Traditional Land Owners: Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation

This project defines a replicable contemporary apartment building type on a standard single allotment in Melbourne’s middle-ring suburbs, achievable within current regulations and within an economic framework of ‘affordable housing’.

The starting premise was that a different type of apartment living could be offered to those with limited mobility, who spend more time at home and for whom quality of internal and private external space is arguably more critical – and if this model could be made achievable within current limits then it would also offer alternative suburban apartment typologies relevant to others in the wider community, such as small families or a range of contemporary, non-nuclear household structures.

Importantly, the design is focused on meeting the needs of the elderly but is not officially ‘elderly housing’ – its flexible design allows a range of tenants of different ages and abilities to be accommodated in any apartment, aiming for a mixed community.