Case Studies

            Sydney architect Kylie Mills did her Passive House designer training in 2015 and she’s been moving her practice toward more sustainable projects for years. A determined and highly engaged client building in Ballina on NSW’s northern coast provided the opportunity for Kylie’s first Passive House project; and what a beauty it is.  The site …

   House Profile Read more about this project in this feature by Stuff.  

Architectural Designer Glenn Murdoch was in the very first cohort to train as a Passive House designer in New Zealand and his practice is now entirely focused on high-performance buildings. He says all his clients now walk in the door with some degree of awareness of the Passive House standard. Woodlau Rise’s owner was no exception and Passive House certification …

This Canterbury home is a terrific example of what happens when a client—and their architect—are brave enough to consider alternatives to standard floor plans and instead aim for a home that fits them like a glove. This beautiful home on an end section looks out over the river. It is very much a house of two halves, with the principal …

New Zealand’s newest Passive House Plus is home to a couple—and their two electric cars. Their latest monthly power bill was about $50, of which fully $30 was line and other fixed charges. And that’s in Dunedin, still chilly in October! It will be equally as comfortable and still miserly on energy even during heatwaves in summer. External blinds will …

The owners of this large landholding on the western shores of Lake Wanaka have an ambition to build a luxury lodge, as previewed in Jason Quinn’s book on Passive House in New Zealand. Meanwhile they have built a striking three-bedroom Passive House home—no small achievement given the highly demanding constraints on building in this designated significant natural landscape zone. The …

Lower Saddle House is the family home for Auckland architect Joe Lyth, who qualified as a Passive House designer during the planning phase. It’s had lots of press. In particular Joe’s essay for Architecture Now was widely discussed, because he described how this certified, high-performance build was completed within their $502K budget. It is true that Lower Saddle House achieved …

History has been made: the Toiora co-housing project in Dunedin has met all its targets and both buildings have received their Passive House certification. The development is home to 21 units and is both the largest Passive House project in New Zealand to date and the first multi-unit Passive House residential dwelling.  The success of Toiora is testament to the …

It’s been a long road to their “forever home” but the wait for this newly certified Passive House just north of Wellington has been worth it. Work began in 2016, but the subdivision and gaining title dragged on and then Covid created unforeseen delays. But all’s well that ends well. The four-bedroom 187m2 home shelters multiple generations. It sits on …