We've
always been interested in sustainable architecture and sustainable design and have done lots of
energy efficient and sustainable homes in the past and the more we did that the more we came
towards passive house just because it looks at all factors that have an impact on sustainable design.
I'm Felicity I'm Marc and together we're owners of this beautiful house.
We're located in Coburg which is about six to eight kilometers from the CBD it's a residential
area and it was a derelict site, like there was nothing on it when we bought the property and
we thought it's a great opportunity to do something in terms of urban densification,
the shape of the land is like a cheese wedge so it goes actually to a point.
It starts at the 12 meters so it's actually quite a small piece of land
because it's wedged between the train line and just a small bluestone laneway,
it's very very hard to get concrete trucks and to construct especially if you build on
the boundary but we wanted to build on the boundary to make the most of the small land.
When you come into the house you have the sunken living area to start off with which
is two steps down the level of the hallway is basically forming a seat where you can
casually sit down and talk to the people who sit on the sofa if the sofa is not
enough and we love it it's very communal it's one of our favourite places to be.
Then from here you can get a hint of the dining area and the kitchen
area which is associated to the garden so if you have that connection there
and we've really tried to make the most out of a small space so there's a lot of overlapping
happening with built-in seats and storage solutions that are hidden away underneath.
One of the major points that homeowners have a problem is
usually the lack of storage so it was very, very important for us to get that right.
I'm a real Blum addict I have to say I really love the functionality, I love the look,
I love the feel of it and it has no off-gassing of any toxins so it just does it all.
My name is Tommy Arvanitis, Blum commercial sales consultant from Blum in Melbourne.
The Melbourne team and I help support the cabinet makers on this project during the building phase
although Felicity and Marc had a vision in terms of which fittings they want to
apply into the project we also assisted with specification and also made suggestions in terms
of workflow organization and ergonomics based on the material choice that Marc and Felicity chose
for Hutt Home we were able to actually complement the fittings with lego box pure in terra black.
Workflows have been well thought out and continued
through to each space as you make your way around the home.
In the first floor bedrooms we have lego box which is being used to store lego.
In the same space there is also cabinets which double up as stairs to reach the next level.
The main bedroom includes even more storage every
inch of space has been used with floor to ceiling cabinets
Blum had been able to support the family's quality of living for now and into the future.
On the first floor, we have our private areas which is the three kids bedrooms
they all have the mezzanine space where they sleep and a place on the entry
level with the net that connects the mezzanine and the play area.
Then we also have a master bedroom there which is connected to the roof garden
and a tranquil bathroom with a living green wall on that level.
Then the further you come upstairs the more quiet it becomes so on the very top floor
under the roof we have a rumpus room which is a quiet space where you can retreat back
to if you just want some time alone rather than meeting all the other family members.
Passive House is based on
five principles four of them have to do with the building shell to make it high performance
and highly insulating and once we've got a really good building shell we then look at
the indoor air quality which we do with the help of a mechanical heat recovery ventilation system
so that brings in fresh air from the outside takes out the stale air from the inside they cross paths
in a heat exchanger and that way we can keep the temperature stable inside the house at all times
and once you do that and you make houses more energy efficient make them more airtight then you
need to look at the building physics and make sure you don't end up with condensation in your walls
and you have good indoor air quality and all that and passive house encompasses all of that without
going to any extra measures and that's why it's such a beautiful principle and it's a home that
is healthy and comfortable at all times inside and why wouldn't you be passionate about it.
It's not easy to create a home that is carbon neutral and we've done quite a bit of research
we came across timber as the ultimate material because it's doors cabin so it's actually more
than carbon neutral and at the same time it has a biophilic aspect as well for people so we founded
our key material in the project we also looked at all the element here that we put in like the
break in the concrete to make it as carbon neutral as possible and we're quite successful with that
I think the fact that it is healthy and comfortable and has ideal temperature all
year round it has all this functionality with all the storage solutions all these
things come together and yeah I come down the staircase each morning I'm the first
one up and I think this is amazing that I'm here that I can live here.
I'm really proud that we managed to create a home that's good
for the planet and good for the person living in there and that
it acts as an inspiration for others to follow suit.