Best social housing community design for Global Awards shortlisted
LONDON: The shortlist for the best social housing community design has been declared.
Over 250 programmes have been considered by the awards secretariat. One of the finalists in this category is shown above.
The most successful social housing solutions combine creative social planning, strategies for sustainability and a keen sensitivity to history, culture and context. For much of the 20th century, South Australia’s Housing Trust was a world leader in the field, successfully integrating public housing projects into existing suburbs and neighbourhoods while avoiding many of the pitfalls of overseas efforts, where high crime rates, drug abuse and domestic violence were common features of estates isolated from their surrounding communities.
Designed by architect Newell Platten, Dr Kent’s Paddock was one of several low-income rental projects built by the SA Housing Trust and inspired by Hugh Stretton’s Ideas for Australian Cities, a seminal work of enduring relevance to contemporary urban and housing policy debates. The 1970s development in Kent Town combined adaptive re-use with climate-sensitive design and green open space, converting a two-storey 1912 industrial warehouse into 10 apartments. The remainder of the 16,900sqm site was composed of linear, north-facing residential accommodation built around a large shared internal garden. Existing mature trees were retained and enhanced with new plantings, which are now maturing to sustain this relatable, human-centred place into the future.
The Global Award winner will be announced in December in London. (Globals)
