Studio Origami Pty Ltd

Studio Origami Pty Ltd Studio Origami Pty Ltd is a Perth hills based Architectural company focused on minimal environmental

Does a Passive House need air conditioning in Perth?It’s one of the most common questions we get. And the honest answer ...
26/08/2026

Does a Passive House need air conditioning in Perth?

It’s one of the most common questions we get. And the honest answer is: a well-designed Passive House typically needs just a small split system for the hottest weeks — and that’s it.

Here’s why.

A certified Passive House maintains year-round comfort through its building envelope — not through mechanical systems. Continuous insulation, airtight construction, thermal bridge-free detailing and high-performance glazing work together to keep heat out in summer and warmth in during winter. The home does the work. Not the appliances.

The result: up to 90% less heating and cooling energy than a standard Perth home. Whatever remains can typically be met by a small split system running occasionally — not a full ducted system grinding away all summer.

What you get instead of ducted AC:
→ Stable indoor temperatures year-round
→ HRV ventilation — continuously fresh, filtered air
→ No dust or allergens recirculated through ducts
→ Whisper-quiet interiors
→ Power bills a fraction of a standard home

A Passive House isn’t just about saving energy. It’s about building a home that feels effortless to live in — because the building itself does what most people rely on appliances to do.

Want to know how this applies to your project? That’s exactly what a Strategy Session is for.

Link in bio. 🔗

The metal shingles on this Subiaco home are all about precision and patience. Each shingle is carefully laid to create d...
19/08/2026

The metal shingles on this Subiaco home are all about precision and patience. Each shingle is carefully laid to create depth, rhythm, and subtle reflectivity. While the material is contemporary, the form draws from the timeless mansard roof reinterpreting a classic silhouette in a modern way. Huge credit to ISMART Building Group for executing the design with such precision and to Architectural Cladding whose attention to detail made this complex facade possible.
Huge thanks to our clients for entrusting us with this vision and sending updates form sites

Does a Passive House need air conditioning in Perth?It’s one of the most common questions we get. And the honest answer ...
06/07/2026

Does a Passive House need air conditioning in Perth?

It’s one of the most common questions we get. And the honest answer is: In Perth’s climate, a well-designed Passive House typically needs just a small split system for the hottest weeks — and that’s it.

Here’s why.

A certified Passive House maintains year-round comfort through its building envelope — not through mechanical systems. Continuous insulation, airtight construction, thermal bridge-free detailing and high-performance glazing work together to keep heat out in summer and warmth in during winter. The home does the work. Not the appliances.

The result: up to 90% less heating and cooling energy than a standard Perth home. Whatever remains can typically be met by a small split system running occasionally — not a full ducted system grinding away all summer.

“But Perth gets to 42°C.” Yes. And a well-designed Passive House handles it. Strategic night purging resets the thermal mass by opening to cooler night air. The HRV runs continuously filtered fresh air. Indoor temperatures stay stable even through Perth’s hottest weeks.

What you get instead of ducted AC:
→ Stable indoor temperatures year-round
→ HRV ventilation — continuously fresh, filtered air
→ No dust or allergens recirculated through ducts
→ Whisper-quiet interiors
→ Power bills a fraction of a standard home

A Passive House isn’t just about saving energy. It’s about building a home that feels effortless to live in — because the building itself does what most people rely on appliances to do.

Want to know how this applies to your project? That’s exactly what a Strategy Session is for.

Link in bio. 🔗

Your home is leaking heat. And you’re paying for it every single month.Most Perth homes aren’t properly sealed — they’re...
23/06/2026

Your home is leaking heat. And you’re paying for it every single month.

Most Perth homes aren’t properly sealed — they’re full of gaps around doors, windows, cornices, exhaust fans, and ceiling penetrations that let cold air flood in during winter and hot air pour in during summer.

The cost? An estimated $1,200+ extra per year in heating and cooling. And draught sealing is one of the highest-return improvements you can make to an existing home.

Where drafts are entering your home right now:
→ Under and around external doors
→ Gaps around window frames and sills
→ Exhaust fans and rangehood ducts
→ Cornices and ceiling penetrations
→ Powerpoints on external walls

What you can do right now — no renovation needed:
→ Door seals and sweeps — under $50 per door
→ Weatherstripping around window frames
→ Draught excluders on exhaust fans
→ Foam backing rods in cornice gaps
→ Powerpoint insulation pads

One thing most people get wrong: adding ceiling insulation to an unsealed home barely helps — the air bypasses it. Seal first, then insulate. That’s the correct order, and the highest return.

And if you’re building new? A Passive House is designed airtight from day one — tested to less than 0.6 air changes per hour. The average Perth home leaks at 10–15× that rate.

We map out your airtightness strategy in every Strategy Session.

Link in bio. 🔗

Darlington, Glen Rd. 🌳BAL-40. An Asset Protection Zone and a creek close enough to affect the set out. Rather than cutt...
18/06/2026

Darlington, Glen Rd. 🌳

BAL-40. An Asset Protection Zone and a creek close enough to affect the set out.

Rather than cutting and filling to force one flat level, we stepped the floor levels to follow the land’s natural contours — working with the slope, not against it.

The result: a home that reads as part of the landscape, not dropped onto it. 🌿

Builder Skytree Homes

That new home smell? It has a name. VOCs — volatile organic compounds — off-gassing from your cabinetry, paint, flooring...
16/06/2026

That new home smell? It has a name. VOCs — volatile organic compounds — off-gassing from your cabinetry, paint, flooring, and adhesives.

According to the EPA, indoor VOC levels are 2–5× higher than outdoors. In newly built homes, they can be 10–100× higher. And we spend 90% of our lives indoors.

Where VOCs hide in a standard Perth build:
→ MDF & particleboard cabinetry (formaldehyde)
→ Solvent-based paints and varnishes
→ Synthetic carpet underlay
→ Construction adhesives and sealants
→ Treated timber framing

The alternatives:
→ Zero-VOC paint (we love Bauwerk Colour limewash)
→ Natural fibre fabrics for upholstery
→ Solid timber, stone, or natural fibre flooring
→ Water-based adhesives throughout
→ HRV ventilation to continuously flush stale air

Your home is either working for your health or against it.

Link in bio. 🔗

IIntroducing The King — currently in documentation.A three-level home on a BAL FZ site, with Hebel AAC panel as an exter...
15/06/2026

IIntroducing The King — currently in documentation.

A three-level home on a BAL FZ site, with Hebel AAC panel as an external cladding as the client’s preferred choice, and one that made a lot of sense for this site.

Here’s why Hebel works so well for BAL FZ construction:

→ Zero organic material — nothing to ignite or sustain flame
→ Low thermal conductivity slows heat transfer during a fire event
→ Lightweight yet structurally robust for multi-level builds

And here’s why Passive House and BAL FZ actually reinforce each other: both standards are asking for a continuous, sealed, high-performance shell. What protects you from fire also keeps you thermally comfortable year-round.

The design itself is built for generations:
→ Main family living across two levels
→ Self-contained studio below — for teens, extended family, or future flexibility
→ Low running costs for every occupant thanks to the Passive House envelope
→ Designed to be lived in for decades, not just years

There’s a brief that lands in our inbox and instantly lights us up. 🌿It’s not about square metres or street appeal.It’s ...
09/06/2026

There’s a brief that lands in our inbox and instantly lights us up. 🌿

It’s not about square metres or street appeal.

It’s from the client who wants to feel their home. Who cares what’s in the walls, what’s in the air, how the light moves through the space in the morning.

The one who asks:
Will this home support my health?
Will it be warm without cranking the heat?
Can we build without compromising what we put in our bodies?

Yes. Yes. And yes.

This is the work we were made for — where building science meets how you actually want to live.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear about your project. 👇

🔗 Link in bio to start the conversation.

PerthBuilder SustainableHome ConsciousLiving StudioOrigami BuildingDesigner PerthArchitecture HighPerformanceHome

Organic cotton. Belgian linen. Bauwerk limewash walls. Crystal grids.Not styling choices — wellness choices.The Floreat ...
09/06/2026

Organic cotton. Belgian linen. Bauwerk limewash walls. Crystal grids.

Not styling choices — wellness choices.

The Floreat project is a home designed to support your nervous system. Every finish, every fabric, every surface selected with one intention: how will this feel to live with?

The result? A space that calms the moment you enter it.

This is the difference between a beautiful home and a home that heals.

✦ Start your own conscious home journey — Strategy Session link in bio.

CrystalGrids PerthArchitect BiophilicDesign PassiveHouse IntentionalDesign StudioOrigami WellbeingAtHome NaturalMaterials PerthDesign HomeSanctuary

Perth is one of the last places in Australia building new homes in double brick.Every other capital city moved on. And t...
09/06/2026

Perth is one of the last places in Australia building new homes in double brick.

Every other capital city moved on. And the performance data shows exactly why. →

This isn’t anti-brick — it’s anti-habit. Double brick has real strengths. But in 2026, the performance case for timber frame is unambiguous, and Perth homeowners planning a new build deserve to know it.

Save this one. 👇

Here’s what the honest comparison looks like:

→ Perth homes average 25.5 air changes per hour. We’re the leakiest in Australia.
→ Airtightness in double brick is extremely difficult — brick is porous, mortar joints crack.
→ Thermal mass only works inside the insulation envelope. Your double brick wall is doing most of its work for the outdoors.
→ Bricklaying alone takes 8–12 weeks. Timber frame is erected in days.
→ Reaching 7-star NatHERS in timber frame is straightforward. In double brick, it usually means adding internal foam board — losing floor space and adding cost.

At Studio Origami, timber frame is our standard construction system. Not because it’s cheaper — because it gives complete control over insulation depth, airtightness and performance.

Love the look of brick? Brick veneer over timber frame delivers that — without the performance limitations.

If your builder has defaulted to double brick, it’s worth asking whether that decision is based on genuine analysis — or just habit. That’s exactly what our Strategy Session is for.

Link in bio → book your session.

Address

382 Newcastle Street
Darlington, WA
6005

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61429685928

Website

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