At Altereco, we set our own benchmark. We don’t design to meet minimum standards that will soon be outdated—we design for what comes next.

Our homes are future-focused: efficient, resilient, and built to perform for decades to come.

This is your opportunity to raise the bar.

Altereco Design is a boutique building design practice creating beautiful, healthy, comfortable and functional homes along the Surf Coast, Bellarine Peninsula, and throughout Melbourne’s leafy suburbs.
We draw inspiration from the site & surrounding environment. Natural materials play a big part in our ethos, along with efficiency, sustainability & practicality.
Altereco is proudly Passive House (Passivhaus) certified and enjoys collaborating with health and future conscious people looking to build or renovate.
There's no shortage of talented architects and building designers who can create functional and visually appealing spaces. But for us, we like to take it a step further. We're all about designing spaces that aren't just functional and beautiful but also promote health, comfort, and are built to last.
Sustainability is of utmost importance to us, and the findings from recent IPCC Reports rattled us, to say the least. This has reinforced the need for us to continually push towards more sustainable building practices and responsible design outcomes. Through our work we strive to have a positive impact on the future of residential construction in Australia and believe that as a nation, in order to curb global warming we must stop building the biggest houses in the world, switch to clean energy sources and build resilient homes that withstand climatic extremes.
Our motto may be simple; whatever we create will outlive us and contribute sustainably and functionally for its occupants and for generations to come.
We like to engage our likeminded clients in the design process through a series of collaborative workshops, designing for their lifestyle and not our portfolio.
We take pride in building collaborative relationships between contractors and clients, using our proven methodology to deliver homes on budget. We involve and engage a preferred builder in the preliminary design stages as part of our ECI stage, leveraging off their expertise to value manage from the design phase through to documentation and specification.
Our methodology enables home owners to live in a healthy, comfortable environment without costing the earth.

Our services

Regardless of the project typology, our first step is to fully understand your brief, the site’s opportunities and constraints, and the relevant planning and building requirements. We then work closely with you through a series of collaborative workshops so your home reflects your needs, your budget, and the possibilities of your site. For all projects, we bring a builder into the conversation as early as is reasonably possible, and then work together as a team to keep the project on budget and take it from lines on paper to a beautiful family home that’s built to last.

Whole-of-house renovations

Whole-of-house renovations are for clients who want to improve how their existing home performs, not just add more space.

Our whole-of-house approach considers your home as a complete system. We improve comfort, energy efficiency, and functionality across the existing structure and any new additions — ensuring everything works together rather than as a series of isolated upgrades.

Unlike conventional renovations that often focus on extensions or cosmetic changes, our approach prioritises the performance and long-term comfort of your existing home.

New build - Passive House

At Altereco, we approach every new build with Passive House principles at the core. This means your home is designed to be naturally comfortable year-round, highly energy-efficient, and healthy to live in — and whether you choose to pursue formal Passive House certification is entirely up to you. We also think carefully about how your household may change over time, so the home can adapt as children grow, needs shift, and you choose to age in place rather than move again.

The result is a thoughtfully designed, beautiful home that performs to a high standard for decades while supporting the way you live.

High performance retrofit

Our retrofit service focuses on improving the comfort, health, and performance of your existing home — without altering the building’s footprint or envelope.

Passive House principles are applied to enhance thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and energy efficiency. Internal layouts may be reconfigured where needed to better suit your lifestyle, while the overall envelope remains intact.

The result is a home that feels healthier, more comfortable, and more efficient to live in — all delivered with a clear understanding of scope, budget, and long-term outcomes.

Designing and building a home is a major investment of time, money, and energy. You want to work with a team who understands your values, respects your budget, and shares your vision for quality, performance, and good design. Here’s what sets us apart.

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Why Altereco?

We Prioritise Performance

A home shouldn’t just look good—it should feel good to live in. As certified Passivhaus designers, we approach every project with a focus on health, comfort, and energy efficiency, whether it’s a new build, retrofit, or extension.

We’re Clear & Honest

We don’t overpromise. From day one, we’re upfront about site constraints, council requirements, and budgets. Our role is to guide you with clarity so you can make confident, informed decisions throughout the process.

Design Driven by Performance

Performance isn’t something we bolt on at the end. We integrate it from the start, ensuring that orientation, form, glazing, shading and materials work together for comfort, aesthetics and cost-efficiency.

Integrated Design, Interiors, and Performance

Our building design, interiors, and performance teams work together—not in silos. This ensures your home is cohesive, considered, and aligned with your vision from the inside out.

A Collaborative, Selective Approach

We intentionally take on a limited number of projects so we can give each one the attention it deserves. We work best when there’s trust, alignment, and open communication between client, designer, and builder.

Early Builder Involvement

Bringing the builder on early avoids the pitfalls of traditional tendering. Together, we value manage the design, keep budgets on track, and set up the build for success—without surprises.