McCarthy Maisonettes comprise 24 studios, individually designed and fitted out to meet a housing need not normally met in standard houses and apartments. To be successful they needed to meet or exceed the performance levels of current apartments whilst being half to one third the size. McCarthy Maisonettes are designed to maximize passive design techniques in a very constrained site. The building has high exposed internal thermal mass within a highly insulated external envelop. This creates very stable internal thermal comfort conditions to ensure a constant temperature interior year round, and high acoustic isolation. The majority of the studios face North, many with balconies, whilst the studios facing South are fitted with double glazed windows for thermal performance and for acoustic control from the very noisy main road. The lack of available grid mains power to the site ensured environmentally sustainable and energy reducing technologies were used. These included gas boosted solar hot water, 8.8 kW of renewable electricity generating solar panels to the north facing roofs, use of fresh air (or slightly tempered air) in the South building to adjust the thermal mass to ideal comfort temperature, along with on site water retention and recycling methods. McCarthy Maisonettes combine comfort and functionality in a generous studio space, each apartment features high ceilings, LED pelmet and ceiling lighting, ceiling fan, ample storage, heated towel rail on timer, full sized fridge, microwave, wall mounted TV (Foxtel ready). All studios have fully tiled ensuite bathroom, stone top kitchenette, built in robes and open plan living / sleeping area. This design has resulted in studios with comfortable living, reduced operating costs and an investment in lasting architecture. It is a worthy Winner of the Excellence in Energy Efficiency - Medium Density Awards for 2016.