Fresh Indoor Air and Healthy Materials: These Tiny Prefabs Pack In Passive House Principles

Welcome to Prefab Profiles, an ongoing series of interviews with people transforming how we build houses. From prefab tiny houses and modular cabin kits to entire homes ready to ship, their projects represent some of the best ideas in the industry. Do you know a prefab brand that should be on our radar? Get in touch!

Studio Dot founder Steele Olney and builder Evan Graham often found themselves discussing the future of building in Australia’s changing climate during their collaborations on custom projects. Eventually those conversations, plus countless hours of research and design iterations, evolved into the Passive Studio. The purchasable 269-square-foot dwelling incorporates the duo’s extensive knowledge on Passive House design principles and prefab buildings while responding to the wildly varying Australian landscape. Here, Steele details the duo’s commitment to low-impact, healthy buildings and the future of the Passive Studio.

Tell us about the most exciting project you’ve realized to date.

So far we have developed a model that can be viewed by appointment. The feedback has been really positive. People often comment on how the space feels big, and that they feel welcome and comfortable due to the quality of the internal environment and finishes. The large window is meant to make people feel connected with the outside. People get a real sense of excitement and adventure about the space, picturing themselves in a compact home with a small footprint. A lot of people are looking to downsize and free themselves from the burden of a large, poor performing home.

Part of the appeal of the Passive Studio is that we build it in a controlled environment. This has many benefits for the building’s ongoing health and longevity. People can have a livable space in a much shorter timeframe, and there’s minimal disturbance to a site. These are meant to be healthy, high performing, comfortable homes that looks good.

What does your base model cost and what does that pricing include? 

The Passive Studio is just over 269 square feet and includes a fully equipped kitchen, bathroom/laundry space, living/dining/sleeping space, and a covered veranda. The price starts at $245,000 AUD for the studio and veranda, assembled. The site works such as footings and underground services are excluded from the price, as are delivery and crane installation. All sites are different so it’s hard to price a complete installed figure without knowing the exact site, but as a rough guide, this can equate to 10 to 20 percent on top.

What qualities make your prefab stand apart from the rest?

The Passive Studio has been built using Passive House and building biology principles to create a low-energy, low-impact living solution that provides the occupants with an uncompromising level of comfort and indoor air quality. Our system can reduce the need for heating and cooling by 90 percent.

We have not only focused on a highly insulated building envelope, but have also ensured that all materials, from wall framing to joinery to finishes, are low-toxin. The studio is fitted with an incredibly low-energy consuming, mechanically controlled heat recovery ventilation system to ensure fresh filtered air on those freezing, scorching, or bushfire-smoke filled days when occupants might close all the windows and doors and turn on the heater or air conditioning.

We have looked at how to reduce the environmental impact of the construction process and life of the building from as many viewpoints as possible.

Where is the prefab currently available?

The Prefab Studio is readily available in New South Wales, although we are currently working on the logistics involved in transporting it interstate, due to enquiries from Victoria and Queensland.

Are there plans to expand to different parts of the world?

Our aim is to offer passive prefab designs Australia-wide.

How long can a client expect the process to take after they put down a deposit?

The build process takes around 12 to 14 weeks. Approvals vary depending on councils and what permits are required for that area.

What aspects of an install do you manage?

We are happy to manage the whole process or work with clients who want to manage aspects of the install on their own.

What aspects of the design can a client customize?

The client can customize the layout and opt to remove the kitchen, bathroom, and other joinery elements. We are also looking at other designs whereby we join sections together in a pavilion-style arrangement to create multi-bedroom options. The color of the finishes can be changed along with the option of a selection of linings and flooring. We have chosen tapware that is produced in Australia and is guaranteed lead-free, and the appliances are Fisher and Paykel.

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