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{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change locationInside the 2025 HIA Australian GreenSmart Home of the Year
Inside the 2025 HIA Australian GreenSmart Home of the Year
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Anne-Maree Brown
General Manager of Content
For Sydney builder Michael Blick, sustainability is not a one-size-fits-all proposition but comes in increasing combinations of construction approaches, materials and technologies.
His firm, Progressive Building, took out the 2025 HIA Australian GreenSmart Home of the Year with the renovation of a house located on Sydney’s Northen Beaches that balances environmental responsibility with practical, comfortable living.
A qualified Passivhaus builder, Michael is seeing an increasing number of hybrid versions of high-performance builds as owners and builders aim for energy efficiency and comfort within their budgets.
‘Those who can’t or don’t want to make the financial and emotional commitment to a top-of-the-range Passivhaus build can still have a comfortable home that doesn’t cost $10,000 a year for air conditioning to heat and cool it,’ Michael says.
‘There’s so many benefits [in a high-performance house] and a lot of the benefits you don’t even know until you go into them.’
And that can be achieved for not much more cost.
The winning renovation follows Passivhaus principles but would not meet that standard, yet inside it’s so snug and quiet it’s ‘like a cocoon’ – the result of wrapping the home using Proclima membranes and counter battens, and deploying generous insulation.
Michael says the brief from the owner was for the house to be as sustainable and comfortable as possible, a power miser, use ethically sourced materials and have a long, resilient life.
A key factor in the efficiency of the home was convincing the owners to take on a Stiebel Eltron heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system that continuously circulates fresh air through HEPA filters, maintaining temperature and air quality.
Michael argued it would be more cost effective in the overall context of the project because it reduces the need for airconditioning. ‘They only have one split system in the whole house and then they’ve got the HRV,’ he says. ‘It sits between 19 and about 27 degrees.’
Supporting this efficiency are UPVC and double-glazed windows and doors, plus a green roof, to ensure a strong thermal envelope.
The use of thermal modelling, combined with HRV and ‘smart’ 10kW solar and battery systems, enables the home to almost operate off-grid.
The timber-based construction dramatically reduced the need for high-emission materials like concrete and steel, while GreenTag products were sourced and original structural elements re-used.
The renovation also transformed the home architecturally, with soaring ceilings, stone and wood offsetting each other and beautiful joinery a feature. The distinctive bamboo garage door also creates an elegant street presence.
‘Clients are not only seeking comfort, but they also want their home to look special,’ Michael says.
To view all the GreenSmart winners go to: 2025 HIA Australian GreenSmart Awards
Dee Why project before renovations
At a glance
Builder
Progressive Building
Award
Australian GreenSmart Renovation/Addition Project & 2025 HIA Australian GreenSmart Home of the Year
Location
Sydney, NSW
Materials:
- Interior Designer: Christine Barnabas Designs
- Floors: Havwoods Global Greentag Certified Timber Flooring
- Decking: ModWood Decking
- Screening: House of Bamboo
- Joiner: New Edge Kitchens & Joinery
First published on 24 October 2025.