Housing needs a mix up.
Our studies into higher density suburban housing.
We all know we need more housing. What we are yet to acknowledge is that we need more housing typologies. Expanding the definition of the home is a way to provide more housing at more price points, whether they be tiny homes, co-living or a mix of the two the planning system and lenders need to begin to be open to new types of housing for the Australian context.
To add to the discussion we have been exploring ways of mixing two favorite housing types, that of the apartment and the town house. Our studies were part of a larger masterplan and large super-lots for testing these ideas.
Through the use of our in-house spatial planning software tools and techniques we were able to test multiple options quickly and rigorously to understand the potential of the space we had at hand. With the developer we established some key parameters as a starting point, these were then filtered with planning regulations and living standards to ensure the end product was aligned for the target audience.
One outcome is the “townhouse courtyard”. Similar in some ways to courtyard apartment blocks in Europe ours instead has a shared communal open space akin to the suburban backyard which is surrounded by townhouses.
The outcome of these studies was a mix of interchangeable housing types that would support a diverse range of homeowners and renters within a walkable community.
Our research and testing shows there are multiple housing topologies that can both support the lives people want to live and promote a sense of community. It is perhaps the right time for us as a nation to consider new options for living, rather than just looking to supply more of what we already have. Lets widen the discussion and consider housing supply from multiple viewpoints.
