The home was conceived of and built in stages by its owner, a Building Designer. This eco home features solar passive and biophilic design principles, straw bale and recycled timbers, and has expansive views across the treetops to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Originally designed using solar passive principles, the design was further refined after the owner became a Passivhaus–certified designer. Additional insulation was added, thermal bridges reduced, and the building envelope made more airtight to enhance performance.
Other features include:
Construction with non-load bearing straw bale, within a post-and-beam structure, using reclaimed timbers salvaged from an old railway bridge.
The site was part of an old established exotic garden & required removal of large, softwood trees. This timber was milled on site and crafted into lining boards, shelving & trims, all left raw to enhance the home’s biophilic feel.
Designed with northern orientation, the home is essentially one room wide to capture the winter sun. Operable, timber & uPVC double glazed casement windows and carefully positioned southern openings enable effective cross-ventilation and capture cooling summer breezes.
The lower level features a concrete slab floor to capture winter sun and absorb summer heat (which can escape overnight with crossflow ventilation). The upper level of the house has no thermal mass, instead using phase change material to help moderate temperatures. The first stage of the house was completed in 2003, when instantaneous gas hot water and gas hydronic heating were considered practical and efficient choices. Heat pump technology was not widely available at the time. We recognise that moving away from gas is now an important part of creating all-electric, low-emission homes, and this remains a future opportunity as the existing appliances reach the end of their life. This beautiful home is currently for sale and is listed with McGrath Real Estate
