Pure Passiv 2024

Pure Passiv

“PurePassiv” is home for a family of 5, a knock-down-rebuild completed in 2021.
Designed by Australian sustainable architects Envirotecture, and built by Sydney builder Superior Constructions, it meets the world’s best practice German PassivHaus Premium standard for energy efficiency, thermal comfort and indoor air quality.
It was the first Passivhaus Premium certified project in NSW and the first Green Star-rated home in Australia.
It is a two storey timber frame building, built using a PassivHaus Certified modular prefabricated wall and roof panel system designed and manufactured in Victoria by CarbonLite. This ensured a high level of quality and precision, and significant construction time savings: the project took 8 months from demolition to completion, much faster than a conventional building process. The frame was erected in just 3 days.
The house features:
– Fresh air ventilation system with heat recovery (Zehnder ComfoAir 350)
– Solar shading fins to the North and external operable blinds to the West
– Advanced double glazed windows (LogikHaus)
– Improved insulation
– Zero carbon wood fibre timber cladding made from native Australian timber offcuts (Weathertex)
– 20kWp photovoltaic solar array
– 13.5 kWh battery
– Green roof over the garage
– Rainwater capture (10kL) and reuse for landscape irrigation and toilet flushing
– Extensive gardens for food growing and native plants
– Wheelchair accessible ground floor
– Removable HEPA filter to screen out fine particulates (PM1s) during a bushfire
The PassivHaus Premium certification ensures exceptional thermal comfort, air quality, and energy efficiency, and operational net zero carbon. Double-glazed windows, superior insulation, and a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery (MVHR) work together to minimize energy use. In the last 6 months we used 22 kWh per day in total, for a family of 5, which is 4.4 kWh per person per day, or 29 kWh / m² / year (including car charging).
Being so efficient, and with a large solar array, the house generates more energy than it consumes, even accounting for charging our electric vehicle. Of the energy produced by the solar PV, 25% is used by the house directly during the day, 12% goes to the battery which powers the house overnight, and 8% is used for charging the car, with 55% being exported to the grid. Only about 3% of the power we use is drawn from the grid, everything else we need to power the house and charge the EV is supplied by the rooftop solar and battery.
Bushfire resilience is enhanced through ember attack sprinklers and BAL19 rated wood fibre cladding by Weathertex. The battery improves resilience in storms is provided by islanding from the grid during a blackout.
Designed for long-term adaptability, the home meets Livable Housing Australia Silver standards with features such as flush door sills, wider doorways, and an adaptable ground-floor bathroom.
PurePassiv is a pioneering model of modern, sustainable living—healthy, comfortable, and future-ready. We believe it is a model for a healthy, comfortable and efficient modern Australian homes.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2020, 2021, 2024
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
      Energy monitoring
      Smart home features

    • Energy efficiency:
    • air tight home
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Cross ventilation
      Heat recovery ventilation system
      Passive solar designed home
      Shading
      Thermal mass
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans
      Heat exchange ventilation system
      Heat pump
      Split system airconditioner
    • Water heating:
    • Hot water heat pump
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Rainwater storage - Underground
      Grey water system
      Low flow shower heads
      Low flow taps
      Drip irrigation
    • Average water consumption per day:
    • 0.08 kL / <80 litres per person per day
    • Underground rainwater storage type:
    • 10,000 litre storage tanks under driveway (2 x 5kL)
    • Underground rainwater storage Size:
    • 10,000
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
    • Electric Vehicle
    • Tesla
    • Window Protection:
    • Adjustable Shading
      Automation/controls
      Awnings (external)
      Blinds
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Sustainable materials:
    • Prefabricated wall and roof panels
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Under-roof
      Internal walls
      External walls

    • Under Roof Insulation Type:
    • Insulated panels
    • Under Roof Insulation Rating:
    • R 6
    • Internal Walls Insulation Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
    • Acoustic insulation
    • External Walls Rating:
    • R 2.8
    • External Walls Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • Yes
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV grid connect
    • Size of PV system:
    • 20 kWp
    • Average Daily Energy Consumption:
    • averaging ~22kWh/day for five people including car charging
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Total cost of home when constructed:
    • $1.3 million total construction costs (on completion valuation $2.3m)
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • 5%
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • 90%
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 275
    • BAL Rating
    • BAL – Low: There is insufficient risk to warrant specific construction requirements
    • Roof
    • Green roof
      Metal (Colorbond)

    • Roof
    • Solar PV above colourbond
    • Wall Materials
    • Lightweight construction (timber frame)
      Timber
    • Window and Door Types
    • Double glazing
      Low-e, films
      Tilt and turn
    • Universal design accessability
    • Multi-generational
      Wheelchair accessible
    • Universal Design Features
    • 80cm minimum door opening width
      Flush thresholds (no lip) to all external doors
      Hobless showers
      Kitchen bench/table for wheelchairs to access (75-85cm high)
      Lever handles for doors (no knobs)
      Minimum 110cm wide hallways
      Ramps and path gradients must be less than 20:1
      Pocket doors so that cabinet doors are out of the way
      Space around toilets for ease of access in wheelchairs
      Strong fittings like towel rails that can be used as hand rails
      Tapware to be easily accessed from outside the shower

    • Universal Design Features
    • Livable Housing Australia - Silver level livable housing design - for the ground floor
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 5
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 4
    • Healthy Home Materials
    • Airtight house design
      Automated ventilation system
      Carpet free - tiles/concrete/timber flooring throughout
      Heat recovery ventilation (HRV)
      Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Bee keeping
      Chickens
      Composting
      Drip irrigation
      Edible garden
      Green roof
      Local indigenous plants
      Native plants
    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Compost all food scraps
      Make jams/conserves
      Recycle
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Airtight house design
      Automated ventilation system
      Carpet free - tiles/concrete/timber flooring throughout
      Heat recovery ventilation (HRV)
      Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
Location
Asquith NSW 2077
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Disaster Resilient Design
    • Bushfire Resilience
    • Open with support of
    • Australian Passive House Association
    • Builder
    • Jamie Graziano, Superior Constructions
    • Designer
    • Envirotecture

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