Senior Housing For Studio E (Group Work)

SENIOR HOUSING For Studio E (Group Work)

University of Melbourne, Master of Architecture, 2023 S2.

_ Special thanks to my tutor, Lisa Garner

_ Group Members, Gerald Low, Zishan Gao

In the context of West Footscray, Melbourne, where an aging demographic, with a quarter of the population over 50, is projected to triple for those over 60 by 2041, this undertaking arises. It seeks to respond to the imperative for age-friendly, intricately woven apartment enclaves nestled within the inner-ring suburbs. These aspirations challenge established paradigms of rooms and interstitial spaces often glossed over in our daily existence.

The project site, located along Church Street, between Oxford Street and Tucker Street, currently comprises a series of similar solitary dwellings ensconced within verdant surroundings. The aim here is to liberate these houses from their “cotton-wool protection and arbitrary isolation”, as contemplated by the sagacious Robin Boyd in 1972, and to orchestrate a balance between: 1) the expanses of openness and isolation, and 2) the rhythm of distance and intimacy. This is to be achieved by fusing and juxtaposing homogeneous domains at the scale of each residential unit.

Each of these units will encompass between 3 to 4 spaces, devoid of hierarchical constraints, presenting themselves as versatile canvases primed to adapt to the multifarious needs of the residents. These living domains will open into generous interstitial corridors, functioning as winter gardens, thereby affording natural light and cross-ventilation.

In the realm of sustainability, the complex will embrace the tactility of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) for its structural walls. The embodiment of this ecological ethos extends to the judicious reuse of materials from the disassembled houses and the reverent harnessing of solar panels, reducing the reliance on the city grid.

The ground floor serves as a community hub for the elderly, fostering moments of social interactions and serenity while also serving as an essential conduit to the vivacious street life that thrives outside. Within this village, it comprises of small gardening spaces, a clinic, a welcoming café, and convenient bicycle and car parking facilities.