Affordable Housing ::

Project Description::

A five storey group of 33 low-cost public housing apartments, designed in association with Sydney architect Rod Simpson, and undertaken by a government development corporation (City West) to provide subsidised housing in one of Sydney’s most densely built-up areas. The project pioneered the use of environmentally sustainable principles for a medium-rise residential project in an urban environment.

The project was constructed from a limited budget and designed as two parallel blocks, separated by a private communal courtyard which takes advantage of the northern sun. The taller southern block is built to the street edge, and mediates between the differing scales of the adjoining heritage-listed buildings. All apartments run through the building blocks from front to back to maximise sunlight and ventilation. On the northern side of each block, the apartments have lobbies with sliding translucent screens, which double as internal circulation and indoor-outdoor private living space. The southern facades are more restrained, and are built using thermally dense masonry in a self-finished render.

The client-initiated brief was for public housing with ‘robust and ecologically superior’ design solutions, and the design team utilized materials with low toxicity, low energy-use and minimal processing. These materials, in combination with passive solar design, solar heating and water recycling, created a significant early ‘green’ project.