Sarah Claxton-Vicars

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An old proverb says “it takes a village to raise a child”. But what is a village? It is a sense of community, a support system, somewhere safe and secure, it is a home. But have we lost our villages to our busy modern lives, isolated in individual dwellings? Why, when we are more connected than ever do we feel increasingly alone?

My project Topography aims to repurpose the concept of a village, prioritising revitalising a sense of community for both the residents of the masterplan and those around it. Through design, urban planning and architectural adaptability, the masterplan aims to encourage and enhance gathering while ensuring security and independence for residents to feel at home.

Topography - Orange Grove Masterplan

The proposal is for a medium-density affordable housing masterplan which triples the current density of the single-dwelling residential site located in Orange Grove, Balaclava, Melbourne.

The masterplan integrates private residential dwellings and public community spaces encouraging a local community and village to develop within the precinct without compromising on resident privacy and security.

Ground Floor Plan & Details

The masterplan includes three unique unit layouts and three predetermined community spaces. The units are located within the new residential envelopes whose forms were dictated by existing site conditions. Adaptive reuse of some of the original single-dwelling residences at the top, middle and base of the site determined where and how the community spaces would manifest in the precinct.

Intent Axonometric

The masterplan and architecture were designed to encourage the chosen theme of gathering which can be split into three types, community, incidental and residential/locational. Each of these types of gathering occurs in different areas of the masterplan where the private spaces are separated by raised topography and the community spaces are located in lowered areas.

Apartment Topography Section

The residential units are based around a central private courtyard and also look out onto the public walkways and gardens. The raised gardens create a topographic barrier between the public and private space, also allowing for additional landscaped views for the residents.

Community Topography Section

The community spaces on the other hand are lowered into the site, indicating to the community and public that this is a space to gather.

Apartment/Unit Layout

The units are designed to be affordable using local, sustainable and natural materials with a simple colour palette to allow for the personalisation of each dwelling. Their layout is unique depending on the occupant type but are replicated to allow for simplicity of construction. The dwellings are designed to maximise access and views to the surrounding environments for connection to the landscape and broader community.

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