Sunpath Design
Why Sunpath?
The Sunpath name and symbol represent the ever-changing journey of the Sun across our skies throughout the seasons. Understanding the Sun’s intensity, height, and path from Summer to Winter, as Earth tilts on its axis, is key to passive house architecture.
In summer, it rises early in the Southeast, reaching its zenith in the sky before setting late in the Southwest. In contrast, in midwinter, it rises late in the Northeast, taking a lower path before setting early in the Northwest. Equinoxes find it rising and setting roughly in the East and West, with moderate azimuth and day length.
The Sunpath name and symbol represent the ever-changing journey of the Sun across our skies throughout the seasons. Understanding the Sun’s intensity, height, and path from Summer to Winter, as Earth tilts on its axis, is key to passive house architecture.
In summer, it rises early in the Southeast, reaching its zenith in the sky before setting late in the Southwest. In contrast, in midwinter, it rises late in the Northeast, taking a lower path before setting early in the Northwest. Equinoxes find it rising and setting roughly in the East and West, with moderate azimuth and day length.
Solar Design
These solar observations are the cornerstone of shelter design, influencing solar gain and shading needs. This knowledge is as critical as considering wind, rain, temperature, topography, views, and access in architecture.
The Sun Gives Life
Sunpath also underscores the Sun’s vital role in sustaining life on Earth, emphasizing the importance of a mindful and respectful relationship with our planet and its climate, driven by the Sun.
Annual tree growth ring patterns reflect cycles powered by the Sun, nurturing and purifying Earth’s air and water. We must construct conscientiously with sustainable resources, replenishing what we use for future generations.
Our Place in the Universe
Sunpath is also a tale of humanity’s timeless wonder at the night sky. People have gazed upward for eons, creating constellations and stories to fathom the cosmos’s awe-inspiring beauty.
Nowadays we may not think of emus and possums in the Milky Way or Orion and his dogs, yet we still contemplate the astounding magnificence of it all. We meditate on the fact that all matter and life derive from the stardust of ancient explosions.
Our beautiful watery planet orbits a stable star formed 4.5 billion years ago, one of billions in our galaxy, which itself orbits a supermassive black hole. In the vast, expanding universe, potentially comprising trillions of galaxies, our existence on this habitable planet is rare and precious.
The infinite universe reminds us of our unique viewpoint and the lives we share with it. During our orbits, we must strive to make the most of this extraordinary journey
Niall Bio
I’m Niall the founding Director and Practice Principal and I am a registered architect, certified passive house designer, and a passionate advocate for sustainable architecture and timber construction methods.
I was lucky to grow up in a family that were creative, capable, and practical.
My mother has always been a great cook, baker, seamstress, knitter, gardener, organiser and community activist. She was ahead of her time regarding equality so that meant the boys all had to help out with extra household chores whilst my sisters “studied” as she was determined that all of us would go to university, especially my sisters. Like my Mam I have songs in my head and music on wherever I go.
My father was originally a quantity surveyor on big civil infrastructure projects. The site visits to bridges, harbours and hydroelectric stations that Dad was part of were a big inspiration for me in my youth and gave me a lifelong love of building sites and the hopeful excitement in construction. They both encouraged us to read and quest for knowledge. Dad game me a love for the Irish language, history and culture and taught me about the stars and the vast magnificence of the universe.
My father could competently tackle any DIY building or maintenance task so I picked up those skills by holding the ladder and pasting the wallpaper, mitre cutting the skirtings and the likes. As a child and teenager, I was already building at smaller scales. In our house there were no cereal boxes, bean tins or plastic tubs safe from being prematurely turned into Formula 1 stadia for Scalextric race tracks; or derelict buildings for train set scenery; or battlefield structures for Warhammer 40K. Thank you both for your patience and tuition and I’m sorry for breaking that sewing machine Mam!
After my father’s work had brought our family to live in West Africa and back to Dublin, he joined the family business which was a nationally renowned metalworks founded by My grandfather in 1944. My summers were then spent in the foundry annoying the skilled craftspeople like Brendan, Derek, Ray and Robbie and learning to fabricate custom non-ferrous metal works for public and private buildings under the tutelage of my talented uncle Barry.
So, I was always destined for something creative and I weighed up fine art for a year but settled on Architecture instead. With Batchelor degrees in Architectural Science (2002), Architecture (hons.) (2006), and a Professional Diploma in Architecture (Hons.) (2010) from University College Dublin, my journey in architecture began with a thesis on “Architecture for People who are homeless.”
I then co-founded Open Office Architects in Dublin in 2006, focusing on sustainable residential and small commercial projects, completing over 30 successful projects across Ireland. In 2012 my partner and I relocated to Melbourne, where we’ve made our new home, built our own house and started a family.
My dedication to sustainability led to me becoming one of the first certified Passive House Designers in Australia in 2014. I registered as an Architect (ARBV) and a VBA Registered Building Practitioner (draftsperson) in Victoria since 2019. I am an active member of Design Matters and the Australian Institute of Architects.
My professional journey has spanned from award-winning residential projects to CBD skyscrapers and large mixed commercial and residential developments, often emphasizing mass timber construction and prefabrication. Notably, I led the way with the first approved Australian designs for Passive House apartment projects using CLT.
Outside of my architectural pursuits, you might find me enjoying the waters of Port Phillip Bay or cheering for my frustrating team at the MCG. I am proud to have three young children and encourage their own creative passions and hope they too will know the joy in building things and being part of making the future better.
Holly Bio
Holly achieved a Bsc (Hons) in Environmental Science from York University (UK) then, after some travelling – which included working on a number of straw bale houses in the north of France – moved to Perth and obtained a diploma in Building Design from the Central Institute of Technology.
This concluded with a 6 month exchange to Via International University in Denmark, studying one semester of their Constructing Architect degree. After then moving to Melbourne and working on a number of projects, including Passive House homes in Victoria and interstate, Holly became a certified Passive House Designer in 2017.
Holly finds working in sustainable design incredibly rewarding and strives to find better alternatives to things commonly accepted as “standard”, in terms of sustainability but also design. She will always ask things like: is there a timber alternative; is there a more efficient design; or, simply, could the same thing be achieved with less.
Holly and her partner are building a house for themselves, their two small boys and ridiculous dog, whilst really testing their own sustainability resolve.
