Sydney Open Symposium House toursPocket Passiv

Pocket Passiv

Sydney Open Symposium: House Tours

Sunday 24 May 2026

A net-zero studio house that makes the most of its pocket-sized footprint

About the building

Pocket Passiv is a small infill residential studio occupying the unused space of a spatially constrained 19th-century terrace-house corner block in inner-city Glebe, on Gadigal Country. The project achieves ambitious levels of amenity for its residents while occupying the ‘pocket-sized’ footprint of 27 square metres.

The design was guided by an ethos of environmental, social and economic sustainability. The dwelling has been built to the Passivhaus Plus Standard for high-performance and energy-efficient buildings. Passivhaus Plus further acknowledges the building’s ability to generate as much energy as it consumes, ultimately becoming a net-zero energy building.

Beyond its impressive energy-efficient design and construction, Pocket Passiv offers an exemplar of a rare yet needed typology of inner-Sydney residential housing, infilling constrained urban sites with diverse, well-designed and environmentally conscious housing options.

Aiming to respect its layered historical context and its neighbours, Pocket Passiv emerged as a highly considered geometric form. The modest two-storey studio has a cosy downstairs area with a combined bedroom/study and dramatic double-height bathroom, and upstairs is a smartly configured kitchen, living and dining area. The studio is submerged nearly 1 metre below the existing ground level to ensure it does not block sunlight to adjacent residential courtyards. An asymmetrical pitched roof with a ridgeline that leans towards the street creates a large, hidden area for solar panels, ensuring the building’s energy supply while maintaining its aesthetics.

Pocket Passiv is clad in timber shingles that will weather and grey over time, adding another architectural layer to the rich creative tapestry of Glebe.