On why we don’t have to follow our political leaders The Fifth Estate - our view Experts report we’ve had the hottest decade since records began. Large tracts of the country are in flames with ash now contaminating Sydney’s main water storage at Warragamba Dam.
Mainstreaming low carbon design Ian Dixon, GHD and Philip Oldfield, UNSW Low carbon design provides a cost-effective way of improving performance that can be adopted for all buildings. Now, clear guidance on how to achieve such designs is available in a series of free, technical guides.
Passive House social housing at no extra cost – that’s the plan for Melbourne project Willow Aliento | 2 February 2017 A group of investors is using self-managed super funds to develop a social housing project in Melbourne at Passive House standards and at cost parity with conventional social housing.
Housing: NAB backs Passive House without pre-sales, as quality wins Sandra Edmunds | 13 February 2017 The triple-glazed doors and windows of Australia’s first Passive House apartment development will help create a quiet oasis right next to the hustle and bustle of Redfern train station. Steele…
Melbourne mixed-use project brings together Passive House and CLT Willow Aliento | 25 May 2017 Abbotsford in Melbourne’s inner north is set to become home to what might be Australia’s first multi-storey mixed use building that brings together two of property’s hottest sustainability trends –…
Book review: Positive energy homes – creating passive houses for better living Willow Aliento | 29 June 2017 Dr Robin Brimblecombe and Dr Kara Rosemeier’s Positive energy homes will not only be valuable for anyone looking to embrace some or all of the principles of Passive House design, construction and technology, it is also a fantastic primer on the fundamental principles of building physics.
Prefab zero energy passive house wins WA’s missing middle comp Cameron Jewell | 5 July 2017 David Barr Architects has won Western Australian land development agency LandCorp’s Step Up Housing Design Competition with a prefabricated, zero-energy passive house design.
First residents move into Europe’s largest Passivhaus affordable housing estate David Thorpe | 5 September 2017 The first residents have moved into 68 Passivhaus affordable housing properties, with rent set at about 80 per cent of the market rate, and heating costs from as little as $21 a year.
Monash to cut the gas, target Passive House and go 100 per cent renewable Cameron Jewell | 10 October 2017 Monash University has announced it will spend $135 million over the next 13 years to take its campus to 100 per cent renewables, cutting out gas entirely.
Monash announces new Passive House student digs Cameron Jewell | 13 December 2017 Monash University will build new student accommodation to Passive House standards, as it moves forward with ambitious sustainability plans.
Why we should change our building air tightness metrics Sean Maxwell, Air Infiltration and Ventilation Association of Australia | 1 February 2018 Passive House wrote its air tightness standards in terms of air changes per hour at 50 pascals of pressure (ACH50). Is it possible that they picked the wrong metric?
Passive House and the pivot to Asia Andy Marlow, Envirotecture | 14 March 2018 Passive House is bursting out from its European roots and making a big impact in China, a move that promises to further accelerate the adoption of Passive House in warmer climates.
Passive House is on the rise in Australia Andy Marlow, Envirotecture | 15 May 2018 The South Pacific Passive House Conference wrapped up late on Sunday 6 May following a packed day of site tours that included the presentation of a certification plaque for a recently completed house by Maxa Design.
Norwich aims to become Passivhaus capital of the UK David Thorpe | 5 June 2018 Norwich, a city of over 200,000 people in the east of England, has set its sights on becoming the Passivhaus capital of the UK.
Why I want to live in a passive house Kylie Mills, BluKube Architecture | 17 July 2018 Architect Kylie Mills on why she wants to live in a passive house in Sydney that she “would not have to heat or cool pretty much year-round”.
Passivhaus is affordable and effective, why isn’t it legislated? Nick Lane, PassivePlace | 20 September 2018 Huge savings in energy are available from Passivhaus design, and the cost premium is generally as low as 0-3 per cent in Australia. So what’s stopping a full scale transition?…
John Wardle-designed Passive House in Mt Gambier limestone Kylie Mills and Shanice Sime, Australian Passive House Association | 25 September 2018 A Passive House in Toorak that the client wanted built in Mt Gambier Limestone was an interesting challenge for John Wardle Architects
