Constructing Low Energy and Green Energy Homes at an Affordable Price in Clare Valley

Antonio Pisanelli

Bachelor of Architecture Uni of Adelaide

Passivhaus Consultant/ Tradesperson​

SA chapter representative, Australian Passive House Association

I have wide ranging experiences across all facets of the building industry with a focus on housing. I approach each day with an attitude of possibility and opportunity, driven by the moral purpose of making our buildings more sustainable. I see myself as an enabler, of being able to make buildings better by making them more energy efficient, comfortable and reducing the ecological footprint so that we all do our bit to alleviate the risks of global warming.

I am passionate about Passivhaus because it is the easiest and most functional way of reducing the carbon footprint of our buildings. I believe that you should design buildings for a minimum 60 year life span. It is our moral obligation to design and build for long term use. As individuals our foorprint is relatively small. As designers and builders our footprint is reflected in our total body of work. If we produce inefficient buildings they will continue to be a burden on society for many years to come and that will become our legacy. We are honour bound to design and create buildings with a low environmental footprint. 

While embodied carbon is an important component, it is more important to reduce the energy usage profile over the life of the building as over 80% of the carbon emissions occur from the buildings use. We need to design buildings that are cost effective and use the least amount of energy possible. The simplest and most effective way to do this is by building to the Passivhaus standard, particularly the Premium and Plus classes.