This home was designed to operate with no cooling energy and to use auxiliary heating from renewable sources sparingly. It demonstrates unusual passive design techniques. Low embodied energy materials were used throughout and the compact design reduces resources demand. Water supply and waste water treatment are autonomous … The ecological footprint was to be as small as possible and the setting demanded the house have that touch of magic.

Excerpt from the YOUR HOME TECHNICAL MANUAL in the Australian Greenhouse Office in which the Smith Millar house is case-studied.

This house is an energy efficient split-level home with two north facing segments
The skillion roofs slope up to the north, maximising sunlight to both segments.

The linked pavilion design maximises passive solar gain, using closable courtyard spaces to capture breezes or provide conservatory winter comfort. South walls are embedded in the earth, and thermal mass is also provided through feature rammed earth walls to the upper and lower segments.
Northern faces are predominantly thermally assisted glass, and trees located around the building provide shading and protection from the east and west, and also provide a certain level of shading on the northern face. The lower level features a trombe wall. Timber framed corrugated iron clad walls on outer skins reduce the level of exposure of thermal mass to the elements.

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