29-05-2025
Multi-award winning architecturally designed Passive House hits the market in Coburg
Tucked down a laneway and hiding in plain sight behind an apartment block you'll find one of the most sustainable and beautiful family homes in Melbourne's cosmopolitan Inner North.
Designed, built, and lived in by the multi-award-winning architect-designer duo behind Melbourne Design Studios, Htt 01 Passivhaus is on the market for the first time.
For Sale: Htt 01 Passivhaus is on the market for the first time Pic: Supplied
Whitefox agent Dylan Francis said of the property: "This is one of the most incredible homes I've ever been through, there's a sense of calm and tranquility like no other. You really need to feel it to believe it."
With ten industry awards to its name, including Australian Design Review's IDEA Sustainability award in 2022, not to mention being featured on Australian Grand Designs in 2021, this five-bedroom, three-bathroom carbon-zero family sanctuary takes design and sustainability to a whole new level.
For Felicity and Marc Bernstein - partners in business and in life - Htt 01 Passivhauswas an opportunity to prove that sustainability doesn't mean sacrificing on luxury, and to create a warm, welcoming home for their family of six including their gorgeous Golden Retriever, where creativity and treading lightly on the earth could be a way of life.
"It's really hard to pick what I love most about this home because there is so much to love. It feels like every detail is a favourite because every element was designed and selected with care, love and consideration," Ms Bernstein says.
"But, if I had to pick one thing, it's the communal sunken living area. It invites conversation and connections, as well as family game nights and much loved movie-watching on the big screen - in fact, it's so good that our kids prefer movie nights at home over going to the cinema!"
Francis added: "Everything in this home has been considered with such beauty and intention. Tucked away on a bluestone laneway off a main street, it's a hidden sanctuary."
Creating a sense of connection and integration is at the heart of the design for the home. While on a very small footprint, the clever zoning and innovative use of structural materials such as cross laminate timber panels, together with triple-glazed glass and wood-fibre insulation, allowed for an open-floor plan that feels expansive at the same time as creating a cozy, warm and welcoming cocoon from the outside world.
VIEW LISTING:Coburg, VIC 3058
With over 90 percent of the surfaces made from natural materials, there is a real sense of being at one with nature.
"The home has a feeling of calm and wellness," Ms Bernstein says. "When you are in the kitchen, it feels like being part of the garden in your very own private oasis. The full-height three meter high triple-glazed sliding doors connect outside and inside - while having all conveniences including top of the range V-ZUG appliances and a built-in Billy water filter tap at hand."
While the home itself is a masterclass in design excellence, with moments of surprise and delight around almost every corner - such as the copious amounts of storage 'hidden' behind natural European oak, and the gigantic nets spanning the loft spaces of the upstairs rooms which invite relaxation and play - the garden is equally as magical.
Designed in collaboration with Eckersley Garden Architecture, the lush, south-facing wedge shaped garden is perfect for entertaining and relaxing with family and friends.
"We all love spending time under the Ginko tree in the rainwater garden or in the tree house under the Jacaranda tree at the back of the garden, or taking a plunge in the natural pond," Ms Bernstein says.
Located in the heart of Coburg's buzzing village-like precinct, with public transport, cafes, bars, restaurants, shops, parks and the farmers market all on your doorstep, Ms Bernstein describes the home as "a wellness sanctuary in the city that feels like being in the countryside. It's so private, there's no one overlooking our property which you usually don't find in the city."
When a home offers so much and has meant so much on a personal and professional level, the decision to move on to the next adventure is never easy.
"This home is very close to our heart. We will miss it dearly," Ms Bernstein says.
"It has been the best family home ever, and we designed it to adapt to ever changing family needs - from young kids to teenagers to empty nesters. We imagined the extra bedrooms could act as study or yoga rooms one day."
But, a new chapter awaits for the Bernsteins and Melbourne Design Studios. "We're opening a branch of our Melbourne office in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and will spend substantial time up there over the next 12 months," Ms Bernstein says.
"While it's hard to leave, we hope someone else will enjoy it as much as we did. In the meantime, we look forward to our next project, the Htt 02 in Queensland - another showstopper!"
Listing agent Dylan Francis of WHITEFOX Real Estate is taking expressions of interest at the $3.8 - $4.1 million dollar level. With the pioneering family on the move, now is your chance to call this timeless piece of architecture that has been built with quality, care and family wellbeing at its heart yours.
