Blog
Certified Passive House (Passivhaus) Designer course
I often get asked questions about becoming a Certified Passive House Designer (CPHD), and what’s involved in taking the course. (UPDATED March 2022) As I’m passionate about Passive House (or Passivhaus if you prefer the European spelling). I’m a “passivist”. I regularly answer questions and share my experience with other architects/designers who are keen to…
HOUSES Awards 2020 – Sustainability Category
With everything that is going on in the world right now, we’ve been a bit pre-occupied… …so we completely forgot to announce that we’ve been shortlisted in the 2020 HOUSES Awards – Sustainability category for our Owl Woods Passive House project! “The Owl Woods Passive House is a leading example of an architecturally designed…
Sanctuary Magazine – 50th issue!
Congratulations to Sanctuary magazine for reaching 50 issues! I still have EVERY single issue sitting proudly on my bookshelves in my architecture studio…as I’ve been inspired by all the great content over the past 15 years! There is so much goodness in this current issue, including: * A gorgeous WA hempcrete home on…
Building a Passive House has just become even better value!
For years I’ve been saying that it would be a smart idea for the banks to offer discounted loans to customers building energy-efficient homes. To me it was a no-brainer – as the up-front cost to build to a higher standard could potentially be more* (but doesn’t have to be), but then operational costs would be much lower…
A Guide to Passive House Building In Australia
The Australian Passive House Association (APHA) have just released this FREE “Guide to Passive House Building In Australia” – it’s worth checking out if you’re at all curious about this international standard! We’re convinced of the benefits, and after reading this guide, you might be too! APHA aims to lead change by educating, promoting,…
Australian Bushfires #ourhouseisonfire
“I don’t want your hope. I want you to panic. I want you to act. I want you to behave like our house is on fire. Because it is.” – Greta Thunberg 2019 It is absolutely heartbreaking seeing our country burn at the moment – the scale of the loss and devastation is overwhelmingly…
It’s official! Certified Passivhaus! (Owl Woods Passive House)
We are thrilled to announce that our Owl Woods Passive House has been granted official “Passive House Certification” status! According to the International Passive House database, this means we are the 10th single detached family house to achieve this certification in Victoria, and only the 20th in Australia (for all Passivhaus buildings). We are proud…
WE WON! ArchiTeam Sustainability Medal 2019
We’ve been so focused on our current client’s projects, we almost forgot to officially announce this news! We were honored to be recognised by our peers, by being awarded the 2019 ArchiTeam Sustainability Medal for our ‘Owl Woods Passive House’ project! ArchiTeam Cooperative’s Annual Awards program showcases the very best in architecture from Australia’s…
Architects Declare, Architects Act – Melbourne Meeting
This is my summary, commentary and action plan from the Architects Declare, Architects Act Meeting held in Melbourne on Wed 4th Dec. My aim is to share this discussion with others in the Architecture community who could not be in attendance, and continue the conversation with a wider audience. Thanks to our hosts …
Sustainability Awards 2019 – Official Finalist
We were honoured to recently be named an official finalist of the 2019 Sustainability Awards (Single Dwelling – New), for our Owl Woods Passive House project! This was the first time we’d entered an awards, so were thrilled to be acknowledged for this sustainable Passivhaus home. If you’re new to the Passivhaus/Passive House standard, you…
Out of office but not out of hope
Out of office but not out of hope. This is not business as usual. We’ll be joining students, workers and responsible leaders on the streets for the global climate strike. It’s time to make a stand. Join us on Friday Sept 20 at 12noon Trades Hall, Camp St., BallaratAll invited and welcome. We also recently…
International Passive House Open Day 2019
Our Owl Woods Passive House project will be open for International Passive House Open Day on Saturday 29th June 2019 – Talk & Tour at 11am. Bookings essential, and places limited. Book your spot here. NOW SOLD OUT! Second (& final) session announced at 2pm. Book here. Download our free PDF info sheet about the…
Sustainable House Day 2018 – Sunday Sept 16th
Download our free PDF info sheet about the sustainable specifications of the OWL WOODS PASSIVE HOUSE: SHD2018 Owl Woods Passive House Notes You can also find this home and all its specs listed on the International Passivhaus Database. New to Passivhaus? We explain the basic principles here. It’s that time of year again – Sustainable…
What on earth is an “Earthship”?
Michael Reynolds – founder of Earthship Biotecture This guy has been experimenting with bio-climatic, site-specific, passive-solar-design, self-sufficient, cradle-to-cradle approach, off-grid, & eco-homes for over 40 years now! (So he has been into true-sustainability well before any of those terms even existed – a real hero of the environmentally sustainable design movement!) I was fascinated by the ethos & earthy curves…
5 reasons YOU should come to the Smart Building and Living Expo!
Planning on renovating or building? Want an energy-efficient home?Want to live a more a sustainable life? Want to talk with some passionate experts? Then come to the Smart Building and Living Expo! Well it’s that time of year again! The nation wide Sustainable Living Festival is on once again – including our very own local Ballarat…
How would you like your architecture?
This diagram is often referred to the “Iron Triangle” or “Triple Constraint” when it comes to Project Management. I first saw a similar venn diagram illustration in relation to graphic design, designed by Colin Harman), and the relevance was soon picked up by the architecture community. The three opposing points if the triangle are: – QUALITY: good…
Finding Equilibrium
When the Parlour team asked me to be a part of this inspiring series of ‘Letters to my younger self’, they posed a few questions I could reflect upon. The BIG question that is always asked is about work-life balance, and the answers are as elusive as the quest for the holy grail… So, this…
Open House Ballarat 2017!
Have you heard the exciting* news?! (*Well there’s plenty of people who are excited, and I hope you will be too!) Open House Melbourne has joined forces with the City of Ballarat and Visit Ballarat to bring the first regional event here to Ballarat! Hurrah! Welcome to the inaugural Open House Ballarat! It really is like…
Join Our Team!
EDIT: (04.12.17) We have now filled the position for Architectural Assistant. We were very grateful for the high number of applications and thank each and every candidate for applying. If you’re reading this, and everything about us resonates with you, and think this sounds like your ‘dream job’, then please do still get in touch! As we…
My new Studio!
Hi there, I know things have been a bit quieter than usual here on the blog. There’s plenty of posts waiting patiently in the wings, ready for their time to shine! But they’ve been on the sidelines as a lot of fabulous new sustainable home designs are taking up my precious time! You might have noticed on Social…