Passive House Profile: Beach Haus
Beach Haus, North Beach WA
Modern design meets affordable housing in this Certified Passive Home. The recently completed 53B Sorrento Street, North Beach is clear evidence this world leading method of construction is now available in Western Australia.
This fabulous home is the only two of its kind in Western Australia and one of only two in Australia being Certified Passive House Plus, and was proudly completed in eight months for $2,150 /sqm. That’s Impressive.
This is a truly indulgent 4 x 3 two-storey home. With open-plan living, theatre room, raking ceilings and an elevated walkway between upstairs bedrooms, this house embraces all the required elements of a passive home. Enjoy comfort and easy-living with Perimeter bulk insulation, High-performance double-glazed windows, Thermal bridge free construction, exceedingly high levels of airtightness and Heat recovery ventilation.
Upstairs, windows and doors to the northern and western elevations allow sun in winter. And because this home expertly combines crucial elements in the passive house process, north facing skillion roof design is also incorporated for optimal PV panel installation.
The lower floor allows for easy open-plan living. Kitchen, living and dining areas effortlessly connect within the same floor space. The beautifully custom crafted kitchen with generous island bench and striking copper backsplash is the true heart of this home, offering comfort and quality.
Moving into the laundry, this bonus space boasts floor to ceiling cabinetry on 3 walls and also houses the Heat Recovery Ventilation unit. There is a generous full bathroom on the ground floor which is next to a large guest bedroom tucked away from the living areas and the theatre room. This creates a secluded private area which is perfect for any guest wanting their own space.
The theatre room is a WOW space that is spacious yet feels cosy. It boasts additional insulation in the walls and ceiling and acoustic Gyproc on the walls to ensure minimal influence on the rest of the home.
Through the centre of the home, Victorian ash and stainless-steel stairs rise up from the concrete polished floor to a floating landing. This creates the experience of being suspended in the centre of a vast two-storey open area and is one of the most striking features of the home.
The beautiful master bedroom is grand with a his and hers walk-in wardrobe. The master suite enjoys award-winning design and is finished to perfection with his and hers vanities and a standalone walk-in shower/bathtub room.
The remaining upstairs bedrooms are spacious and boast walk-in wardrobes to each. The main bathroom is located next to the bedrooms and is again large with a vanity, shower and bathtub.
Architecture: Kellett Design Group
Building services: Ismart Building Group
Building physics: Ismart Building Group
Certifier: Grün Consulting
Statics: Ismart Building Group
Photography: Nathan Sixsmith
APHA member and home owner, Carlos Acuna recently spoke to WA Afternoons on ABC radio with Christine Layton. Click here to listen.
Carlos and Brian Guinan from ISMART Group have also created an in depth video on the home and shared it with us.
Read more technical information here in the Passive House Database.
Please note that the certification process was not included in this budget. This is inclusive of Consultation, PHPP modelling, thermal bridging analyses, inspections and testings and the certification itself. Total costs associate do this were in the region of $18k. ISMART did the certification process in the background and at their own cost as an in house exercise to explore the intricacies of certification. This was their first attempt at certification and they wanted to explore/ attempt it rather than commit to it on the first try.
Also to note, in the above video there is an error regarding the power usage from the house. It states, 'running a 100W lightbulb for 16 hours'. However, the right figure is actually 16,000 hours, or two x 100W bulbs running 24hrs/day, all year. Which is still impressive. The video will be updated and re-uploaded soon. Thank you to our kind viewers who have contributed their constructive feedback!