Richards and Spence

Think Brick 2011 - DESIGN STATEMENT

PROJECT NAME - Neighbourhood Square

Changing Expectations

The Australian dream of a quarter acre block has long been idealised in our popular culture.  The lifestyle associated with a detached house and a yard has long been the measure of individual success.  However, our front and back yards are yielding to increasing property prices and the need for higher densities in our suburbs.

Growth in South- East Queensland

Queensland has an estimated resident population of 4.29million, accounting for approximately 20 percent of Australia's population and has experienced population growth above the national average, at 25.5 per cent (1). 

From 2003 until 2008, Brisbane recorded the fastest growth rate of any Australian capital city (2.4%), recording a 2008 population of 1.945 million people (2).  South-east Queensland accounted for two thirds of Queensland's population.  Combined with drought and declining populations in the rural western areas, this trend towards urban centres is set to continue (2). 

While there is a nationwide trend to build on smaller blocks, Brisbane represents the only capital city where the average block size has increased (3).  Clearly the state requires a strategy for change. The Neighbourhood Square project seeks to recalibrate Brisbane's perception of suburban housing by encouraging the densification of existing suburbs through the provision of community focused infrastructure.

The selected site is a Brisbane suburb of midrange lot size (600sqm - 15 x 40m).

Supporting Growth

There is opportunity to consider the possible benefits of an increased population.

As our suburbs densify, there is a corresponding increase in our expectation for services - from schools and hospitals, through to shopping centres and transport services.  Similarly, as our individual footprint for living decreases, gardens are replaced with internal floor area. The consequential loss of private outdoor space yields an expectation for shared outdoor space to return the balance. 

It is not unreasonable to expect more from our public spaces to facilitate growth

It is not unreasonable for an expectation of increased community awareness as communities grow

It is not unreasonable to strive for a more cohesive society when we are living in such close proximity

ACNU (Australian Council for New Urbanism) has recognized the significance of consolidated and considered urban design, not only as a response to climate change and energy concerns, but as a foundation for addressing social and health issues.  Considerable research indicates that strong and cohesive neighbourhoods and communities are linked - quite possibly causally linked - to decreases in crime, better outcomes for children, and improved physical and mental health. (4)

ACNU outlines that the base point for successful development is understanding the significance of social interaction within our neighbourhoods. This 'sense of community' is a common theme and is used to contrast car focussed big box retailing with pedestrian based main street centres.  Further to this, there is a desire to create housing opportunities in suburbs that allow habitation beyond the traditional nuclear family, to promote diversity while allowing continued residency for our increasing proportion of elderly citizens.

"New Urbanism' advocates population diversity (requiring a variety of housing), interconnected street networks to support pedestrian, cyclists and transit users, a site specific and  fine grained approach to the design of our public realm . " (5)  

Densification without Destruction

There are inherent dangers to the existing community when large tracts of land are accumulated for wholesale redevelopment.  When existing buildings are demolished, existing residents relocated and the suburb is made new again, we lose the layers of cultural exchange that precede us. 

The alternative strategy is to develop blocks in smaller parcels by allowing increased density on existing standard lots in order to build upon the existing identity of suburbs and retain the existing community relationships.  This is achieved through the following adjustments:

- Existing house blocks are halved - the back yard becomes a new separate block to accommodate multi residential housing

- Individual driveways are now shared along the common boundary - one access for 4 blocks. This will save on area used for roads and halve the number of crossovers.

- Electricity is diverted underground - to facilitate new civic neighbourhood building projects and street trees.

Our vision for a suburban street represents a return to community life.

We propose an increased density of various house types and household types yielding a shared Neighbourhood Square as a catalyst to facilitate and strengthen community relationships. 

The Neighbourhood Square is a shared pedestrian/ vehicular space occupying the existing road reserve providing shared space for outdoor living and events.

Components include:

• Covered outdoor dining room
• BBQ
• Fireplace
• Water fountain
• Bicycle racks
• Bin storage
• Letter boxes
• Street identity
• Viewing tower

Brick construction has a history in both domestic and civic architecture and is a key component to the success of our neighbourhood revitalisation. Bricks are a good sound insulator and are inherently fire resistant, facilitating an increased density. For the individual, brick construction reduces heating and cooling costs through thermal mass.  Collectively, brick construction provides a resilient, maintenance free finish for shared community spaces. Brick is self finishing, and has less breakage in transit than its concrete block counterparts reducing construction time and wastage.  The finish of a brick building is often of higher quality than a face block due to the high industry standards for brickwork as a finishing trade.

In a world of changing aesthetics, brick endures aesthetically and materially, its familiar modularity reduces any building to a scale we can measure against ourselves.  Brick transcends notions of style and culture and will survive our generation, leaving a legacy of inherent beauty and strength for the future. 

1.      Source: ABS 3101.0, Australian Demographic Statistics, June quarter 2009

2.      Source: ABS 3218.0, Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2007-08

3.      The site area of new houses in the Brisbane Statistical Division increased from 923sqm in 1993-94 to 964sqm in 2003-04, substantially above the national average for Australian capital cities.

Source: HIA Economics Group, ABS Feature article on the size of land blocks, July 2005

4.      Schuck, Amie and Dennis Rosenbuam 2006 "Promoting Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods: What Research Tells Us about Intervention." The Aspen Institute. (Wikipedia reference)

5.      Source: ACNU - Australian New Urbanism - Kaufman, Chip - An Overview and Update extract from the introduction to the book Australian New Urbanism - A Guide to Projects, ACNU, 2006.