Glebe CLT House is an extensive renovation and addition to an existing Victorian residence, designed by Alexander Symes Architect for a creative family of three. Set within a tightly constrained inner-city site, the project carefully retains the original front cottage while introducing a contemporary Cross Laminated Timber addition designed around sustainability, longevity and flexible family living.

At the centre of the home is a double-height void that connects the living spaces and allows natural light and ventilation deep into the building. Operable skylights utilise stack-effect ventilation to purge heat during the warmer months, while high-performance glazing, careful orientation and the thermal qualities of the mass timber structure contribute to year-round comfort and energy efficiency.

The home was constructed using Australian-manufactured XLam Cross Laminated Timber and was the first CLT Passive House project in Australia to utilise locally sourced CLT. The prefabricated timber system was particularly well suited to the restricted Glebe site, allowing a highly accurate structure to be assembled efficiently while significantly reducing the embodied carbon of the project. The CLT structure alone sequesters approximately 55,000kg of CO2-e.

Sustainability extends throughout the completed home, which is fully electric and incorporates a 9.8kW solar system, 12,000 litres of rainwater storage and a heat-recovery ventilation system providing a constant supply of filtered fresh air. Existing building fabric was retained wherever possible, demolition waste was carefully separated and recycled, and endemic landscaping was introduced around the home.

The result is a highly considered family home that demonstrates how heritage architecture, contemporary design and mass-timber construction can work together to create a comfortable, healthy and significantly lower-carbon way of living.

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