Image Credit : Trevor Mein
Project Overview
‘Living Places’ public housing establishes a benchmark for environmentally and socially sustainable low-cost housing in Victoria.
The culmination of an open design competition initiated by the Office of the Victorian Government Architect and the Office of Housing,’ Living Places’ involves the design of fifteen environmentally efficient, low-cost dwellings on six consolidated residential allotments in Dandenong. The project establishes a solar responsive urban framework which, in combination with efficient internal planning and the integration of ESD technologies, facilitates dwellings with energy ratings in excess of 8 stars. WSUD principles, grey water treatment and indigenous planting reduce the site’s dependence on mains water and minimise its impact on the local environment.
‘Living Places’ is spatially diverse and accommodates numerous household configurations. Private open spaces, semi-private gardens and operable fences and screens allow residents to mediate contact with neighbours, while centrally located communal outdoor spaces activate the site and create possibilities for interaction and self-expression.
‘Living Places’ demonstrates that public housing can be accommodated within established suburban environments without disrupting the neighbourhood or ostracizing the community within. Furthermore, they can be spatially rich and rewarding places to live.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Paul Porjazoski
Merran Porjazoski
Louisa Macleod
Fiona Lew
Andre Ullal
Builder: Pirovich Industries
Interior Design: BENT Architecture
Landscape Architect: Site Office
Structural Engineer: Clive Steele Partners
Services Engineers: SPA Consulting Engineers
ESD Consultants: Third Skin and Greensphere Consulting
Project Brief
‘Living Places’ Suburban Revival is the culmination of an open design competition aimed to establish an innovative approach to medium density public housing that can sensitively integrate with and rejuvenate low-density outer suburbs in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.
The resulting development:
•Provides a flexible housing model capable of accommodating variations in household size and configuration, ensuring a diverse and integrated site community that is able to respond to shifting demographics over time.
•Utilises cost-effective ESD principles and technologies that are achievable in a social housing context.
•Responds sensitively to its suburban context while challenging local planning strategies and more traditional medium density housing models.
•Establishes a site and housing strategy that can be repeated on suburban infill sites of varying scales and orientations.
•Provides accommodation that integrates sensitively with its surroundings to ensure that occupants feel part of the community and not “different from the rest.”
•Creates light filled and usable private and communal outdoor spaces that allow residents to mediate their relationship with neighbours both on and beyond the site.
Project Need
‘Living Places’ establishes a benchmark for environmentally and socially sustainable public housing in Victoria.
Environmental Sustainability: The project establishes a solar responsive urban framework that maximises the northern edges of dwellings and ensures sun drenched private open spaces. The urban framework informs the layout of individual homes, with all living/dining spaces and bedrooms facing north; this facilitates dwellings with energy ratings in excess of 8 stars. WSUD principles, grey water treatment and indigenous planting reduce the site’s dependence on mains water and minimise its impact on the local environment.
Social Sustainability: The project establishes a flexible housing model capable of accommodating numerous household configurations, enabling the site to cater for diverse and shifting demographics over time. Living Places establishes a system of inter-woven functions, pathways, views, public and private open space, and passive and active community zones, creating an interactive and socially engaging network.
Economic Sustainability: Capital and running costs were reduced through efficient site/dwelling layouts, passive solar design, material selection, location and size of openings, sun shading, water collection and solar power generation.
The urban design framework and dwelling strategy established at ‘Living Places’ can be applied to other sites (whether government-owned or privately funded) of varying scales and orientations. The system demonstrates flexibility in terms of being able to generate a site-specific response within the repetitive framework established.
Design Challenge
‘Living Places’ Suburban Revival responds positively to the challenges associated with increasing dwelling density in outer suburban Melbourne by establishing an environmentally and socially sustainable housing model that sensitively integrates with its surrounds without disrupting the neighbourhood or ostracizing the community within.
‘Living Places’ delivers environmentally sustainable design principles in a cost effective manner, paramount in the context of public housing. Solar passive layout strategies, both on a site and dwelling level, minimise dependence on add-on technologies for energy efficiency. Water sensitive urban design strategies, such as the inclusion of bio-retention rain gardens, have both practical and poetic functions, treating storm water run-off while adding greenery and amenity for the occupants of the site.
‘Living Places’ establishes innovative design solutions for public housing that will deliver sustainable outcomes to the Victorian community. The development reduces the environmental impacts of the construction and operation of public housing, and supports Victorian Government policies to reduce emissions and resources. The project also provides healthier and spiritually uplifting spaces for residents.
‘Living Places’ aims to demonstrate that the challenges associated with increasing density in Melbourne's outer suburbs may be overcome in a positive way, hopefully influencing the private sector in delivering sustainable solutions in the future.
Sustainability
‘Living Places’ establishes a benchmark for environmentally and socially sustainable public housing in Victoria.
The project establishes a solar responsive urban framework that maximises the northern edges of dwellings and outdoor spaces. The functional components of each home respond to this framework; a north facing ‘landscape’ zone for outdoor living, a north facing ‘habitable’ zone for living and sleeping, and a south facing ‘service’ zone for cooking, bathing and clothes washing are established. This framework, dictated by the orientation of the sun rather than that of the street, maximises the passive energy performance of each home and facilitates light-filled internal and outdoor living spaces.
‘Living Places’ integrates ESD technologies to facilitate energy ratings in excess of 8 stars. Waffle-pod floor slabs, reverse block-veneer walls and double-glazed windows incorporating thermally broken composite frames insulate dwellings and stabilise internal temperatures fluctuations. Rainwater tanks are integrated into floor slabs. Photovoltaic cells generate electricity for homes and external lighting; solar hot water is employed. External cladding is light-weight and durable and has either a low-embodied energy, is recycled, or is 100% recyclable. Pre-fabricated framing components minimise waste and construction time. North facing windows are shaded, while a living ‘green’ screen filters sunlight through living room windows.
‘Living Places’ employs WSUD principles, including bio-retention rain gardens to treat stormwater prior to discharge into Dandenong Creek. Grey water is treated and retained on site for the sub-surface irrigation of communal gardens. Drought tolerant plants minimise water dependence. Recycled timbers are employed for fencing and seating.
Tags
Architecture - Residential - Constructed
This award recognises the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow. The project must be constructed.
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