CRUSH Architecture

08/06/2026

Choosing an architect for a home you love is a big decision, so here are five reasons our clients choose Crush. (swipe →)

Your heritage home deserves a specialist who lives and breathes old buildings. It deserves Passivhaus comfort without losing its soul. It deserves a design shaped around your life, drawn from the potential already there and delivered with certainty, so you can focus on what actually matters.

That’s the home you fell in love with, made to live beautifully for the way you live now.

Planning a heritage project?
We’d love to hear about it. DM us or tap the link in bio.

05/06/2026

What can you do with a space only 1.4 metres wide? This is Mind the Gap, an extension that starts from an in-between space in a Zetland heritage terrace, the kind of gap most people write off. We wrote a different story.

A bold entry, a library, a hidden bathroom, and where the space widens, a guest bedroom, all designed to Passivhaus principles, so it will perform as beautifully as it lives.

Our first concept for a lovely couple and their daughter, who understood that good architecture isn’t about leaving heritage untouched. It’s about finding the piece of the puzzle that was missing.

terracehouse adaptivereuse smallspacedesign zetland sustainablearchitecture crusharchitecture

27/05/2026

Last night we were at a Sydney-wide debate on Passivhaus.
Three hours. Architects, engineers, builders, developers and homeowners.
Something emerged we didn't expect.
The homeowners and developers knew more about Passivhaus than most of the professionals in the room.
They've read the studies. They've talked to friends in Berlin whose homes stay warm in winter and cool in summer for $200 a year. They know what airtightness is. They know why drafts matter.
A part of the industry still calls Passivhaus a "trend." They have a replacement standard ready, less rigorous, easier to certify, compatible with a leaky house and a big solar array.
Passivhaus is different. A building uses 90% less energy to begin with. Airtight envelope. Heat-recovery ventilation. The walls don't leak.
One fights physics. The other uses it.
If you own a heritage home or commercial space in Sydney and you're planning a renovation, the only question that matters: is your architect licensed and experienced enough to deliver Passivhaus on heritage?
We are. We've been doing this for years.
Heritage outside. Passivhaus inside.
If someone tells you Passivhaus is a fad, ask why.

22/05/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about Passivhaus, especially in heritage homes, is this:

“Passivhaus seals the house so it can’t breathe, causing damage to the building and unhealthy air inside.”

A poorly built airtight home is a problem.

A properly designed Passivhaus is the opposite.

Passivhaus doesn’t stop a home from breathing. It stops uncontrolled air leakage through gaps, cracks and poorly built construction. Then it replaces that random leakage with filtered, controlled fresh air through a heat recovery ventilation system.

01/05/2026

A new project, a heritage cottage in Zetland for a retired couple that want to enjoy every day together in their favourite place.

“I wanted an architecture studio able to interpret our needs, knows how to design with heritage and propose solutions that make the difference in our life everyday.” Tom (Zetland terrace homeowner)

16/04/2026

The best architecture happens when clients play.

When you invite someone into the design process, really into it, the outcome is always different.

Always theirs.

And when they finally see it finished, that smile of quiet satisfaction? That’s the real prize for us.

Here’s the new central courtyard at Kailoa and the Beanstalk, McMahons Point, a new chapter for this beautiful state heritage home and the family who live there.

09/04/2026

“With documentation like this, I can close my eyes and build it.”

That’s what a builder said to us this week. Do you know what that means?

Better details, fixed construction price, no cost-plus, no variations, respected design intent.

This is what happens when design and documentation are done properly, and that’s what our clients at Crush Architecture + Interiors experience.

02/04/2026

27/03/2026

𝘖𝘰𝘩, 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵? 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥…

I was inside a room with many professionals in the property and construction industry the other day. Two architects came to me and introduced themselves, saying they work with any clients on any project, and they asked me what I do.

"𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴".

Heritage homes seem impossible to work with when you do not have an architect who treats them in the same way they would treat any other type of project.
And that’s where heritage projects may come with high costs or stay stuck in council for years.

At Crush Architecture + Interiors studio, our clients have experienced the following:

- Highly collaborative design process
- Fast approvals with minor council conditions
- Design aligned with their budget
- Certainty of timeframe

If you have a heritage listed home and you are looking to work with an architecture and interiors studio that cares about you and your family’s project goals, reach out to us.

26/03/2026

“T𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.”

There is no way that an architect can well design a heritage home without knowing its history and evolution, and that’s why at Crush studio, before we design a single line of our clients’ homes, we first take the time to understand their history and research the events that made those buildings be built in the first instance.

This year we are celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Federation, and if you own one of these jewels, you may want to read our latest post in the link below:

https://crusharchitecture.com.au/blog/federation-architecture-features-and-heritage-significance/

We are Crush Architecture + Interiors, a Sydney Surry Hills based practice specialising in working with heritage conservation areas and heritage-listed homes in Sydney to preserve their beauty while making them more energy efficient through Passivhaus design and more functional for modern living.