THEFINALISTS

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FINALIST

DAVID BARR

DWELLING TYPOLOGY

Three (or more) units designed to the multiple

dwellings residential design codes, strata

titled with individual tenancies and private

outdoor areas. Attached to the dwellings is the

right to common property such as parking,

external storage and garden spaces, clearly

documented in a strata agreement. The strata

titles provide individual ownership with strong

potential growth in the future, favourably

recognised by fi nancial institutions.

STRATEGY

The Step House proposes that the

solution to the issue of housing Gen Y lies

chiefl y in affordability. The Step House

is an innovative way of designing and

constructing a fl exible housing type that

starts from an extremely economical base

and then, through a series of planned

steps, augments and adds to create

increased commodity, identity and value.

Where once baby boomers did it in a giant

leap, Gen Y does it in steps.

FINALIST

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ANDREW BOYNEARCHITECTURE SHOULD ALWAYS

MAKE THE VERY MOST OF ALL

AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIES AND

MATERIALS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.

It should respond to the lifestyles of people in the present and should be

looking forward towards the future. The house will also respond to its natural

environment. It will harness the breezes through cross ventilation and

through a Venturi exhaust. The house will have windows that allow in winter

sun but exclude it in the summer. It will retain the existing trees and include a

garden of water-wise natives to help maintain the memory of the original site

and promote native wildlife. Species will be chosen to attract native birds.

GENERATION Y

The house will be designed to operate as a three-bedroom share house.

To maintain maximum fl exibility, it will be designed to accommodate single

room occupancy, occupancy by couples and room share occupancy in all

rooms, with a maximum occupancy of six people. The owner of this property

may be an investor landlord or an owner-occupier. The target demographic

for this confi guration will likely be students or young workers who are more

accepting of house sharing and are tolerant of high density living.

SOLAR HEAT GAIN

Passive solar heating is easy to

achieve and will have long lasting

energy saving benefi ts. The house

will be designed to shield windows

from the high summer sun and

from direct morning and afternoon

sun, while allowing the lower winter

sun into the building. Light that is

allowed to enter the building will be

directed toward thermal mass to

help store the energy in winter and

regulate the interior temperature.

INSULATION AND

CROSS VENTILATION

Heavy thermal mass will be centred

in the house and surrounded by a

lightweight framed and insulated

enclosure. Structurally insulated

panels (SIPS) will likely be an

appropriate construction method

for upper fl oors. The insulation

qualities of these panels will

ensure that the thermal mass

will be effective at stabilising the

internal temperatures of the house.

SIPS can be prefabricated and

can reduce construction waste.

Cross ventilation through rooms

is ideal and can help to cool the

thermal mass.

RAINWATER COLLECTION

Rainwater collected from

the roof of the house may be

stored in tanks to be used for

the fl ushing of toilets and for

garden irrigation. It may also

be possible to supplement the

tanks with greywater collected

from showers.

Tanks may be used as thermal

mass to regulate the internal

temperature of the house.

Native plants that require

little additional irrigation

will be selected.

SOLAR PANELS

Solar panel arrays may help to

supplement electrical usage in

the house, and assist in reducing

electrical bills. Where solar

panels are installed they will

be designed into the house so

they appear to be integral to the

fi nished design.

ADAPTABLE ACCOMMODATION THE STEP HOUSE

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FINALISTMITCHELL HILL / SALLY-ANN WEERTS

THE LEMON TREE HOUSEJack and Jill got sick of climbing the hill and decided

to craft their home in the valley...

THE DESIGN INTENT IS TO

CREATE A BLANK CANVAS

– A SERIES OF CONNECTED

SPACES THAT ARE UTILIZED

BY THE OCCUPANTS BASED

ON THEIR CURRENT NEEDS.

In doing so the house becomes an expression of its

occupant – central to the value ‘home as identity’.

FINALIST

AN OPPORTUNITY EXISTS

Gen Y are fi nding themselves

locked out of the property

market due to lack of

affordable options.

70% of Gen Y’s still living at home

have jobs, and income signifi cantly

increases around 30 as people

settle into a career path and take

on more responsibility.

These fi gures suggest a window

of opportunity around the age of

30 when Gen Y are motivated to

leave home – they are in a

committed long term

relationship and want to live with

their partner – not their parents.

59% of Gen Y’s not living at home

were renting in 2003-2004. This

was a 10% increase since 1989.

Gen Y are the ‘Boomerang Kids’,

staying in the parental home

longer, and when they do leave,

often come back.

48% of Gen Y’s believe they will

start buying residential

property by the age 30.

41% of Gen Y’s aged 25-29 have

started saving a

deposit (survey 2009).

DESIGN QUALITIES

Courtyard

A large central courtyard allows

northern light and natural ventilation

through the house. The outdoors and

indoors are blurred at ground level.

Large common area

The heart of the home is the large

shared common space that contains the

main living, kitchen and dining spaces

that are linked with the outdoors.

Passive design

Utilising the sun and wind to create

a comfortable and low-energy

home which will lower living costs

for occupants.

Roof terrace

Great views are offered from the

roof terrace, and allows a multitude

of outdoor entertaining spaces in

conjunction with the courtyard and

patios on the ground level.

Large outdoor areas

The ground fl oor will be devoted to

the common living and outdoor areas,

so that the occupants can enjoy the

active outdoor lifestyle that they want!

Social living environment

With up to six people living in the

house, it provides a sociable setting for

shared living not found in this market.

OUR KEY DEMOGRAPHIC

25 – 35 YR OLD COUPLES

• Married, or in committed long term

relationship, with no kids looking to

fi nd their own place.

• Gen Y are marrying older – the average

age has increased to 28 for women

and 30 for men.

• Gen Y are having kids later – the

average age of parents at the birth of

the fi rst child has increased to 31.

• Like a Gap year after high-school,

the GAP House caters for 25-35 yr

old Gen Y’s who want to move out of

home and into somewhere affordable

before they buy their own home and

start a family.

• Catering for up to three couples

(singles welcome too!), the three

‘bedroom pod’ home with communal

living space areas offers the perks

of a home at the price of a small

apartment. This shared ownership

and living arrangement offers

a sociable living environment,

access to great amenities and

environmentally sustainable living.

THE GAP HOUSE

LISA MCGANN / GREG JAMES / JENNI STAR / JOHANNES LUPOLO-CHAN / MIRIAM JEFFREYS

28 SUSTAINABILITY

Gen Y: We got this...

Research alludes to the fact that

for Jack and Jill passively living in

a sustainable manner is far

more attractive than fl aunting it.

GOOD DESIGN IS

‘Sustainable design’...

RESPONSIBLE LIVING IS

‘Sustainable living’...

29ITY

act that

y living in

ar

nting it.

IS

FINALISTTHOMAS HOBBSBUILD IT DOWN

DWELLING DESIGN AND TYPOLOGY – THE LOT

1 The framework is conceived as a series of habitable

modules within an envelope.

Their form is to add another layer to the built organisation

of the greater masterplan, whilst providing suffi cient

density, shared space, typological and vertical fl exibility

for the new inhabitants.

2 The dwellings are separated horizontally to increase light

+ wind penetration, privacy, exterior common areas and

to invite shared program amongst neighbours.

The system encourages a natural evolution internally,

whilst the envelope will retain the streetscape’s order

and offers opportunities for voids, circulation, light wells

and gardens.

3 The dwellings are lifted, returning the ground plane to the

shared domain. The result is a strong visual connection

between the street and courtyard.

From private to public, the architecture draws on

European models of hybrid habitation – creating a surface

for activity that spills into the street frontage. Over time,

residents are able to expand vertically, plugging new

program below the existing dwellings.

7ATim, Maria and Elly

Married

7BMax and Sally

Couple

7CFrank and Kim

Friends

Relationship between the raised private residences, and the life of the

common ground plane.

CASE STUDY

7A Tim, Maria and Elly, Married

Artists and newlyweds, T and M needed

plenty of space for their new family. A coffee

fanatic, T also likes to roast his own beans

below the house, often inviting friends over

for a coffee. Their recent works line the

walls of the space. M’s mother is convinced

it will become her room one day.

7B Max and Sally, Couple

Graduates M and S spend long hours at

the offi ce. They decided to advertise a

small space below their house – currently

occupied by a local potter and fl orist. To

increase their usable area, they share a

kitchen with F and T.

When the time is right they intend on

adding a new kitchen downstairs.

7C Frank and Kim, Friends

K decided to rent out a room to her

friend F until she graduates. Due to the

expensive parking, they both like to ride

their bikes to Notre Dame University

nearby. The collection has grown, and K

now restores bikes for friends when her

head isn’t in the books.

FINALISTSID THOO / ALEX RAYNES-GOLDIE

Based upon a simplifi ed construction

methodology capable of providing fl exible

spaces, the option of staged construction

and opportunities for a cooperative or DIY

build for the majority of the project.

OUR DESIGN PROPOSITION ALSO

OUTLINES POSSIBILITIES FOR

ENHANCING THE PROJECT’S

ADAPTABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY.

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DESIGNING FOR GENERATION Y

Identity

Generation Y see the place in which

they live as central to their sense of

identity. The challenge lies in creating

an architectural framework that

caters for people with a wide range of

circumstances within a set of clear and

predefi ned parameters. Identity can be

portrayed in a vast number of mediums,

and the architecture must enable this.

Location

The corner plot at the development lies

in close proximity to public transport,

walkable infrastructure, public open

space and greater Fremantle - an

attractive line up for new home owners.

Millennial regard location as a social

gauge, intrinsically connected to success

and status. How can we create a

dialogue that acknowledges Fremantle’s

rich history, whilst providing a home to

call our own?

Flexibility

Whilst many Millennials will move into

new homes in the coming years, few

have reached their maximum earning

potential, and many haven’t had children.

As such, the architecture should promote

this excitement and uncertainty - it must

adapt and develop with the home owners

as they move through the different phases

of their lives.

Entertainment

The architecture must have a spatial

organisation that creates a hierarchy

of privacy within the residence. It is

important to generate spatial contrasts,

where the provision of permeable spaces

for interaction is balanced with zones for

retreat and intimacy.

Entrepreneurial

Generation Y are highly educated, and

quite often business minded, always

looking for new opportunities, often

unrelated to their primary source of

income. The architecture at the estate

should feed Millennial’s ambition

and entrepreneurial nature, with

opportunities for small businesses,

sublet rooms or work areas, studios,

gardens and workshops aplenty.

MILLENIAL HOUSING

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Disclaimer: The information contained

in this document is in good faith;

however neither LandCorp nor any of

its directors, agents or employees give

any warranty of accuracy nor accepts

any liability as result of a reliance upon

the information, advice, statement or

opinion contained in this document.

This disclaimer is subject to any

contrary legislative provisions.

© LandCorp 2014. LAND4162.

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