Cumulus Studio has completed a 25-unit social housing development in inner-city Hobart.
The $11.7 million project is part of a state government initiative to deliver 1,500 new homes for social housing over the next three years.
Located on a former council car park on Goulburn Street, the housing complex will be home to the elderly and those with disabilities. It comprises 19 two-bedroom units and six one-bedroom units.
The design of the complex has been conceived as a cluster of building forms, each delineated through its material expression. Red brick is used to reflect the site’s heritage context, while various brick colours and finishes throughout the development help the residents to easily identify their apartments.
Claire Austin, senior architect and associate at Cumulus, said, “The interplay of colour and texture in the brick selection brings a village-like appeal and in doing so responds to the surrounding context. We feel the project completes Goulburn Street Housing in a really established way.”
Goulburn Street Housing by Cumulus Studio.
Image:
Adam Gibson
The development also prioritizes natural light, ventilation and outdoor space: each apartment has between 7 and 29 square metres of courtyard or balcony space.
The apartments are also all universally accessible, with each designed to meet the silver or gold level of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines, which outline the core design elements required for accessibility.
“We aimed to approach this project with empathy, both in the way that we designed the building to sit within the heritage streetscape, and the function and liveability of each apartment,” said Cumulus director Keith Westbrook. “We asked ourselves if we would be happy for a friend or relative to live there.”
Source: Architecture - architectureau
