A Compact Passive House That Hugs A Pepper Tree

The development of Pepper Tree Passive House by Alexander Symes Architect commenced various years in the past in collaboration with builder and shopper Adam Souter of Souter Created, who lives on the assets with associate Ame Rooke-Jones, and their 3 youthful youngsters.

The family’s Wollongong dwelling was exhausted and thermally inefficient, but functionally enough. As a substitute of investing their budget on significant updates to the present property, they determined to develop a new, independent construction on the rear of the site to a Passive Home common.

‘This meant they would get the most effective amenity benefit for their funds with minor general performance based upgrades to the existing property including new insulation, cladding, repainting the concrete tiles a lighter color to decrease warmth acquire, and a 12kW photo voltaic panel awning that provides shade to the outside areas in summertime,’ claims Alexander Symes, director of Alexander Symes Architect.

Just after the initial thought was designed, Adam started salvaging and storing landfill-sure products from his other building tasks to inevitably use in his household. 

The resulting secondary dwelling takes the variety of an elevated U-shaped building wrapping all over an current 60-year-previous tree. 

‘We determined at our initial assembly that the pepper tree was portion of the main id of the site and trying to keep it would be a fantastic benefit to the closing outcome, rather than just a different box-shaped granny flat,’ claims Alexander. 

Two cantilevered wings are clad with recycled shou sugi ban cladding, and each and every host a inexperienced roof mixing the developing into the landscape.

Adam’s salvaged development materials had been made use of all through the job, which includes on the external staircase crafted working with the roof structure of a demolished Bondi home, contributing to its sustainable Passive Residence regular. 

The done self-contained dwelling features one particular bedroom, a kitchen, dwelling spot, rest room, and a laundry throughout 60 square metres internally. The creating functions as an office environment for Adam’s rising corporation, which can alternatively be rented as quick stay accommodation.

In planning a secondary framework, Alexander Symes Architect have additional a great deal needed usable flooring house to a suburban site with out overdeveloping or sacrificing its biophilic link. This method presents a precedent for creating compact, long run proofed additions without the large price of upgrading all present dwellings.