Monash University’s latest Passive House showstopper throws out the rulebook
BY POPPY JOHNSTON / 19 NOVEMBER 2020 The approach at Monash University’s latest Passive House building is about “embracing rather defending” the sun, allowing for a more circadian experience. “Passive House is typically about keeping the sun out. We were doing the opposite”, the architects say. The five-storey 23,000sqm Woodside Building for Technology and Design really puts the tired Passive House stereotype of a windowless box to rest. The building bears the Woodside name because the energy company plans to “support research opportunities within the building”, Monash Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) Kris Ryan told the Architectural Record . [We look forward to holding Australia’s largest oil and gas company to that.] The building’s lofty steel frame in a rusty, Ironbark-inspired red, most notably has the long façade facing east to west – a departure from the usual north–south orientation used to control solar gain in many energy efficient buildings. This orientation allows the su