APA Members Shine at 2025 HIA Australian GreenSmart Awards
The Australian Passivhaus Association is proud to celebrate its members' outstanding achievements at the 2025 HIA Australian GreenSmart Awards, where the Passivhaus Standard took centre stage in multiple winning projects.
The awards were announced on Friday 29 August in Sydney, recognising Australia's best in sustainable housing design and construction. Winners and finalists demonstrated measurable environmental benefits through energy-efficient building practices, with Nick Sowden of Sowden Building Solutions and Joe Mercieca of Blue Eco Homes taking home honors in their respective categories.
Sowden's decade-long sustainable journey recognised
Nick Sowden of Sowden Building Solutions claimed the 2025 HIA Australian GreenSmart Professional award, recognising his leadership in sustainable construction education and practice.
Since building one of Sydney's first Hempcrete homes in 2015, Sowden has completed multiple certified PassivHaus EnerPHit renovations while actively educating industry peers and collaborating on sustainable building research. As a dedicated APA member, Nick has been instrumental in advancing Passivhaus principles across the Australian construction industry.
We're incredibly proud of Nick's recognition, which reflects not only his individual excellence but the broader impact of Passivhaus education in creating industry leaders.
Image: Nick Sowden, Sowden Building Solutions, NSW
Gallery House sets new benchmark
Joe Mercieca from Blue Eco Homes won the HIA Australian GreenSmart Custom Built Home award for Gallery House, an off-grid Passivhaus in the Blue Mountains.
Gallery House is a resilient, off-grid Passivhaus that blends bold design with exceptional sustainability. Built well beyond code requirements, it delivers year-round comfort with zero energy bills while exceeding bushfire safety standards. The home features a 12.28kW solar system with 57.4kWh battery storage, triple-glazed windows, heat pump hot water system, and airtight construction achieving 0.52 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals.
The design embraced site constraints, including a mature Atlas Cedar tree, creating a quiet internal courtyard rather than working around environmental features. With adaptable features for ageing in place and low-maintenance durability, this future-proofed home demonstrates how high performance, beauty and environmental responsibility can coexist seamlessly.
We're delighted by Joe's recognition, which perfectly illustrates how Passivhaus training enables architects to deliver projects that seamlessly integrate sustainability, comfort, and architectural distinction
Image: Courtesy of Blue Eco Homes, NSW
Training the next generation
The principles underpinning both Nick's professional journey and Joe's Gallery House project highlight what's achievable when practitioners master Passivhaus methodology. By undergoing extensive training in the Passivhaus Standard, practitioners are equipped to contribute to Australia's transition toward high-performance construction.
The construction industry faces unprecedented challenges. Building codes are tightening nationally, client expectations for energy performance have risen sharply, and climate resilience has become a practical necessity rather than an aspirational goal. Traditional construction education struggles to address these converging demands.
Systematic training programs fill this gap by teaching integrated approaches to building performance. Rather than treating insulation, airtightness, and mechanical systems as separate disciplines, comprehensive methodologies demonstrate how these elements interact to produce measurable outcomes.
How to get involved
To begin your own journey towards becoming a certified Passivhaus designer or tradesperson, explore our programs that provide the same technical foundation demonstrated by Nick and Joe's award-winning work.
The Australian Passivhaus Association offers two internationally recognized certification pathways. The Certified Passivhaus Tradesperson course begins October 30, targeting builders, contractors, and construction professionals. The Certified Passivhaus Designer/Consultant program starts November 4, for architects, engineers, and design professionals.