Save our Suburbs

Save our Suburbs is Steffen Welsch Architects' prototype for a different approach to urban densification. Rather than the usual medium-density model, which often raises yield at the cost of usable outdoor space, sunlight, mobility and neighbourhood character, the practice took a conventional townhouse scheme, dissolved it, and rebuilt it around shared space.

The premise is simple: open space is a shared resource. On a typical block, driveways sit unused for most of the day and open space is partitioned into small private yards. Here the majority of open space is shared and undefined, serving different groups and activities across the day, week and seasons, while each dwelling still keeps its own private outdoor area.

A rigid row of attached dwellings is pulled apart and loosened into modular two-storey units. Each plan is subtly distorted to give a sense of more internal space without adding floor area, and the modules can be joined, separated or recombined to suit different sites, orientations and briefs, whether units, townhouses or free-standing houses. Each three-bedroom dwelling has a modest 125 sqm plan plus carport and terrace, a step towards more affordable housing.

Sustainability is treated spatially as well as technically. The scheme reaches 7.5 stars and roughly triples the density of a typical suburban block while keeping natural light, air, sun and open space. Layouts suit passive solar design and can be rotated to any block orientation. Upstairs is warmed by rising air, downstairs by passive solar gain and retention, and the two-storey section uses the chimney effect for cross ventilation and passive cooling. Combining play areas with the driveway cuts sealed surfaces and improves stormwater retention.

Architect: Steffen Welsch Architects.