Rebecca Howe

Dwellings are clustered together around central communal open spaces. The spine of the site is an active circulation path/biodiversity corridor connecting the two new creeks. Carparking is collected at the exterior of the site and collocated with communal vegetable gardens. The proportions of these gardens match the carparks so that residents who do not own a car can convert their space into garden and increase their harvest.

A breadth of site research was conducted over a wide range of scales. Some of the areas of investigation include Cultural Heritage, geology, vegetation, planning controls, and bushfire history.

The site was previously zoned as Rural Living, and already has roads, buildings, and vegetation. REalign is guided by three principles; retain what exists, retrofit where required, and reuse what must be removed if retention isn’t appropriate. This is a novel approach to planning that challenges the traditional methods of land clearing and volume building.

In line with the REalign principles, new circulation, structures, vegetation and zoning are aligned with what was already present. All existing housing stock is retained, and only two are retrofitted; one as a community centre, and the other as cohousing. All outbuildings and garages are removed, and the materials reused. Two active circulation paths run east-west, connecting the new waterways/green links and acting as a biodiversity corridor. Housing along the new creeks is denser, as there was less existing infrastructure, and the amenity of the green link can support denser living.

To encourage diverse communities, diverse housing options are provided. One-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans are combined to create detached, townhouse, and walkup style dwellings. The density achieved matches typical growth patterns of Colac.