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Research_
Transforming Ageing Housing through Co- and Re- design
The most sustainable building is the one that already exists, made better.
We believe that transforming older apartment buildings rather than demolishing them creates better homes, better neighbourhoods, and better cities for all.
To support this vision, our research expects to create a ‘how to’ guide for building renewal, providing concepts and tools to assist owners, residents and professionals to collaborate towards the best possible project outcome. To do this, we work with partners globally and locally to tap into emerging knowledge and first hand experiences, turning practical wisdom into expertise.
At present, the majority of Australian apartment buildings are energy inefficient and many are over 40 years old and no longer meet the needs and aspirations of their residents. At the same time, only a fraction of the building stock is renovated each year. Why is this? One reason is that the building redesign process is complex with many unknowns, the other is that buildings are multi-owned and decision-making requires collaboration and consensus. This requires guidance that does not currently exist.
By developing a co-design process in collaboration with owners, residents, and building professionals, the research expects to make building renewal a mainstream development option that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.
We will deliver a conceptual framework and practical guide to realise sustainable housing futures beyond demolition and change thinking around sustainable delivery of housing, creating new industries and services in the construction sector, and value for residents, neighbourhoods and cities.
Project objectives
The Co-Design Guide will assist in adapting and upgrading ageing apartment buildings to better meet changing needs. The objectives are to:
- improve the quality, amenity and value of old apartments for residents.
- support redesign to become a feasible alternative to the obsolescence-based demolish & rebuild approaches.
- incorporate co-design as a standard approach in the redevelopment of ageing housing.
- decrease the environmental footprint of cities by extending the life of buildings and supporting the circular economy.
- boost the productivity of the architecture profession and construction industry by unlocking ageing housing stock for redevelopment.
This project is led by Associate Professor Sandra Loschke at the University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning. The project partners are UNSW Australia, Cox Architecture, the Government Architect NSW, Allen Jack & Cottier Architects, Lannock Strata Finance and MaxBuild.
This project has been funded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Projects (LP) 2020. Grant ID: LP200100053