With a flexible and efficient plan, a home office and productive veggie garden, the ‘Passive Butterfly’ is an archetype for sustainable, healthy and happy living.

The asymmetrical butterfly roof design was not only developed to be a beautiful architectural form, but also a functional way of getting sun into a light-starved extension by optimising solar access both internally and externally. The folds in the roof form allow for hi-light windows to be inserted into the living room, and the roof’s apex and valley positions work to thread light into spaces and onto internal thermal mass.

The Passive Butterfly’s temperature, humidity, indoor air quality and electricity consumption are monitored constantly, proving exemplary results throughout the year.

It has become an educational resource for the Australian Passive House Association and Alternative Technology Association (ATA), where the client gives lectures, presentations, and writes articles to share the outstanding performance results of the home. EME’s passion for dissemination further enhances the reach of this project – EME also actively engages in education for the public, industry, and Universities.

The Passive Butterfly proves that inefficiently performing homes of 19th and 20th centuries can be upgraded holistically to be super-efficient and net-positive in energy, sustainably designed and environmentally conscious. In doing so we can educate people and provide an opportunity to positively impact the urban environment and achieve better health and environmental outcomes for everyone.