NextGen Housing Research Sohan Saraf Sandra Ahlen

on building typology
Chapter 13
NextGen Housing Research

A RANGE OF HOUSING TYPOLOGIES

housing does not only refer to a house as a physical structure, but encompasses all the different elements that constitute a human settlement. Urban environments that display high quality private space, communal space and access to facilities, contribute positively to the living conditions of residents. The physical, social, psychological and cultural environments contribute to the creation of a sense of place. A high quality urban environment brings about a positive sense of place, which in turn contributes to high levels of resident satisfaction, ownership and identity. 1 Building and site design, in particular, contribute significantly to the sense of place and quality of a housing development. 2 More specifically, building costs, service provision and service costs, the nature of the unit, the configuration of the open space system and residents perception of and satisfaction with their housing environment, are all determined by housing typology. Houses can be built in a large variety of configurations. A basic division is between free-standing or detached dwellings and various types of attached or multi-user dwellings. Both sorts may vary greatly in scale and amount of accommodation provided. Although there appear to be many different types, many of the variations are purely matters of style rather than spatial arrangement or scale. Townhouse / RowHouse......6 Semidetached Housing in Chippendale.....20 Detached Housing........4 McMansion Housing.....19

Low Rise / Mid Rise Apartments......8

High Rise Apartments......11 Meriton High Rise Apartments.......21

Mixed Used Housing in Burwood......18

Detached House

Sterrt layout alternatives in single-family communities grid layout configuration

Single family house separated from neighbours on all four sides. The most desirable type of housing for many, especially families.

Sterrt layout alternatives in single-family communities cul-de-sac layout configuration

Allows for great variety of floor plans, as well as personalization and expression of individual identity.

Great range of variations throughout the world.

Clear definitions of public and private space.

Variations on garage locations for detached housing

Trend toward larger units consumes more material and energy.

Number and type of retail and public amenities within walking distance can be limited due to lower numbers of residents

Kliment, S. (ed.) 2005, Building Type Basics for Housing, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken,Housing types, viewed 10 March 2010 http://www.housinginitiative.org/pdfs/Housing%20Types/Housing_Types_Sheets.pdf, Waterloo and Redfern Urban Design Report, viewed 11 March 2010

Townhouse / RowHouse / Joint courst / Terrace house

Variations

Multiple dwelling units arranged in rows, each with exterior ground floor access

Data 4-8 units/building 1-3 floors/building net site density: 12-35 units/acre

Characterised by relatively narrow and deep proportions with windows at the front and back. Access to sunlight depends on the orientation of the lot. Terraces whose windows only face east or west are the most constrained. Characterised by relatively narrow and deep proportions with windows at the front and back. Allows for private entries to individual dwellings within a narrow street frontage, thus minimizing length of utility runs and provides relatively low rise dwellings with medium to high density.

A typical townhouse plan. Although dimensions and details may vary, the basic layout provides a practicle arrangement of rooms in a limited-width building

A row of contemporary townhouses detailed in steel and glass, Wohnbebaung. Jugerhslde, Germany, shows a successful high-tech vocabulary.

Row houses in Hastings, United Kingdom shows the great variety that can be achieved in two and three story row houses of a consistant width

Kliment, S. (ed.) 2005, Building Type Basics for Housing, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken,Housing types, viewed 10 March 2010 http://www.housinginitiative.org/pdfs/Housing%20Types/Housing_Types_Sheets.pdf, Waterloo and Redfern Urban Design Report, viewed 11 March 2010

Low Rise Apartments

Mid Rise Apartments

Multiple dwelling units arranged in rows, each with exterior ground floor access

Data 4-16 units/building 2-3 floors/building net site density: 15-68 units/acre

Multiple dwelling units arranged in rows, each with exterior ground floor access

Data 60-240 units/building 5-8 floors/building net site density: 26-148 units/acre

Single street entry serving a number of dwellings At least two sides with windows results in comfortable light and air quality of indoor spaces. Parking is a challenge due to high lot coverage. Ground is typically shared to some degree.

Mid-rise housing started to emerge as lifts became more reliable and affordable. Early versions were usually U or E shaped around courtyards to produce the longest perimeter and thus maximise daylight access. Building bulk is large but can be shaped to respond to surroundings. Internal layout is vital for liveability. Variations in building plans include skip-top plans with a corridor only on every second or third floor. The units are two stories entered from the corridor with internal stairs.

variations in building layout for low-rise residential buildings

Mid Rise Apartments

Ground is usually shared. Possibilities for private outdoor space are limited to balconies and rooftop. Can incorporate a variety of unit sizes and affordabilities seamlessly. Density can support frequent transit service and local shopping, and be near regional amenities such as downtowns

Mid Rise Apartments

Rising at least eight stories on small foot print, this type is characterized by interior access to units, and a limited range of unit type. Diagram of building that continues the line of the street and creates a private couratyard in the middle of the block of apartments

Data 60-300 units/building 8+ floors/building net site density: 60-300 units/acre

High rise housing is a relatively recent phenomenon made possible by the development of economical steel structural systems and efficient elevators in the late 19th century. Strong possibility of preserving open space, at the expense of large shadows, interrupted views, and extreme scale shift from lower surrounding densities.
Section showing the elevator skip-stop concept

An increasingly common high rise housing type combines parking and retail in a mixed-use low base that defines the street edge relate to lower buildings around it

STREET

Section showing dwelling units that wrap around a parking structure to take advantage of exterior exposures, hide parking, and create a more attractive street edge. A courtyard over parking can create attractve outdoor space nd allow daylight into dwelling units on either.

Section showing a high-rise residential development occupying a whole city block. The base holds parking, wrapped by retail and

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High Rise Apartments

Shared entries, hallways, elevators, and stairs require careful design for sociability. Personalization of units is difficult except at interior unit entries.

Tower floor plans allow for a variety of unit designs, including four corner units per floor.

A sketch of the site plan of Renaissance provides an overview of the sites mixed-use components.

Floor plans of a two-story townhouse that opens onto the garden-terrace level.

This typical two-bedroom tower unit at Renaissance has a balcony with views of the Sandiego bay ans skyline.

This sketch of building illustrates the creation of garden terrace common area by berming the above-ground parking structure.

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Kliment, S. (ed.) 2005, Building Type Basics for Housing, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken,Housing types, viewed 10 http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/development/documents/CityPlan/SiteSpecificPlanning/RedfernWaterloo/Markup/4 _BuildingTypes_A.pdf

Kliment, S. (ed.) 2005, Building Type Basics for Housing, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken,Housing types, viewed 10 March 2010 http://www.housinginitiative.org/pdfs/Housing%20Types/Housing_Types_Sheets.pdf, Waterloo and Redfern Urban Design Report, viewed 11 March 2010

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Housing in Perspective
The Middle Suburbs Public transport, including rail contributed to growdth of thse suburbs. Once they were made accessible with public transport, the middle suburbs developed rapidly with detached houses.The relative ease of travel to the city for work made living in middle suburbs a combination of city and rural living. These middle suburbs have good public transport facilities and capacity to develop different forms of housing to suit the need of diverse population.Many councils are now allowing Dual Occupancy in these suburbs by permitting - Granny Flats - Existing dwelling divided in 2 sections - Existing dwelling to be added and divided into 2 sections

Australia has 88% population living in major cities and still every Australian dream to own a detached house on a quarter-acre block in suburbs.The dream reflects social expectations fostered by advertising. As a result of internal & overseas migration cities are growing rapidly.

The Inner Suburbs The inner suburbs developed around the initial settlement area. Housing in these suburbs was often in the form of small cottages, row houses. During last ten years an increasing number of inner city houses have been purchased, restored and renovated to provide housing for both low and higher income earners.

Examples of Dual Occupancy

The Outer Suburbs Many of the outer suburb houses are designed for parents with two children.Financial force make many people to live in these outer suburbs, as houses and land tend to be cheaper than inner city areas. other residents are either first buyers, people with children who dislike living in crowded , polluted inner city areas. There is very little space left for new houses in inner and middle city suburbs, so developers and individual land ownerstned to build in outer suburbs

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Housing Typology
Ground Coverage Building Height

There are four main categories of housing form: 1. Detached or freestanding housing (a low-density typology not investigated in this research). 2. Attached housing where each unit is joined side by side or one above the other, with a separate outdoor entrance and often a private outdoor space. 3. Apartments/flats where several dwelling units share a common (usually indoor) access and area enclosed by a common structural envelope. 4. Hybrid housing where two or more forms are mixed.

High (over 6 storeys) Moderate(over 3-6 storeys) High (Over 50%) Dense Walkups Moderate (10-50%) High Slabs Ground-access walkups Low(Under 20%) Towers in the Green

Low (over 1-2 storeys) Courtyard Housing A ached Houss Free Standing housing

Housing Typology Single family Row houses Stacked townhouses Three storey walk Six storey elevator apartments Thirteen storey elevator apartments

Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.) Upto 0.2 0.5 0.8 1 1.4 1.8

Net Density upto 20 40-60 60-100 100-115 160-190 215-240

Attension is given to indoor and outdoor spaces

Particular housing typologies produce particular densities. Each house type has an appropriate density within a sizeable range of densities. Three factors are used to determine the density associated with a particular house type: parking (how to store the automobile and how many to store); the amount of private and communal open space; and the privacy distances between facing windows. As a general guide, they provide some typical densities for the different unit types. They state that any house type can be built at lower densities than shown below, but economically as well as in terms of maintaining community facility thresholds, it may be difficult to justify figures that are much lower.

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Mixed Used housing in Burwood

Mixed-use development is the practice of allowing more than one type of use in a building or set of buildings. In planning zone terms, this can mean some combination of residential, commercial, industrial, office, institutional, or other land uses. Burwood is identified as a Major Centre by the NSW Government, Burwood is set to grow significantly in the next 25 years, taking advantage of the areas strong local economy and excellent transport infrastructure. Council is committed not only to maximising the areas growth, but to ensuring that Burwood remains an exciting and vibrant place to live, work and visit.

McMansion Housing
The term is generally used to denote a home with a larger footprint than an older median home and which is often located in a newer, larger subdivision. It is also used to refer to the replacement of an existing, smaller structure in an older neighborhood with a larger and more elaborate home. The McMansions are not only being built in the outer suburbs. Many of the new subdivisions are developed in inner suburbs by demolishing existing small houses.A small lot the house itself often covering a larger portion of the land is used for construction of new McMansion House. The general criticisms apparently stem from disagreement over the overall look and feel of the homes as not being "appropriate" for a given neighborhood, being wasteful in terms of space (too much room for too few people), perceived pretentiousness (and lack of taste/refinement) of the owners, differing architectural preferences, and a suspicion of social climbing "new money".

Features Burwood road in Burwood suburb is a best example of mixed used small commercial and residential development. Burwood has mixed use dwelling structure, which includes social facilities and trading space for small or microenterprises, It helps creating vibrant housing environments and support residents livelihood activities, and enhance their general well-being. Mixed use commercial space are being used by small restaurants, cafes, small offices and reail shops. The mixture of uses is vital and necessary for a healthy urban area in Burwood Mixed use guidelines often result in residential buildings with streetfront commercial space. Retailers have the assurance that they will always have customers living right above and around them, while residents have the benefit of being able to walk a short distance to get groceries and household items.

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Kliment, S. (ed.) 1998, Housing in Australia, Judith Vulker,Housing In Perspective, viewed 10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-use_development viewed 15 March 2010 http://www.smh.com.au/national/how-the-mcmansion-supersized-the-suburbs-20091204-kaxv.html

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Semi Detached Housing in Chippendale

Features Units configured as simplexes or duplexes, adjacent to each other or stacked to heights of 2 storeys Suitable for smaller scale infill projects and general densification by sub-dividing existing properties or adding units to existing property Design and layout to create adequate private ground floor backyard space for individual units

Meriton High Rise Apartments

Features These luxury apartments incorporate the latest design principles, catering for the complete modern life. Between 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms. The apartments include every modern convenience, including study rooms and media alcoves, individually controlled air-conditioning and wiring for the TV and high speed internet access. Suitable for new build social housing and public rental housing projects, as well as general densification Layout forms a defensible enclosure that provides a reasonable degree of privacy, private outdoor space and ground orientation at higher densities. Common facilities could include gardens, play areas, parking, roads, drying yards, laundry

Advantages Efficient use of land through high density low-rise construction A range of densities can be achieved depending on the urban context Shorter service runs than those for free-standing houses Compact and inexpensive relative to other types, yet providing direct access, unit identity, private open space and relatively high levels of privacy Potential for shared walls to reduce exposure to elements and reduce construction costs No interior spaces that are public or that have to be shared with other residents or neighbours Direct access from each unit to the street Conservation of space while providing desirable amenities. Choice of location can support viable public transport systems Walkable neighbourhoods result from pedestrian scale and density of development Cost reduction techniques of mass housing are applicable ground floor yard space for individual units

Disadvantages Limited use of plot area for extension or planting Access to backyard of row house only possible through the main unit Lower levels of privacy and higher sensitivities to noise from neighbours caused by shared walls Users fear that personal identity may be lost in a row housing complex

Advantages Efficient use of land through high-density low-rise construction Combination of different typologies create a mix of units and affordability levels within the same development Suitable for the adaptation of hostels Provision of safe outdoor areas, especially for children Achievement of social benefits by aggregating shared open space and organising a hierarchy of private, semiprivate and public spaces Cost reduction techniques of mass housing can be applied Disadvantages Lack of sufficient community ownership and proper management and maintenance could lead to communal areas becoming neglected and dangerous Lower levels of privacy and higher sensitivities to noise from neighbours caused by shared walls and communal spaces

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Development Action Group: Sustainable medium-density housing,

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Japanese Capsule Housing

Australian Detached House

Designing for fuction is the most imoprtant part of the design process. People have differnt needs and use spaces for differnt purpose.

For a couple without childern need a self-contained unit, which could be the first stage of a house, or it could be a small dual occupancy dwelling. Each capsule is connected to one of the two main shafts only by four high-tension bolts and is designed to be replaceable. When children arrive and family grows. Ths housing need is for small dwelling with a separate sleeping area for childern.

The capsules were manufactured in a factory and transported to site by truck. They were then attached to the towers central beam. The capsules were designed to be removable and replaceable from the central beam. The capsules were manufactured in a factory and transported to site by truck. They were then attached to the towers central beam. The capsules were designed to be removable and replaceable from the central beam. Even the seemingly small space inside the capsules can be modified. It can be increased by connecting capsules to other capsules. The towers simple, minimalist design was deliberate.

When childern are older they need a place of their own in house.This leads to extension the house as an Independent unit, like Granny Flat. This detached Independent Unit provides home for old couple while the young couple can start their life in main part of the house.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-use_development viewed 15 March 2010

Kliment, S. (ed.) 1998, Housing in Australia, Judith Vulker,Housing In Perspective, viewed 10

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Personal Reflection
When making decisions about the choice and appropriateness of different housing typologies, consideration must be given to the availability and cost of land, the socio-economic profile of endusers. There is no direct relationship between density and quality of housing. Consideration of and attention to a range of design and process factors relating to housing typology has the potential to enable vibrant and sustainable higher-density environments in well-located areas. The quality of life of the household is greatly affected by spatial arrangements such as unit type, unit plan, layout of sites/buildings and open spaces. Tension is created when these spatial arrangements enforce or imply ways of living contrary to households expectations, role behaviour and values. The success of higher-density housing depends more on how the spaces between buildings are treated than on the interior design of units. A preference exists in housing environments for territories that are marked, that have clear boundaries and that make visual contact possible with the surrounding areas. When making decisions about the choice and appropriateness of different housing typologies, consideration must be given to the availability and cost of land, the socio-economic profile of end-users, the urban context and natural systems. Architectural, urban design and planning solutions that are not based on adequate knowledge about the end-users expectations, needs and values may have unintended consequences that are contrary to the intentions of planners and designers. The creative use of different housing typologies opens up new possibilities of increasing densities in the form of infill housing in urban areas. A range of different housing typologies and the creative application thereof should be used to achieve different densities and types of housing environments that aim to meet the social, economic and environmental needs of as many households as possible. A combination of typologies used in the same development for different income groups and household configurations enable residential environments to offer choice and diversity, especially relating to sustaining local economic development. The promotion of mixed-use, which includes social facilities and trading space for small or micro-enterprises can help create vibrant housing environments and support residents livelihood activities, and enhance their general well-being.

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