APA Members Recognised at Sustainability Awards
The Australian Passivhaus Association is delighted to celebrate a wave of award wins and shortlisting for member-led projects in the Sustainability Awards, showing the growing influence and success of the Passivhaus Standard with projects ranging from compact urban infill to thoughtful family homes.
ECHO.1 sets a new precedent
It has been wonderful to see ECHO.1, delivered by APA members C Street, recognised across so many 2025 awards, including the Victorian Premier’s Design Awards, the Melbourne Design Awards and Sustainability Awards. ECHO.1 is Australia’s first Passivhaus-certified build-to-sell multi-residential project, an eight three-storey townhouses in Hawthorn with airtightness <0.6 ach@50Pa, triple glazing, HRV, all-electric systems, solar/battery/EV infrastructure and low-embodied-energy LOHAS bricks. Award juries acknowledged ECHO.1 for its holistic approach to architectural and design, from spatial planning and façade performance through to carefully considered material selection and construction detailing.
Cake House recognised for high-performance
Cake House, designed by Alexander Symes Architects, was shortlisted in the 2025 Sustainability Awards for its ambitious performance targets and sensitive response to site and climate. The home layers careful orientation with a high‑performance envelope and considered materiality to dramatically reduce operational energy demand. The project achieves 100% electric net-zero operation (-7,000kWh/yr grid export via PV) in a mixed-mode coastal context with flood-adapted landscaping and thermal-mass "bunker" bedrooms.
Envirotecture’s multiple project recognition
Envirotecture, long-standing champions of Passivhaus design, has enjoyed a standout end to 2025, with Passivhaus projects earning both wins and finalist recognition across several national sustainability-focused programs. Live Lightly Haus, a certified Passivhaus retrofit, received top honours in the Alterations & Additions: Up to $500K category at the Design Matters National 2025 Building Design Awards, while Greenhouse Grove was was a finalist in the 2025 Biophilic Design Awards (Interiors and Renovations category) and later received a Highly Commended award in the Interior Design category.
They were shortlisted five times in the 2025 Sustainability Awards, with nominations for projects including Live Lightly Haus, Greenhouse Grove, Rubikhaus and Huff’n’Puff Haus, as well as the research-based Little Pot of Gold project, which itself was a finalist for the 2025 ArchiTeam Innovation & Contribution Award.
Passivhaus is shifting into the mainstream in Australia
The Australian Passivhaus Association are proud of the work of our members, and delighted to see the Passivhaus Standard being increasingly celebrated in mainstream architectural and design awards. Congruatulations to C Street, Alexander Symes Architects and Envirotecture.
Photos by Barton Taylor, Tom Ross, Lisa Cohen, Marnie Hawson