A Modular Passive House

Indoor health and exceptional energy efficiency are front and centre in this 4 bedroom home in Melbourne built to the Passive House standard which is a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, and reducing its ecological footprint.

With a low-lying form, the building remains humble to its existing protected surrounding landscape of pine and gum trees. Curved timber screens soften the corners and Blackbutt Shou Sugi Ban external cladding aid to blur the line between building and bushland.

A 10m long projecting clerestory roof offer scattered glimpses of the surrounding southern tree canopy from the interior spaces through an angled mirrored ceiling along the corridor linking the bedrooms, while the main living area opens up through large lift-slide doors to a deck which overlooks the garden below and vista beyond to the north.

The home acts as a sanctuary for the family. Designed to provide a strong connection to nature, it emphasises well-being and environmental sustainability through ensuring optimum indoor quality and thermal comfort all year round with minimal energy consumption.

The ‘best-of-both-worlds’ Wood-Alu Range was used in this project with Victorian ash hardwood frames on the inside with low maintenance exterior aluminium cladding. The tilt & turn windows, clerestory and picture windows, lift-slide and hinged doors are highly energy efficient, triple glazed and airtight with a U-value of less than 1. The entrance combination features a step-free magnetic threshold to ensure draft-free living.

The home utilises the efficiencies of modular construction to meet time, cost and quality targets that would usually be unachievable with a standard onsite build.

Designed and built by ARKit

Images courtesy of ARKit