Architecture Professor Anthony Burke is back with a brand new series of Grand Designs Australia following some truly brave home builders taking on the challenge of a lifetime.<\/p>\n
Certified passive houses \u2014 or Passivhaus as they’re called in Germany, where the standard originated in the 1990s \u2014 use very little energy thanks to high-performance design, and yet they maintain a temperature between 20-25 degrees.<\/p>\n
“The floors, walls and ceilings are all more insulated than a standard house,” fellow Melbourne-based architect Imogen Pullar explains.<\/p>\n
“They have high-quality windows, they’re draught-free buildings that are near air-tight, and they have 24\/7 fresh, ventilated air.<\/p>\n
“Because of all those things, they need less heating and cooling, which means less [or no] fuel is burned, making them more sustainable, comfortable, healthy, energy-efficient buildings.”<\/p>\n
According to the Australian Passivhaus Association<\/a>, there are already about 70 certified passive homes in the country, with “at least a few hundred more” being built.<\/p>\n So, what’s it like to live in one?<\/p>\n About five months after moving into his Rye Cave, we caught up with Moody to find out if all the hard work to achieve certification was worth it \u2014 and whether there’s anything those of us without millions to spend on a new-build can take from passive house principles.<\/p>\n The pros<\/p>\n Passive houses are renowned for their warmth and sustainability, and Moody gets why.<\/p>\n “Without any heating, it feels easy to slide out of bed and start your day,” he says.<\/p>\n But Moody thinks their noise cancelling capabilities deserve just as much attention.<\/p>\n Without the skylights, Moody says he wouldn’t hear the rain on his roof \u2014 that’s how soundproof his passive home is. (ABC\/Fremantle Media: Dean Bradley)<\/p>\n “A lot of external traffic noise is cancelled out when you have triple-glazed windows in an air-tight home,” he says.<\/p>\n “I have skylights and I love the sound of rain on the rooftop, but if I didn’t have those skylights I wouldn’t hear it at all.”<\/p>\n He’s also a fan of the heat recovery ventilation unit (HRV) that keeps his passive house at a consistent temperature.<\/p>\n But that isn’t all they do. Pullar explains HRVs provide fresh filtered air, “which means things like bushfire smoke, pollen or pollution don’t make it into your home, and any stale air from the bathroom or kitchen with cooking smells or similar is removed”.<\/p>\n “This can really help,” Moody adds, “especially for people with allergies or asthmatics.”<\/p>\n Thoughtfully positioned grow lights in darker areas such as above the kitchen (pictured) will help the plants dotted throughout Moody’s home thrive for years to come.\u00a0 (ABC\/Fremantle Media: Dean Bradley)<\/p>\n The cons<\/p>\n Passive houses have a reputation for being more expensive to build.<\/p>\n “It’s generally around 20 per cent more,” says Moody, who went into his project expecting to spend $1 million, but parted with twice that amount \u2014 in part because of rising construction costs<\/a> and the size of his home.<\/p>\n Pullar adds that many passive house components need to be imported, which increases prices.<\/p>\n And certification adds complexity.<\/p>\n “At the planning stage, everything gets calculated to make sure the energy that will come into the house will maintain the [building’s temperature],” she explains.<\/p>\n The drawings must then be signed off by a passive house certifier in addition to the usual planning approvals, limiting flexibility.<\/p>\n Moody says he likely would have completed the build in 18 months, had he not made changes to the design along the way. (ABC\/Fremantle Media: Dean Bradley)<\/p>\n Pullar says putting in a skylight mid-build that wasn’t previously accounted for, for example, could throw the performance of the entire house out of balance and make certification more difficult or costly to achieve.<\/p>\n Near completion, the passive house certifier returns to ensure the build has been constructed according to plan and the house isn’t leaking too much air.<\/p>\n Moody’s house didn’t pass this test at first. He was fortunate enough to find an open window responsible, but not everyone is so lucky, and Pullar says leaks found after cladding has been installed are challenging and expensive to rectify.<\/p>\n With all the talk about passive houses being extremely air-tight, many people assume you can’t open their windows, but Moody says this isn’t accurate.<\/p>\n “There’s nothing against opening up windows or doors in a passive house at any time of year, whether it’s winter or summer,” he explains.<\/p>\n And they don’t all have to look the same \u2014 Moody’s Rye Cave, with its towering boulders, curtains as room dividers and hammock floors, is proof of that.<\/p>\n Inspired by the dramatic rock formations of Rye Beach, Moody created cosy, cave-like spaces in his home using concrete and boulders. (ABC\/Fremantle Media: Dean Bradley)<\/p>\n “The stereotypical passive house aesthetic is earthy looking, maybe with a pitched roof and some brown colours,” Moody laughs. “But you’re only limited by your imagination.”<\/p>\n The idea that passive houses need to be new-builds is another falsehood; existing homes can be retro-fit to certified level or slightly less.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>The misconceptions<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n