(That’s me, Andy Marlow and my co-director Talina Edwards.) We head up Envirotecture, an award-winning architecture firm that’s pioneered sustainable housing in Australia. Over at Envirotecture, the team creates bespoke designs for clients who want their dream home and who have the budget to match.
But as construction costs rise and rise, we too often had to explain to prospective clients that they couldn’t afford to build the kind of healthy, efficient, sustainable home they wanted. Or any kind of new home. That’s not a fun conversation to have (and it’s much worse for the people sitting across from us).
And so we conceived of Passivhaus Design & Construct, a whole new approach to building a new home.
We have great relationships with some outstanding builders and a long track record of successful new builds and renovations. That experience means we understand the cost of building and critically, what drives up costs. We know what creates stress and risk along the way of having a house built.
We’re very clear that volume built homes that only just meet the Building Code minimum standards are not a good deal, now or over the life of home ownership. They’re not even cheap. Ask anyone who’s built with a volume builder about the difference between the advertised price and the price they actually paid.
We created a middle way
Other architects offer pre-designed plans, even plans for homes that could meet Passivhaus standards of health, comfort and efficiency. But Passivhaus Design & Construct goes further.
Get an outstanding house design built by us at a locked-in price
Passivhaus Design and Construct is a group of independent, owner-led companies who bring all the skills and know-how needed to get you into a quality home faster than you can imagine. We’re architects, interior designers, Passivhaus design experts, project managers, builders and sub-trades.
We’re all focused on the same goal of affordable quality
Australians face some of the highest house build costs in the world. Those houses are also sprawling and custom designed—this is true even for volume build projects, which are invariably customised, generally without transparency about how this adds cost. This is pretty unique to Australia (and New Zealand).
Passivhaus Design & Construct doesn’t ask you to compromise on health, comfort or sustainability. Or quality! A fixed design brings all of this within reach—and also saves you from the fatigue and stress of hundreds of decisions about fittings and materials!
Expert, high-quality interior design is included in each Passivhaus Design & Construct home. This covers kitchen and bathroom layouts, electrical and lighting design, built-in joinery, as well as appliance and hardware selection. We have the in-house expertise to select genuinely sustainable options that are healthy for you and good for the environment. This saves you from trying to navigate the swamp of greenwashing.
Passivhaus Design & Construct homes prioritise durability, local manufacture, substantiated product claims and reduced carbon emissions, all while taking budget into account. Our knowledge is distilled into excellent interior design packages. There are two colour choices, with premium options for each.
What comes next? Explore our affordable, quality home designs to find the right fit for your family.
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