Fifth Avenue Passivhaus
Location
Anglesea, Victoria
Awards
2024 Houses Awards – Shortlist: New House over 200 square metres
2024 Sustainable Building Awards – Shortlist: Single Dwelling New
Architect
Zen Architects
Photographer
Derek Swalwell
Type
New Build
Performance
Certified PHI Low Energy Building
Service
Build-only
This project emerged from a unique collaboration between a passionate builder and visionary clients—dedicated to Passivhaus principles but eager to explore new territory in design.
Having worked with architects on three previous homes, each aesthetically refined and shaped by passive solar principles, the couple had been left wanting when it came to consistent thermal performance.
“Our previous builds had been architecturally beautiful but they weren’t easy to heat or cool.”
A friend’s Passivhaus experience sparked a turning point, leading them to Geelong-based Aphi Projects, specialists in the standard. Director Dale Roberts proposed bringing in Zen Architects—marking the start of a true creative partnership.
The site offered an ideal backdrop for a long-envisioned Passivhaus—one that would both honour and dissolve into the natural beauty around it, blending the comfort of the familiar with the excitement of the new.
Features
Materials
The Surf Coast is the obvious inspiration for the material palette. All visible structural timber, cladding, decking and lining is recycled Australian hardwood. Internally, recycled timber lining was ripped in half to double its usable area and joined in full lengths using a dowelled jointing jig. This avoided offcuts by not having to dock timber at fixing points ensuring 100 per cent of timber was used.
Internal steel elements including stairs and floating shelves have been left unfinished to minimise additional processing and increase future recyclability.
Ceilings are unfinished, locally sourced and manufactured film-faced ply to increase recyclability.
Flooring
Solid cork floor is used throughout the ground and lower level. This is a renewable material with a low-VOC finish.
Glazing
Triple-glazed windows.
Energy
Power is generated by a 7.4kW REC “Twinpeak 4” system with a Fronius “Symo Gen24 Plus” hybrid inverter and BYD “Battery Box Premium HVM”.
Hot Water System
Sanden heat pump hot water.
Water tanks
Kingspan 10 000-litre tank for rainwater harvesting. This services garden irrigation, toilet flushing and laundry use. Optional grey water diversion can divert grey water to landscape during summer and to sewage during winter when additional watering is not required.
Lighting
Minimal lighting scheme with strip lighting to kitchen and bathrooms, one feature pendant and minimal ceiling lights.
Landscape
The house was designed to create minimal disturbance to the site and maintain the ecology. Given the build lay within a bushfire overlay, the majority of the site would have been cleared without careful design consideration and negotiation. All topsoil was retained on site and reused, and all rock from excavation was retained on site and reused as landscaping elements.