Green Design Studio

Muwinina,
South Hobart,
TAS
Online home tour

About this home

The 42m2 ‘Green Design Studio’ was designed as a backyard office for the owners’ architectural practice, and as a testing ground for design and material ideas. Designed to Passive House principles, it is highly airtight and well insulated, and rates 8.7 Stars. Flexibility for it to be used as a residence was built into the design.

Brief:
Small flexible space to accommodate an office.
Inbuilt future flexibility for residential use.
Making use of a constrained site.
Bushfire resistant – BAL 19.
Rainwater collection.
Site rehabilitation with local stormwater pond, Native vegetation.
Net zero carbon.


Energy:
Passive House.
5.8kW solar power.
Net export of power exceeds net import.
Heat pump hot water.
Permeable and airtight, highly insulated envelope.
8.7 stars.
Heat recovery ventilation.

‍Materials:
All low embodied energy and low VOC materials.
Cement sheet & obliqua cladding.
Spotted gum decking.
Triple glazed timber-aluminium composite tilt/turn windows.
Joinery: FSC certified ply, paperock, recycled timber.

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Q & A

What motivated you to build or retrofit sustainably?
Type: Passive House or EnerPHit, Standalone house/townhouse, Studio
Project: New build
Architect: Green Design Architects
Designer: Uta Green
Builder: Matt Calic
Size: 42m²
Energy Rating: 8.7
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 1

Sustainability Features

Building Materials & Envelope

Draught-proofing/air sealing
High-performance insulation
Double or triple-glazed windows
Sustainable or low-impact materials
Recycled or reused materials
Other

Heating, Cooling and Ventilation

Passive heating/cooling (north-facing glazing, cross ventilation, thermal mass, shading, etc.)
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system

Energy and Appliances

Rooftop solar PV
Dedicated wall-mounted EV charging
Efficient lighting (LED, daylighting, solar skylights)
Heat pump hot water
Electric cooktop - induction/ceramic
Other energy-efficient appliances

Water & Waste Systems

Water-efficient fixtures
Rainwater tanks
Other

Landscape & Biodiversity

Native garden
Edible garden
Beehives
Wildlife-supporting habitat

Climate Resilience

Flood
Bushfire
Cyclone/storm
Heatwave

Accessible & Flexible Design Features

Design for flexible use
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