build it down | gen Y demonstration house 2014
The Australian Dream is a life lived large. We have more land per capita in Australia than anywhere else in the world, which makes the staggering price of housing bitterly ironic. With such vast expanses available for us to build our lives on, its no surprise that many young Australians are accustomed to a 300sqm home, two car garage and a stretch of backyard as par for the course. When we consider population growth, high expectations and first home-buyers outbid by investors; housing affordability is one of the focal issues amongst voters; particularly the Millennials. To rent or to purchase? To work or to procreate? Apartment or house? These are the questions.
Perth sits at a cross roads - to continue along our current
trajectory of unaffordable quarter acre blocks, complete with labyrinths of crown verge and underused front gardens, or shift towards a more efficient and sustainable housing model in line with Directions 2031, a framework that will be able to absorb our unprecedented population projections.
The Built it Down model demonstrates compact, medium density living that aligns with the aspirations and visions of LandCorp’s Fusion development at White Gum Valley. A
reduction in the lot size of individual dwellings not only increases density within the site, it also contributes on a micro level to the immediate residents and greater community - from providing more direct modes of interaction through dynamic and engaging streetscapes, to the resultant financial
benefits including construction affordability, reduced running costs, co-ownership potentials and multiple shared spaces.
