Located in a former light industrial area, AQUAS PERMA SOLAR FIRMA reconsiders the terrace typology stamped along Sydney’s streets and provides a site sensitive response to a functional brief. The clients were keen to experiment how their site might work harder for them in the realms of energy and food production.

AQUAS PERMA SOLAR FIRMA is a home tailored to the needs of a modern, environmentally conscious and socially responsible couple. One of CplusC Architectural Workshop’s most sustainable projects, it includes an aquaponics system for fish harvesting, rain water storage for use throughout the home, a wicking bed to filter water, compost, a worm farm and chicken coop working in harmony with a productive vegetable garden, an evacuated glass tube solar hot water system and a 3KW photovoltaic power generation system to run the home and charge the couple’s electric car. Vertical circulation is shifted to the front façade and a circular stair is formed by an array of glass and timber battens which doubles as an internal garden. The house combines innovative architectural design with off grid green initiatives. 

A central courtyard provides all internal spaces with superior natural light and access to green spaces despite site restrictions, while planting beds are integrated into the home to improve internal air quality. The home also has a versatile primary living space; it is an entertaining space, a ‘work from home’ space and can transform into a blank canvas at a moment’s notice.  Seamless integration of green spaces within the home was a key design objective. Vertically hung sliding doors operated via a rack and pinion crankwheel paired with a custom concrete counterweight open the interior of the house to the courtyard and the kitchen has an unobstructed connection to the rear yard with sliding, stacking doors that disappear from view.