Tianchen Xu
Gamma Studio Project
About
Living Neighbourhood, Living House
We are entering a new design era, rapid population growth and high demands for housing in Melbourne, triggered a large-scale development of two contrasting housing typologies and urban forms. We are asked to address urban ecological opportunities and challenges associated with Melbourne’s dense Inner City.
The core of the residential house is the people while residential architecture directly impacts people’s lifestyle. Within the project, exploring the novel typology of residential houses that respond to the architectural, ecological, and civic contexts. Adaptable dual occupancy dwellings/medium density houses should accommodate not only the comfort of the residents but also active community engagement and greening renaissance.
" The core of the residential house is the people while residential architecture directly impacts people’s lifestyle."
Living House
People are the core of the residential house, and a house is a place where people live every day. The interior space of the house needs to accommodate daily programmes while being flexible for the changing spatial requirements as occupants change their lifestyles. In this design project, refining and further detailing the idea for the Living Neighbourhood project by developing the design 2 MacArthur Place North. The Living House project is to design a programmatic, spatial and massing configuration of a compact and adaptable dual occupancy residence. This multi-generational dual-occupancy house should have the capacity to adapt over several decades and reflect and connect with this historical urban context.
Concept Diagram & Massing
Mediation
between
the Individual and Collective Public (Urban+Community+Generation) Life
Plans, Sections, and Elevations
The interior partitions and coffee windows allow the residents to change over time, meeting the requirements of two generations over three decades.
Sectional Isometric
Living Space within South Wing Architecture Grandparents Landspace Windows around the Architecture
Space Adaptation Details
Changes of the Coffee Window Throughout Three Decades
Experiential Details
The idea of ‘ Corridor as Viewfinder’ is applied within the two residential houses, providing the opportunity to enjoy the seasonally changing landscape view while protecting the privacy of the residents.
The coffee window enhances engagement with the public/community life and makes interaction with the outside environment. In the meanwhile, the coffee window enriches the life of the grandparents, providing convenience to people.
The application of Landscape Window and the step-back of the external wall for a walk side garden, proving more greenery for the pedestrians and protecting the privacy of the residents living inside.
EPILOGUE
Reflection
n this design project, I made a proposal to address the awakened situation between the collective public/community life and individual life.
Thinking not only about the dwelling clients but also the experience of passers-by and the wider Carlton community – and this speaks to an acknowledgement and understanding of the Gamma brief – that our design is an intrinsic element to a wider urban fabric.
The utilisation of rotation creates some really nice moments along Canning St where have located pockets of green as mediation and interface.
In this proposal, there are still some aspects that are not considered including the internal space organization and internal circulation space, which brings me the opportunity to refine and reflect in the next stage of study and design.
Isometric Drawing of Living House Project