Affectionately known as 'Cake House' by local surfers, the project celebrates the existing and prioritises resource efficiency, by recycling materials into a robust beach home for the next generation. The project champions high craft and high performing, merging Passive House and passive design principles.

The underlying principles for the design of the Cake House was to prioritise resource efficiency, by re-using and celebrating materials in order to re-life a local cultural icon for the next generation. Strategies included maximising the efficiency of the building form, floor area and operation. The merging of Passive House and Passive Design allowed us to create a home that can operate in a mixed mode scenario. It operates as 100% electric and Net Zero energy use (-7,000kWh/yr back to the grid) with an onsite PV system. The compact building, cleverly provides enough space for multiple generations to gather during the holidays and enjoy the surroundings. The Cake House has allowed us to explore opportunities for an "Australian Passive House building model" that focuses on a coastal Australian climate using locally made recycled materials.

The design concept focused on ways to better connect the existing beach shack to its surroundings, by creating a series of indoor/outdoor spaces, that presented opportunities for views and physical connection to the coastal environment. The high performance building envelope, durable material selection and responsiveness to climate ensures that Cake House remains in the community for many generations to come.

The project celebrates the original house form and its cultural importance in the locality, which was important to the clients and the community. Working with the existing has brought many interesting experiential outcomes to the project.

The design improves the occupants ability to connect to the surroundings both physically and visually. It also ensures that the home is more resilient to the changing climate and offers a good level of thermal comfort throughout the year. The result is a house that can accommodate a family of 5 and easily adapt to sleep multiple generations during family gatherings.

The original beach shack is reminiscent of the vernacular and scale of this coastal town. The design pays respect to the existing building by minimising the scale of the rear addition, ensuring it is not visible from the street and maintains the existing view corridors. We paid close consideration to the local coastal hazards and the changing climate. Landscaping strategies were employed to adapt to potential coastal flooding. A berm was created around the base of the house, to act as a dune, anticipating future storm surges, and grounds the building providing a link to the outdoor living room.

The design worked hard to fulfil the brief by optimising the building footprint, retaining the original building form and creating a multi-use space for generations of a family to come together at once, in a space that is connected to its surroundings and is resilient to future changes in the environment.

The final layout includes flexibility to accomodate up to 17 people at once, so as not to feel overcrowded. A high performance building, that can operate in mixed mode ventilation, connected to its surroundings results in robust building able to resist impacts of climate change