Key point

  • Incorporate features to ensure the survival of a property faced with natural hazards and achieve sustainability outcomes.

The Sapphire Passive House is an example of designing for thermal performance and drought, hail and bushfire resilience. It is a project home design available from Blue Eco Homes.

There is a display home version located in Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains completed in 2019. It is the first Certified Passive House in Australia to be built to Bushfire Attack Level – Flame Zone regulations, the highest bushfire risk rating.

The 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom, single-storey house has a floor area of approximately 240 m2. It includes a blackwater treatment and re-use system, roof rainwater runoff capture and reuse, and a solar photovoltaic system with a battery for energy capture and storage. The house is made using a timber frame with a Colorbond roof and weatherboard cladding to bushfire standards. The concept of a passive house originated in Germany (Passivhaus) and has been adapted for Australian conditions, in this case for bushfire risk. Passive houses seek to meet 5 design principles:

  • airtightness
  • thermal insulation
  • mechanical ventilation heat recovery
  • high performance windows (triple glazed)
  • thermal-bridge-free construction.

For more information, go to Passive House Profile: Sapphire House.