A design system for homes and housing : a rationalised approach to housing supply for Auckland

Abstract

New Zealand is currently experiencing a housing shortage. The economical recession has also had implications on housing affordability and as a result more people are relying on the government to help meet their housing needs. The government have given Housing New Zealand Corporation a target of increasing their housing stock to 70,194 by 2012. This is an increase of five percent. There is also a need to revitalise the housing stock. Over seventy percent of the houses were built before the 1980s and the stock is dated, cold and often mouldy. This project proposes a hybrid prefabricated system to enable Hosing New Zealand Corporation to efficiently provide quality housing. Throughout time a one size fits all approach has been applied to state housing. There has been a Europe¬an perspective in housing, Polynesians, Maori make up the majority of state house tenants with the other ethnici¬ties including Asians and Middle Eastern. A survey of past and current models shows the flaws in their design. In order to meet the diverse needs of tenants, it is necessary to go beyond the current approach to state housing with prototype houses that were placed repeatedly within a site. This project does not intend on experimenting on the poor but instead apply a collaboration of proven techniques in terms of both design and construction. The answer to the problem is a flexible system consisting of a concrete service core and a library of timber framed wall panels that can be applied to a pre-fabricated floor panel. This system is suitable for sites throughout the country as it can be reconfigured to suit each individual site and orientation. It can also be configured in multiple ways to create variations suited to the different family dynamics of the Housing New Zealand tenants. The system is an efficient solution, minimising time on site and able to be produced in bulk. The solution demonstrates and showcases emerging trends in housing and is able to show Housing New Zealand Corporation and other housing agencies a new approach to the housing shortage solution. The proposed solution can improve the standard of state housing, minimise the health issues associated with state housing and provide a better home for members of our community. Quality and quantity can be achieved.