Building for Thermal Comfort: Why Passive Strategies Outperform Reactive Design
- Baylee Sell
- May 29
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 13

Thermal comfort is one of the most immediate and lasting experiences of a building — yet it’s often misunderstood or addressed too late. Many projects still rely on oversized HVAC systems to compensate for poor orientation, low-spec glazing, and leaky envelopes. The result? High energy use, rising running costs, and interiors that still fall short on comfort. At Sanus Build, we believe in a better approach — one grounded in performance-first design.
What Is Thermal Comfort?
Thermal comfort refers to a stable indoor environment where occupants feel neither too hot nor too cold. It’s not just about air temperature — it also involves surface temperature, humidity, airflow, and radiant heat.
For construction companies in Perth — where heat, wind, and seasonal shifts are major factors — understanding thermal comfort is essential. Mechanical systems alone won’t achieve it. The foundation lies in design decisions made from day one.
Passive strategies include:
Building orientation and solar access
Shading (eaves, screens, landscape)
Airtight, insulated envelopes
High-performance glazing
Thermal mass (where appropriate)
Cross-ventilation and night purging
Reactive strategies typically include:
Mechanical heating and cooling
Retroactive application of films, seals or curtains
Reliance on occupant intervention to maintain comfort
Passive-first buildings reduce reliance on mechanical systems, lower running costs, and provide more stable, consistent comfort — even during power outages or extreme weather events.
Why Passive Strategies Matter in Perth
Perth’s climate presents unique challenges: hot summers, cool nights, high solar exposure, and increasingly unpredictable seasonal swings. Buildings that rely heavily on active systems to mask thermal weaknesses end up costing more and performing worse. Passive strategies help mitigate:
Overheating in summer months
Heat loss during cold evenings
Air leakage and draughts
Thermal bridging and surface condensation
By designing for performance upfront, builders and designers can deliver buildings that are inherently comfortable — not dependent on constant adjustment.
A Note from the Director
The Sanus Build Approach:
At Sanus Build, we believe early engagement is everything.
When the builder is involved from the outset—alongside your architect, designer, engineer, and certifier—we can work as one team. This collaboration ensures your project is designed to meet your budget, performance goals, and construction outcomes from day one.
Some of the key focus areas we support during pre-construction include:
Designing to budget without compromising intent
Identifying structural components early to avoid overengineering
Planning for airtightness and high-performance systems from the start
Coordinating service runs to suit your design and reduce on-site conflict
Selecting materials and systems that align with your vision, budget, and performance goals
Ensuring design compliance with NCC, energy ratings, and local requirements
Working this way removes guesswork later—and builds trust early. It’s how we ensure the project is not only buildable, but built well.
Jordan Elrick Director, Sanus Build
Why It Matters for Residential and Commercial Projects:
For residential builds in Perth, thermal comfort is a critical factor in livability and long-term satisfaction. For commercial builds in Perth, it affects energy demand, indoor air quality, and staff wellbeing. Across both sectors, integrating passive strategies early supports better buildings, reduced running costs, and more predictable performance.
Final Word:
Thermal comfort is not a luxury — it’s a baseline for wellbeing and performance. Passive strategies deliver comfort by design, not by correction.
Whether you're building a home, school or commercial space, integrating these principles early leads to better buildings — for users, for operators, and for the long term.
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