land, waters andculture, and we pay our deepest respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.
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