At first glance the house seems to be cut from the same cloth of its new subdivision typology. But appearances can be deceptive. Built on a low budget for a home designed to passive house principles, the outcome delivers a lot and should be seen as an exemplar for what could and should be our future – designing and building to passive house standards and applying these principles to mass development. Simple gable forms are carved, scaled and layered to create a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces. Timber was sourced from family farms and stones in the floor from the owners’ former home in Ōtautahi Christchurch.