The University of Technology Sydney (UTS), in collaboration with CSIRO has created the Nanohouse(TM) Initiative, a concept that serves as the conceptual framework for various pedagogical, scientific, architectural and engineering activities at the University. Housing is a significant item in both personal and regional budgets, and the Nanohouse(TM) therefore serves as a powerful vehicle for demonstrating nanotechnologies. One of the major energy-efficient components of the Nanohouse(TM) are nanoengineered coatings and films for transparent and translucent surfaces that modify their optical properties. These nanostructured materials can provide wavelength-selective control of reflection, absorption and transmission of light as well as angular selectivity for directional control, making it possible to design houses that have very large windows and skylights, but which nevertheless remain cool in summer and warm in winter. We have already made significant progress towards the development of these nanotechnologies. In this paper will be discuss the design and performance of these optically controllable nanocoatings and their application to the Nanohouse(TM). (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.