ESD HOUSING COMPETITION
Windsor VIC

Our primary interest in this project for the Department of Human Services and the City of Port Philip was to explore alternative plan shapes to the conventional east-west strip for achieving north orientation to all apartments in a mid-rise social housing project, a "Trio of Wedges'.

The three wedges achieved this effectively and the resulting triangular spaces between them provided gardens which simultaneously penetrated deep into the site and addressed the street.
Tall-ceilinged common spaces at the base of each wedge opened onto the gardens to create a communal ground plane encouraging indoor and outdoor interaction among occupants. Bay windows and balconies projected like saw teeth from the long facades, adding interest to them and capturing north sunlight.A typical floor comprised five apartments (three one-bedroom and two two-bedroom) with thirty apartments per building - a total of ninety overall.

ESD measures included PV panels suspended, cloud-like, above the roofs; black and grey water recycling systems; rainwater harvesting; thermal mass construction; double-glazed timber framed windows; and use of non-toxic and low embodied energy materials.