Balancing energy loads...
Balancing energy loads...
“Architecture is the medium between the artificial and natural worlds. Building Physics makes this medium the best it can be by working with both the artificial and the natural worlds.”
Expert thermal performance consulting across Australia. From Passivhaus to NatHERS — we make buildings comfortable, efficient, and compliant.
We don't start with compliance checklists. We start with what matters to you — then use building science to balance your design.
Learn More About UsBoring compliance reports Building science services for residential and commercial projects across Australia
Alex Slater is an architect who found his inner nerd and turned it into a superpower. After years of designing buildings, he had an existential crisis and realised he cared more about how they perform than how they photograph (he didn't realise a building knew how to use a lens cap for many years).
Certified Passivhaus Designer, Accredited NatHERS assessor, and firm believer that thermal comfort is a no-brainer available to all — not a luxury reserved for people who enjoy reading insulation datasheets (though he does enjoy that too).
Alex also leads Shared Space Architecture, where design and building physics go hand in hand — like a well-detailed window frame.
A perfectly curated portfolio A selection of building physics work across Australia
Passivhaus Feasibility and in process for Certification
Visit Architect's Website →MDC Architects
Passive House Premium Modelling — A certified Passive House Premium project delivering exceptional thermal performance and airtightness in Melbourne's climate.
View on Passive House Database →Huff'n'Puff by Envirotecture. Photo by Marnie Hawson.
An Eco Village designed for Daylesford. Full-Electric, NatHERS 7.5 Star +
Designed by Breathe Architecture and render by Gabriel Saunders
A Strawbale House designed for country New South Wales.
Compliance Reporting and Energy Efficiency Advice
Visit Architect's Website →Architecture by Rachel Emily Architect
Podcasts, talks & presentations
In this episode of the podcast, Jess sits down with Alex Slater, co-director of Building Physics Australia and Shared Space Architecture. While Alex is a master of the complex, numbers-heavy Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), his true superpower is looking past the data to find the human being at the center of the project. From comparing home health and human health, to breaking down the structural differences between NatHERS and Passive House, Alex shares why building a home is a deeply psychological journey. If you’ve ever felt trapped by rigid building codes or felt that modern design lacks a soul, this conversation will completely shift your perspective on what a healthy home can be.
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The Northern Rivers is a humid climate. It is more energy efficient to close of the windows and ventilate mechanically (hello, Passivhaus) than it is to open windows and moderate the indoor environment afterwards. Through the use of emotive imagery, the explanation of a mouldy township and the humour in massive water drops, Alex explains why it is sensible to keep these windows closed and control the internal climate mechanically. We also touched on moisture management within the thermal envelope and how to make sure that condensation occurs at the outside of the thermal envelope and is adequately vented!
When a Mad Scientist becomes really excited about what they want to tell their clients, this is the kind of pattern which can happen… first we say something and show a graph… then we say something else and show another graph… and we keep going until the client has no idea what’s going on… and then a bit more. This prompted me to start working on something for my reports. It is called RePHorter. Imagine a report where I can copy and paste decent graphs into an A4 format in word and not have to recreate these again and again! This was the thought going through my mind which eventually took hundreds of hours to create graphs which are easy to read to the least sophisticated creative nerds… our clients, mainly the visual type.
“Alex is the Dr Carl Sagan of Building Science or The Science of Better Building. He makes it easy for people to understand.”
“We've enjoyed working with Alex in his role as a Sustainability Consultant - providing Passivhaus services for a number of our early projects that were aiming for the Certified Passivhaus Standard. His knowledge about Building Physics extends beyond the theoretical, to a comprehensive practical understanding of how these homes are constructed. We love that he's a spreadsheet nerd - which meant we could collaborate and focus on our strengths to deliver outcomes for our clients that met their expectations (and sometimes exceeded them too!).”
“We've worked with Alex on a few projects now and his advice has always been sound and grounded in practicality, with a clear focus on the most efficient outcome. He knows building science and building physics inside out, and that depth has been a real value add to the Haven Homes process. Happy to recommend him.”
(or the puncher (keyboard))
For each project, we generally suggest a free initial 30-minute consultation where together the scope and compliance requirements of the project can be worked through and clarified.
Our mailing list is irregular and typically insightful. We aim to demonstrate ideas, challenge the status quo and be a friendly voice with a message.