Infill Design
Promoting better quality apartment living in the middle suburbs
Investigators
- Dr Lee-Anne Khor
Professor Shane Murray
Monash Art, Design and Architecture - Rutger Pasman
Partner organisations
- Office of the Victorian Government Architect
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
Funded by
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
Undertaken within
Site-specific and multi-scalar design investigations can support Government decision-making by identify strategic opportunities for enhancing infill housing outcomes.
Dr Lee-Anne Khor
This design research report provides background information to support Government decisions about the Future Homes competition structure and the spatial parameters for the design brief.
The research shows that high-quality, low-rise apartments are a gap in the current housing market. The Future Homes design competition is an ideal vehicle for addressing this gap, and an opportunity to set quality benchmarks for diverse, affordable and sustainable living options in the middle suburbs.
The speculative growth scenarios demonstrate the importance of small-scale infill in the middle suburbs for an integrated approach to future housing supply. By harnessing the speed and location of redevelopment in these contexts, a suite of housing solutions can be delivered over time. Fostering innovative design explorations in the first stage of the competition would enable the Better Apartment Design Guidelines to be tested in middle suburban residential contexts, extending the application of the new standards. The site-scale design tests demonstrate that, three key planning levers would be needed to optimise the quality of redevelopment outcomes, while meeting housing demand: street setbacks, parking provisions and design-led responses to overlooking.
Multi scalar methodology to arrive at appropriate, localised infill density targets
Integrative precinct-scaled approach
Site + dwelling capacity tests
Promoting better quality apartment living in the middle suburbs
Investigators
- Dr Lee-Anne Khor
- Professor Shane Murray Monash Art, Design and Architecture
- Rutger Pasman
Partner organisation
- Office of the Victorian Government Architect
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
Funded by
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
Undertaken within
Site-specific and multi-scalar design investigations can support Government decision-making by identify strategic opportunities for enhancing infill housing outcomes.
Dr Lee-Anne Khor
This design research report provides background information to support Government decisions about the Future Homes competition structure and the spatial parameters for the design brief.
The research shows that high-quality, low-rise apartments are a gap in the current housing market. The Future Homes design competition is an ideal vehicle for addressing this gap, and an opportunity to set quality benchmarks for diverse, affordable and sustainable living options in the middle suburbs.
The speculative growth scenarios demonstrate the importance of small-scale infill in the middle suburbs for an integrated approach to future housing supply. By harnessing the speed and location of redevelopment in these contexts, a suite of housing solutions can be delivered over time. Fostering innovative design explorations in the first stage of the competition would enable the Better Apartment Design Guidelines to be tested in middle suburban residential contexts, extending the application of the new standards. The site-scale design tests demonstrate that, three key planning levers would be needed to optimise the quality of redevelopment outcomes, while meeting housing demand: street setbacks, parking provisions and design-led responses to overlooking.