my ideal house H G
AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN | 165
Packed with passive-design features, my ideal house is primed
to deliver comfort all year round.FINE FORECAST
S
he’s designed a home for all
seasons but Sydney architect
Madeleine Blanchfield had
summer’s heat top of mind when she
drew up her winning entry to H&G’s
My Ideal House design competition.
Incorporated into this family home,
soon be built at Crest by Mirvac in
Sydney’s south-west, is a raft of passive-
design features that work together to
ensure that the house always feels
comfortable without too much reliance
on mechanical cooling.
“When you consider that about 40
per cent of all household energy goes
towards heating and cooling the home
you quickly grasp the value of passive
design,” says Michael Roberts, director
of planning and environment for
the Housing Industry Association.
“Good design lightens your energy
consumption and lifts your home’s
liveability in the process.”
Fundamental to Madeleine’s design
are its two highly adaptable ‘modules’, >Text by Sarah Pickette. Room designed by Multiplicity. Photograph by Armelle Habib/bauersyndication.com.au.