Two Stunning Passivhaus Homes in Sydney
Sydney families are looking for homes that have natural light, generous living spaces and finishes that feel luxurious, along with lower energy bills and a smaller environmental footprint. Passivhaus homes line up with those goals bringing together smart design and high performance.
Sure Space is delivering two standout Passivhaus homes in Sydney right now. In Five Dock, an architectural duplex combines resort-style living, private pool, and warm timber cladding with serious energy efficiency. In Maroubra, a high-performing family home and separate studio are designed to reach Passivhaus Plus standards to support long-term self sufficiency.
Together, these projects show how Passivhaus principles can support the way people actually live in Sydney’s Inner West and Eastern Suburbs. From family routines to entertaining, Sure Space creates homes that are comfortable, quiet and efficient.
Five Dock Passivhaus Duplex: Luxury Meets Sustainability
Set on a sloping block in Sydney’s Inner West, the Five Dock duplex is designed as two complete Passivhaus homes that feel like private resorts. Each residence has its own pool, generous family layout and warm timber exterior that gives the building a calm natural presence on the street. Architectural detail, smart planning and high-performance construction work together so families can enjoy luxury living with strong energy efficiency.
Key Features And Highlights
Spacious family layout with 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a powder room in each home, giving large or growing families plenty of room to move.
Butler’s pantry that supports serious cooking, everyday meal prep and easy entertaining.
Private swimming pool on each side, turning the outdoor area into a true retreat for relaxing and hosting friends.
Architectural façade with sustainably sourced timber cladding, bringing warmth and texture while supporting a strong sustainability story.
Thoughtful planning for light and privacy, so each home feels like its own sanctuary even in a duplex format.
Challenges & Unique Solutions
Working With A Sloping Block
A sloping block duplex in Five Dock needed more than a simple mirrored floor plan. Levels step with the site, structure carries more load, and every change in height affects light and privacy. The design uses the natural fall to create a strong sense of arrival, give each home outlook, and connect living areas directly to the pool and outdoor spaces.
Luxury Finishes At A High Standard
Luxury finishes bring detailed junctions, feature elements and premium materials into the mix. These details still need to line up with Passivhaus principles. Coordination between architect, builder and consultants keeps airtightness, insulation and thermal performance on track, so interiors feel refined and highly finished with strong underlying performance.
Planning Services With Care
Ventilation, plumbing and electrical systems sit inside a carefully planned structure. The layout supports efficient runs for services so the building envelope stays intact and performance remains consistent. Early decisions on wall thicknesses, floor zones and ceiling spaces make room for the systems a Passivhaus home needs.
Sustainability Features
Timber Cladding With A Story
Timber cladding is a clear visual statement for the duplex. It’s sustainably sourced and produced, supports a lower embodied carbon footprint than many conventional claddings, and gives the homes a warm, natural character that suits the Inner West streetscape.
A High Performing Building Envelope
Behind the cladding, the focus shifts to performance. Insulation, airtight construction and quality glazing combine to limit unwanted heat gain and loss. This approach helps the homes stay comfortable through Sydney’s hot summers and cooler months, with less reliance on active heating and cooling.
Light, Shade And Everyday Comfort
Window placement, orientation and shading work together to support comfort. Living spaces receive plenty of natural light while managing glare and solar gain. Families gain bright interiors, stable indoor temperatures and quieter spaces that feel calm through daily use, entertaining and school holiday chaos.
Maroubra Passivhaus Home: High-Performing Family Design
In Maroubra, Sure Space is delivering a high-performing Passivhaus family home paired with a self-contained studio. The design suits coastal living, giving a family room to grow while keeping energy use low and comfort levels high. Smart planning, careful material choices and Passivhaus Plus performance come together to create a calm, efficient base a few minutes from the beach.
Key Features And Highlights
Family friendly layout with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, so everyone has their own space and morning routines run smoothly.
Two living areas that give flexibility for a media room, kids’ zone or quiet retreat, depending on how the family likes to spend time at home.
Separate studio dwelling with its own bathroom, ideal for guests, multi-generational living, a home office or future rental income.
Built to Passivhaus Plus standard, targeting ultra-low energy demand and stable indoor temperatures through the year.
Solar and battery system designed for future self sufficiency, helping to reduce reliance on grid power and support lower running costs over time.
Challenges & Unique Solutions
Combining Family Living & A Separate Studio
Designing a main home and a separate studio on one site calls for careful planning. The Maroubra layout keeps the family’s everyday areas central and easy to use, while the studio feels independent. Paths, entries and outlooks are arranged so guests or future tenants can come and go without interrupting life in the main house.
Coastal Conditions With High Performance
Maroubra’s coastal climate brings sun, wind and salt into every decision. The building form, openings and rooflines are planned to handle strong sun and breezes while still protecting the high performance envelope a Passivhaus home needs. Materials, fixings and details are selected to handle salt air and long term exposure so the home stays solid and comfortable over many years.
Coordinating Prefabrication & Passivhaus Plus
A prefabricated structure needs precise coordination long before anything reaches site. For this project, the Passivhaus Plus targets shape the way the wall and roof elements are detailed. Services, window openings and junctions are set out accurately so the airtight layer and insulation remain continuous. That preparation supports quicker assembly on site and helps the finished home perform as planned.
Sustainability Features
Locally Sourced FSC Timber
All timber in the structure and key feature elements is locally sourced and FSC accredited. This supports responsible forest management and reduces transport impacts. Inside the home, the timber adds warmth and texture that suits the coastal setting and creates a calm backdrop for everyday family life.
Weathertex Cladding With Recycled Content
Weathertex cladding forms a major part of the exterior. The product includes recycled content and has a strong sustainability profile, which helps reduce embodied carbon in the build. Its finish sits comfortably in a beachside suburb and provides a durable skin around the high performing envelope.
Prefabricated Construction For Quality & Waste Reduction
The prefabricated construction method supports quality control and waste reduction. Elements are built in a controlled environment, which makes it easier to hit airtightness and insulation targets. On site, there’s less offcut waste and a more efficient installation process, which benefits both the project budget and the environmental footprint.
Solar, Battery And Long-Term Running Costs
The energy system is planned around solar panels and a home battery. This setup supports the Passivhaus Plus standard, keeps energy demand low and offers a clear path toward self sufficiency. Over time, the family gains stable indoor comfort and protection from rising energy prices, along with the satisfaction of living in a home that uses far less power than a typical build.
Passivhaus Homes Lead The Future Of Sustainable Luxury
Passivhaus homes focus on comfort, health and efficiency from the first sketch. Rather than relying on big heating and cooling systems, they use smart design and construction to keep indoor conditions stable year round. For families in Sydney, that can mean cooler summers, warmer winters and quieter interiors, with far lower energy use in the background.
Core Principles Of High-Performing Homes
A Passivhaus home combines several elements that work together:
Airtight construction that stops unwanted draughts and humidity creeping in.
High levels of insulation in walls, roof and floors to keep temperatures stable.
Careful window design and quality glazing that bring in light without turning rooms into hot boxes.
Thermal bridge free detailing so there are no hidden cold spots or weak points.
Controlled ventilation with heat recovery, which exchanges stale indoor air for fresh outdoor air while keeping most of the warmth or coolth inside.
These principles turn a house into a high-performing home where the building fabric does most of the work, rather than energy-hungry systems.
Everyday Benefits For Sydney Families
In practical terms, Passivhaus homes in Sydney can deliver:
Consistent indoor temperatures, even during heatwaves or cold snaps.
Cleaner indoor air, thanks to controlled ventilation that filters dust and outdoor pollutants.
Quieter spaces, because the same airtightness and insulation that keep temperatures stable also reduce noise.
Lower energy bills, since the home needs far less heating and cooling to stay comfortable.
Families gain a sustainable luxury home that feels calm and easy to live in, instead of a place that swings wildly between hot and cold or needs constant adjustment.
Luxury, Sustainability & Performance In Every Build
Passivhaus homes can feel every bit as luxurious as they are efficient, and projects like Five Dock and Maroubra prove it. With the right design team, owners can enjoy calm, light filled spaces, strong sustainability credentials and lower running costs in one complete package.
If you’re planning a renovation, extension or new home in Sydney and want to explore Passivhaus homes for your block, get in contact with Sure Space.
Passivhaus Homes FAQ
-
A Passivhaus home is designed so the building envelope does most of the work. High insulation levels, airtight construction, quality glazing and controlled ventilation keep temperatures stable with very low energy use.
-
Sustainability sits in the structure and materials, not only the finishes. Sure Space works with FSC accredited timber, recycled-content cladding such as Weathertex and high performance envelopes that reduce heating and cooling demand from day one.
-
High performance comes from combining airtightness, insulation, smart window design and thermal bridge free detailing. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery then keeps fresh air moving without wasting the warmth or coolth already inside.
-
Yes. Passivhaus principles suit duplex designs, family homes, extensions and knock down rebuilds across suburbs like Five Dock, Marrickville, Bondi and Maroubra. The key is planning performance targets early so design and construction can support them.
-
They often involve more detailed design and higher specification for the envelope, which can increase upfront cost. Many owners see value over time through lower energy bills, greater comfort and a home that feels solid and future focused.
