Pepper Tree Passive House
Architecture Residential New South Wales, Australia
34 Images
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1. Pepper Tree & Courtyard Deck Hero Image. External shot of the timber deck courtyard around the 60 year old Pepper Tree. Barton Taylor 5760 px 4316 px 11 MB A3 print |
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2. Living & Kitchen Internal view looking from the Living to Kitchen & Breakfast Bar. The exposed sawn bricks act as a thermal battery to the winter sun coming through the north highlight windows (upper right). Barton Taylor 5760 px 4316 px 9 MB A3 print |
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3. Entry Stairs View from street level of the recycled timber staircase to the entry of Pepper Tree Passive House, with bi-facial solar panels acting as rain cover, and shade to the highlight windows. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 10 MB A3 print |
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4. Bedroom to Living View from the bedroom to Living, with windows to the courtyard deck on the left. Exposed 0-VOC OSB wall lining has been used to create a warm earthy tone. Barton Taylor 5760 px 4316 px 9 MB A3 print |
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5. Living View of the Living Room in its standard setup. Can also transform into the Office or another Bedroom. Barton Taylor 5760 px 4316 px 10 MB A3 print |
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6. Street Elevation View from the street, with the studio tucked into the preserved treeline. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 18 MB A3 print |
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7. Aerial View From above, the green roofs (left) hide the new studio, with the solar pergola providing usable outdoor space all around the house. Barton Taylor 4295 px 3221 px 7 MB A4 print |
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8. Breakfast Bar Views to Mount Kembla are framed in this triple glazed, west-facing full height window. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 9 MB A3 print |
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9. Courtyard Peeking through the Pepper Tree branches at the view over the suburban tree canopy from the central deck. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 10 MB A3 print |
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10. Shou Sugi Ban Cladding The charred timber "Shou Sugi Ban" cladding improves longevity, gives termite resistance and makes the sunlight glitter off the building's surface. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 5 MB A3 print |
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11. Aerial View 2 Context shot showing the suburban context and limited outlook of the site (north to the right) Barton Taylor 4682 px 3512 px 5 MB A4 print |
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12. Kitchen & Breakfast Bar All electric appliances ensure the health and efficiency of the project into the future. Barton Taylor 5760 px 4316 px 7 MB A3 print |
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13. Kitchen & Breakfast Bar 2 Views from the Kitchen out over the trees to the west. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 8 MB A3 print |
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14. Shou Sugi Ban Cladding 2 The sunlight filtered through the Pepper Tree dances on the Shou Sugi Ban timber cladding, glistening on the gloss of the charred flecks. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 7 MB A3 print |
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15. Kitchen The Kitchen cabinetry is made with Paperock, a fully cellulose paper-based material that can be fully recycled at its end of life. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 7 MB A3 print |
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16. Breakfast Bar 2 Discrete mood lighting has been incorporated throughout. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 7 MB A3 print |
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17. Living 2 Barton Taylor 5760 px 4316 px 8 MB A3 print |
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18. Thermal Battery Detail Recycled convict bricks were sawn in half to expose their speckled aggreate composition, and act as a thermal mass to soak up sunlight in winter and keep the studio cool in summer. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 17 MB A3 print |
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19. Living 3 The Living space being used as an additional Bedroom. Barton Taylor 5760 px 4316 px 8 MB A3 print |
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20. Living & Office The Office / Living space in Living setup. Barton Taylor 5760 px 4320 px 5 MB A3 print |
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21. Living & Office 2 The Office / Living space in Office setup. Barton Taylor 5760 px 4320 px 6 MB A3 print |
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22. Bedroom the integrated joinery makes efficient use of the small space available for storage. Barton Taylor 5760 px 4320 px 5 MB A3 print |
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23. Entry Stairs The recycled timber staircase from street level up to the entrance. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 6 MB A3 print |
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24. Entry View View from the entry door, over the suburban tree canopy. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 9 MB A3 print |
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25. Street Elevation 2 The new timber cladding around the existing building (left) extends up to create a hidden balustrade to the wrap-around deck. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 7 MB A3 print |
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26. Courtyard The filtered sunlight through the Pepper Tree allows a shaded but naturally lit outdoor space to relax and reconnect with nature. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 12 MB A3 print |
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27. Existing House Decking View from the upgraded wrap-around deck of the existing house toward the new Pepper Tree Passive House. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 10 MB A3 print |
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28. Courtyard The green roofs of each wing spill over into the sheltered courtyard deck area. Barton Taylor 5760 px 4316 px 11 MB A3 print |
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29. Laundry Natural tones and low-embodied energy products are used throughout all spaces. Barton Taylor 4609 px 5760 px 6 MB A3 print |
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30. External Facade Each of the two wings cantilevers out toward the street, supporting the native planted green roofs above. Barton Taylor 4608 px 5760 px 10 MB A3 print |
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31. Courtyard - Night Fairy lights wrapped around the Pepper Tree glow a warm light, creating a serene place of relaxation to all. Barton Taylor 5760 px 4316 px 11 MB A3 print |
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32. Section A Short section through the building. Alexander Symes Architect 3309 px 2339 px 359 KB Print - Low res only |
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33. Section B Long Section through the building. Alexander Symes Architect 2482 px 1755 px 210 KB Print - Low res only |
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34. Floor Plan Floor plan of the building. Alexander Symes Architect 3106 px 1764 px 2 MB Print - Low res only |
1 Video
These videos are available for media use.
Pepper Tree Passive House
Brief overview video tour of Pepper Tree Passive House.
https://vimeo.com/684468163Description
Pepper Tree Passive House is a small secondary dwelling to a young family’s home in the Australian Illawarra region, perched on a steep site and elevated into the canopy of the site’s eponymous 60 year old Pepper Tree. Built to the international Passive House standard, true sustainability is at the core ethos of the project - embodied between the natural material palette, high performance design and strong biophilic connection. The two cantilevered wings each host a green roof, filled with native Australian plants, blending the building into the landscape.
The secondary dwelling provides a much needed separate office space for the clients’ growing company, as well as providing space for guest accommodation and being geared for short-stay accommodation. The works to the existing home improve the thermal comfort of the space and create new entertaining spaces throughout. Between the natural and raw material palette including extensive timber use, endemic rooftop gardens and tree canopy deck, the biophilic connection of the entire site is strengthened with its immediate environment.
Nestled into the tree canopy of the Pepper Tree, the secondary dwelling sits lightly on the steep site and elevates the natural ground via its green roofs, with the recycled Shou Sugi Ban cladding allowing the building to blend into its environment. Previously exposed to the street corner below, the wrap-around deck to the existing home creates spaces for entertaining that provide both a noise and visual buffer to the street, and direct views over the street tree canopies towards Mount Kembla. The project adds much needed usable floor space to the suburban site without overdeveloping or sacrificing biophilic connection.
By using salvaged and waste materials throughout, costs were significantly reduced without sacrificing material quality. Passive House standard and 12kW photovoltaic panel system means that the project’s overall grid energy consumption is only 14% of a comparable sized home (86% reduction), significantly reducing the lifetime cost to the clients. As opposed to thermally upgrading 160m2 to the passive house standard, only 60m2 will actually be comfortable in future peak climatic conditions. This approach provides a precedent for creating small future-proofed additions so that we can be climate adaptive without the massive cost of upgrading all existing dwellings.
Questions and Answers
What was the initial brief and how did it develop?
While the existing home had a tired and thermally inefficient brick exterior, internally the home’s layout functioned perfectly for the young family. As a response, the project brief developed into one where the existing home had its external envelope upgraded - including new insulation where practical, a ventilated timber screen facade, new skylights, a wrap around deck and solar panel pergola - and a striking secondary dwelling was designed around the 60 year old Pepper Tree in the steeply sloping and under-utilised rear yard. The secondary dwelling was envisioned as a 24-hour space; used as a home office by the family’s growing business during the day, and a short-term stay cabin at night. Designed and built to meet the Passive House standard, the short term stays allow visitors to experience the higher quality of space that the Passive House standard affords, while creating a future proofed studio with western views to Mount Kembla and the treetops outside. Each wing of the secondary dwelling hosts an endemic-planted green roof, allowing the biodiversity of the site to be regenerated despite the extended building footprint created.
Sustainability Attributes of the Project:
Built to the Passive House standard, the project meets the 5 core criteria:
- Well insulated (R5.4 Walls, R5.0 Floors, R6.5 Ceiling/Roof)
- Airtight construction (2 layers - external vapour-permeable membrane and internal sealed Intello membrane, 0.51ACH @ 50Pa)
- High Performance Glazing (Neuffer triple-glazed, timber/aluminium composite framed windows)
- No Thermal Bridges (carefully detailed and constructed timber structure with no thermal bridges between internal and external)
- Heat Recovery Ventilation (Brink Reinvent Excellent 180 Heat Recovery Ventilation unit)
A Life-Cycle Assessment was conducted that showed despite the higher amount of embodied energy associated with Passive House construction, due to the small, high performance building envelope, low-embodied carbon material selection and significant on-site generated & exported renewable energy, the building’s environmental footprint is 64% less than a comparable built-as-usual home in the same climate zone.
Other sustainability attributes:
- Fully electric building (no gas)
- Grid energy used is 100% accredited GreenPower
- Heat pump hot water
- Induction cooktop
- 12kW PV system, 14kWh battery
- Triple glazed, alu-clad timber windows
- 4000L rainwater tank, serving Laundry and Bathroom
- Construction waste material fully diverted
- No internal paint, 0-VOC and E0 finishes and materials used where possible
- Endemic and edible landscape.
Where did collaboration lead to success in this project?
The project was first envisioned several years ago by both the client (who is a builder with a Passive House specialty - Souter Built), and Alexander Symes Architect. After the initial concept and design was developed, the client/builder began to salvage and store materials from other projects that would have otherwise gone to waste, for use on this project. This early coordination between architect and client/builder flows throughout the project; from recycled timber and pavers made from waste-concrete, down to screws and fixings left over from other jobs, doing so allowed a massive reduction in virgin materials used.
Details
| Project size | 60 m2 |
| Site size | 617 m2 |
| Completion date | 2021 |
| Building levels | 1 |
Project team
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Alexander Symes Architect | Architect |
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Souter Built | Client / Builder |