Abstract:
Auckland’s housing is severely unaffordable and the current housing affordability crisis will worsen as the population burgeons and Council directives of containment and consolidation are implemented. In the search for affordable housing, the typical family will return from suburbia to live in high density developments in the Auckland CBD. Existing apartment blocks provide very few of the design elements desired by families and there is a high risk that families will not adapt to high density living. There is a need to design an alternative high density living solution for families. After considering precedents of high density living typologies it is evident that by living collectively and sharing families are able to afford a home, and have access to a more desirable living location, better quality housing, more amenities and greater socio-economic benefits than could otherwise be achieved. The design of this thesis, whilst assuming that prudent decisions have been taken to improve the affordability of the design through sustainable practices, has integrated the theories of Bow-Wow and sharing to create a 30 square metre hexagonally shaped family home, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and Buckminster. By using flexible walls the home has become devoid of duplicated and seldom-used spaces, and is more affordable, whilst providing families access to amenities and resources that they could not afford independently of each other. Whilst the architectural design of the pod, courtyard, module and site has given careful attention to achieving a balance between families’ private and public lives, families are encouraged to socialise and build relationships through the daily sharing of amenities, and participation in activities in the village centre, playscape and urban agricultural landscape. It is important that socialization continues so that families can enjoy the additional socio-economic benefits that come from the integration of sharing into the design of the development.