A Passivhaus that pushes eco boundaries - Kyneton
Our clients were seeking a tree change to raise their young family. They possessed a strong desire for a highly efficient and sustainable home that settled into the landscape, allowed for generous garden spaces, and connected them to the beautiful nearby lake to the west. Their requirements for a low-maintenance home with an abundance of natural light required careful design consideration to maximise their modest budget.
Navigating the existing vegetation and topography to maximise the views to the Western lake, incorporate passive solar design principles and ensure the internal layout flowed successfully was a significant challenge.
This Passivhaus has two ‘wings’ that align to the eastern and southern boundaries. This provides true north orientation to the living spaces with western views to the lake, and the bedroom wing has reduced glass areas facing northwest. This design approach provided the northern outdoor entertaining areas with privacy from the street, and a connection to the stand of existing trees on the north. The roof lines were sloped to maximise the orientation of the solar panels and eave lengths were calculated to maximise the passive solar design.
As well as triple glazed windows, the house has thicker walls - typical external walls usually only have a thermal resistance rating of R2.5 insulation in a 90mm timber stud frame. This house used Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) which were prefabricated in a factory and installed by a crane on the site. The walls for this house were around 380mm thick to achieve almost three times more than your average residence in thermal resistance, achieving around R8. What this means is a lifetime of thermal comfort, low energy bills, and low greenhouse gas emissions.
The intriguing contrast of outside to inside is further strengthened by the warm and earthy ‘Modern Australian’ interiors, developed by HeHe Design, using colours that sit harmoniously among a bushland setting.
Winner, New House $750k-$1m, 2023, Design Matters Awards.
highly efficient and sustainable home
hard-wearing and tough on the outside
super insulated to meet the Passivhaus standard
low energy bills and low greenhouse gas emissions
harmonious, warm and earthy interiors
incredibly comfortable and peaceful home