Passive Laneway

This Eco friendly dwelling sits atop a garage on a quiet laneway on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

The two bedroom home calls for a simple aesthetic - blank side walls are clad in dark standing seam cladding that wraps the blank east and west elevations to give protection from neighbours and unwanted summer sun. The expressive facades are finished in sustainably sourced timbers, framing the elegant tilt turn windows that capture those views and admit just the right amount of sun.

The home is certified as Passive House Plus. It uses rooftop solar panels that will make about twice the electricity than it consumes each year. The timber/aluminium windows and door with their double glazing are part of a well-insulated airtight building envelope.

It uses a high efficiency Zehnder CA200 heat recovery ventilation system with counter-flow heat exchanger that can recover up to 90% of the heat while providing fresh air 24/7 - Although the doors can often be found open a gorgeous autumn day.

This small footprint home demonstrates the viability for passive house projects regardless of size. The owners have now moved from the main house into the granny flat themselves.

Project Specs

Exterior wall
Timber frame as service cavity, OSB, Wraptite SA, 50mm PIR, battens & cladding
U-value = 0.365 W/(m2K)

Basement floor / floor slab
Suspended timber floor (insulated), OSB, hardwood flooring
U-value = 0.355 W/(m2K)

Roof
Metal deck roofing, battens, Proctor HTS wrap, 150mm timber structure with polyester batts, 50mm PIR, battens, plasterboard
U-value = 0.182 W/(m2K)

Frame
Logikhaus, Aluclad timber 68mm
Average Uw 1.57
U w-value = 1.57 W/(m2K)

Glazing
U g-value = 1.14 W/(m2K)
g -value = 64 %

Ventilation System
Zehnder ComfoAir 200 heat recovery ventilation system

MVHR Product Supplied by Fantech

ComfoAir 200