Dunlop Avenue, Ascot Vale – Big Housing Build

As part of the Victorian Government’s Big Housing Build, this project involves the replacement of existing walk-up buildings. The brief prioritised high-quality outcomes that align with Homes Victoria’s (HV) design objectives and principles, including: •meeting the Liveable Housing Australia Silver standard, •ESD targets of 5-star Green Star and 7-star NatHERS average rating, •Support positive community integration •Respond to the needs and profile of Victorians in need of social and affordable housing, •Support positive quality of life outcomes This was an opportunity to rethink social and affordable housing to normalise development and make a positive contribution to the broader residential neighbourhood.

The design capitalises on the site’s unique attributes and the opportunities to provide a welcoming and connected place with unique character. Replacing the existing 80-old walk-up buildings, Hayball configured the site with six separate three-storey buildings to achieve high levels of amenity for all residents and break down the scale of forms so that the new buildings are embedded into the mature landscape. Subtle variety in architectural elements and material palettes such as feature brickwork reference the residential context and grain as well as differentiate the buildings and celebrate the ideas of ‘my home’, ‘my building’ and ‘my community’.

The buildings provide external spaces which are accessible to all residents and are designed to break down barriers between social and affordable residents. These spaces also create positive and welcoming arrival experiences from the street. With the balanced mix of social and affordable housing, Dunlop Avenue reflects a vision for an integrated, safe and accessible community. This project is reflective of any quality private housing development that would be found in this location and within the development no distinction exists between different tenure types

•Mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms designed to be liveable, sustainable and accessible to a diverse community. •Interiors feature durable finishes such as timber-like flooring providing continuity between the kitchen and living area enhancing the sense of space. •Storage opportunities are maximised with built-in-cupboards in the entry and living zone, built-in-robes in all bedrooms and generous storage in the laundry, kitchen and bathroom. •Every apartment has an aspect to the courtyard and outdoor spaces strengthening the connection with the outdoors. •Each building has the same access to communal amenities and private open spaces such as a BBQ, seating, covered areas, shared growing plots and shared basement car parking, bicycle storages and waste management with secured access. •Facilities are strategically positioned to encourage social interaction between residents and encourage integration with the broader community and neighbourhood. •Unified architectural language balanced with individual identity for each building through detail elements and subtle variation of materials and colours •All residences have improved accessibility meeting a minimum silver standard under Liveable Housing Australia (LHA) design guidelines with 5% of new social homes being DDA Accessible. The project also achieves a 5-star Green Star rating and a 7-star NatHERS average rating.