O’Connor Dual Occupancy 2020

O’Connor Dual Occupancy

These two houses on one block are the homes of a husband and wife (in their 70s), and of their son and his family of five people. Both houses are solar passive, featuring the sustainable building principles of orientation, insulation, thermal mass, shading and ventilation.The houses are constructed of 100mm ‘greenboard’, have double-glazed windows and UPVC window frames. House 2 has a burnished concrete floor and other thermal mass features.

Extensive use has been made of reclaimed materials from the previous dwelling, such as hardwood framing timbers for pergolas, benchtops and furniture, and Canberra reds for paving. The houses have won several building industry awards including MBA’s Medium Density and Green Living categories and HIA’s Greensmart Energy Efficiency category.

In the space between the houses is a shared workshop and a 55,000L underground water tank. There is also a large shared garden area for growing veggies and keeping chickens.

Designed by Dowse Norwood and Associates (DNA) Architects and built by Parry Pichelmann.