Hilhaus
Hilhaus sits at Grindelwald, in the hills north of Launceston, where the Tamar Valley opens out and the weather arrives without much warning.
The brief
A high-performance family home for an exposed valley site — one that takes the view and the light without paying for them in heating bills every winter.
The build
Grindelwald’s elevation is the whole story. Exposed sites lose heat faster than sheltered ones, and wind loading drives structural and glazing decisions that a sheltered suburban block never raises. Large glazing to a view is entirely achievable here — it simply has to be specified as part of a thermal system rather than as an opening in a wall.
That is the same energy-efficient building science that underpins our certified work: continuous insulation, airtightness detailed as one unbroken layer, and ventilation that brings fresh air in without throwing warmth out. On a site like this the difference between a well-built envelope and an ordinary one shows up in the first cold snap.
The result
A home that holds its temperature through a Tamar Valley winter and stays comfortable through summer, on a block that offers no shelter in either direction.
See more of our northern work, read about building high-performance homes in Tasmania, or explore the full portfolio.
