Johnson Kruy

The studio is set in Botanic Ridge, a developing suburb surrounding the Royal Botanical Gardens of Cranbourne.

The proposed model challenges the traditional housing typology. Current housings are insufficient and damaging to the site’s ecology and urban landscape. What was REVEALED by site research and analysis, the project responds by implementing porosity and interconnecting exposure to Country and ecology, as well as a better strategy to design for density.

The new model (literally) raises questions on the private driven market; by encouraging more exposure and certain thresholds to form a stronger neighbourhood community, whilst endorsing coexistence between non-human and human.

The model starts off with four dwelling units.

Both floors utilise the same grid strategy offering immense adaptability. Whilst the private dwellings are customisable in the arrangements and layout of rooms, the ground communal floor is highly flexible to any arrangement or design, adapting to unique circumstances.

The site covers an entire strip of housing allotments that sit on the edge of a green corridor. The model has proven to be successful in mitigating 16 homes for an area that covered 8, showing density but also this strategy to be repeated and reproduced all over the precinct.

The ground floor as shown adapts to this new site, housing programs and shared amenities, gardens and vegetable patches. It is an informal space opened to infinite design choices!

The project softens the edges, and removes barriers and fences, but invites foliage, ecology and Country to the building.

Instead of having ignoring the ecology of the site, embrace it.

From the perspective of a human being.

From the perspective of a bandicoot.