Learning & sharing (6 August 2025)

Aug 06, 2025

Last week I went along to the One Day Introduction to Passivhaus presented by the Australian Passivhaus Association. Really good to continue to flesh out my understanding of Passivhaus and connect with some other like minded professionals.
One of the great discoveries out of the course was the online Net Zero Homes - Skills Training developed by the South Australian Government in partnership with Design Matters National and Renew. It’s part of a Learning Hub for Energy Efficient Construction. Great if you’re looking to level up your knowledge on energy efficient construction without leaving your desk.
Also worth checking out: Cooee Architecture’s Retrofit Method. I got a sneak peek at some of the resources Sarah has put together and it’s jam-packed with practical, pragmatic, clear advice - especially useful if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by what to do and where to start with retro-fitting your home.

A short but solid read on why smaller homes make more sense (for energy use, cost, and climate resilience).
Why Australian homes are so cold - and what to do about it
Last week I went along to Tim Ross’ live lecture - The Australian Dream. Part comedy, part social history, part architectural love letter. It was a thoughtful look at how our homes shape our lives - individually and collectively - with some sobering statistics about the housing affordability mess we now find ourselves in. There are more shows over the coming months in Melbourne, Sydney, Geelong and Brisbane.
On the topic of housing affordability, I’ve just renewed my Binge subscription so that I can add Sold!: Who Broke The Australian Dream to my weekend viewing list.

A product that I’ve recently learned about…. Abodo Wood - New Growth timber for cladding, decking and screening that is thermally modified to improve durability, stability and weather resilience.
For any builders following along, the Wunderbuilders YouTube channel and Facebook group are a great resource for anyone using Wunderbuild.
A bit of a work share… the team at 35 South recently achieved 0.46 ACH on a blower door test - with just an external membrane (Proclima Solitex Extasana). A good reminder that high levels of air tightness are very achievable with a good product and careful install, and so it’s really important to be considering your ventilation strategy from the outset (in this case, the house has a centralised MVHR system).
climasuresa
A post shared by @climasuresa
Climasure recently shared a great comparison between foil-backed insulation blankets (like Anticon) vs. vapour-permeable membranes (see below).
If you’re in Sydney, Wastewood is doing interesting things with salvaged and surplus timber - turning construction waste into design-grade material.