Hutt 01 Passivehouse

Year: 2021

Type: residential passive house

Size: 180sqm

The Hütt 01 Passivhaus is a family home located in Melbourne, Australia. It is a piece of inspiring contemporary architecture that sets a positive example for regenerative urban densification, reconnecting a forgotten piece of land with its environment. Regenerative design, Passivhaus &biophilic design principles are core values of this project, together with being energy-efficient, carbon-neutral/negative, and an easily maintainable near-net-zero-energy approach. The home demonstrates that sustainability is accessible for today’s lifestyle in the middle of the inner-urban jungle.

The house combines functional playfulness and attention to detail with innovative sustainable construction techniques and materials. It showcases new technologies like CLT with low VOC finishes, natural wood-fiber insulation,thermal-bridge-free high-performance windows, heat-recovery ventilation, a super-airtight building envelope, green walls and planters, roof gardens,heat-recovery shower, aquaponic system and more. It obtains “Passivhaus Premium”(highest possible) certification. It utilizes high-efficiency appliances with heat pump technology, solar photovoltaic and battery storage, integrated active shading, and recycled/natural material throughout. A green roof and rain garden assist with stormwater retention as part of the Water-Sensitive-Urban-Design concept which has been calculated to retain and use over 90% of stormwater on site.

Sustainability was central to the design, an integral component of this holistic approach. The house has been designed to inspire others. A playful, luxurious & fun home that demonstrates how we can build better houses in Australia. How a sustainable design approach &Passivhaus can offer a luxury lifestyle home while offering urban densification on small footprints close to public transport/infrastructure. Passivhaus was key to achieving a near-net-zero energy and carbon-neutral home. This long-established building standard has substantial real-life data supporting it, thus providing peace of mind that actual performance and energy use match projected data. We know the building physics work (e.g.condensation can be a problem in energy-efficient non-Passivhaus homes if not correctly designed). This prototype prefab Passivhaus Premium doesn’t require heating or cooling for most of the year while incorporating many aspects of sustainability and regenerative design.