melbourne study tour

The Melbourne Study Tour will take place from July 9 - 12. From our base in the Melbourne CBD the BUILDgruppe team will visit Nightingale 1 and The Commons, as well as conducting several interviews with the architects of Nightingale Village and a representative from URBAU; a company that focuses on Baugruppen development. Thanks to assistance from Nightingale Housing we also have the opportunity to interview some residents to gain an insight into the lifestyle and community of Nightingale 1.

nightingale conversations

Thanks to the amazing response from Breathe Architecture and Nightingale Housing we have been able to secure meetings with the seven architecture firms that are involved in Nightingale Village, a project of seven buildings in one precinct incorporating the social, environmental and financial tenants of the Nightingale Model. The interviews are with the following architecture firms regarding their Nightingale projects;

Nightingale WOW, part of Nightingale Village (image courtesy of WOWOWA)

WOWOWA Architecture

WOWOWA is an architecture practice based in Carlton North and run by directors Monique Woodward, Andre Bonnice and Scott Woodward. Their architecture is socially and contextually focused in both the public and private realm. We have been given the opportunity to interview Monique Woodward the Director of WOWOWA and the recent winner of the 2018 Victorian Emerging Architect Prize.

HAYBALL

Hayball is one of Australia's largest design practices with offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Their work ranges from single residential houses, large multi-residential, schools, universities and commercial projects. The studio is know for its innovative and sustainable solutions. We had the chance to chat to Directors Luc Baldi and Bianca Hung.

clare cousins architects

Clare Cousins Architects was established in 2005 by current AIA President Clare Cousins. Their architecture is focuses on materiality, design quality and efficiency. The firm has a large portfolio of residential work as well as commercial projects. Architect Tara Ward was more than happy to talk to us regarding their involvement with Nightingale Village.

The Nightingale Housing office at Nightingale 1

nightingale housing & URBAU

Nightingale Housing specialises in the construction of multi-residential buildings that take a triple bottom line approach. Their buildings are financially, socially and environmentally sustainable, helping to lead the next generation of infill housing in Melbourne and Australia. URBAU is a company dedicated to creating affordable dwellings using the Baugruppen financial model. We got to talk to Dominica Watt and Duncan MacGregor about the models.

Kennedy Nolan

Kennedy Nolan has been developing their craft since 1999 under the guidance of directors Patrick Kennedy and Rachel Nolan. They have developed a strong reputation in Melbourne with their distinctive approach and focus of quality design. Rachel Nolan and Director of Architecture Michael MacLeod have kindly agreed to meet with us to discuss their involvement with Nightingale Housing.

Nightingale 3 (image courtesy of Austin Maynard)

Austin maynard architects

Austin Maynard Architects are a practice located just around the corner from Kennedy Nolan in Fitzroy. Their design ethos ensures happiness and fun in architecture. The practice designs residential, retail and commercial spaces. Mark Stranan chatted to us about their work on Nightingale Village and also Nightingale 3, located on Sydney Road, Brunswick.

architecture architecture

Architecture Architecture is an award winning practice founded by Michael Roper and Nick James. They are dedicated to quality design and project management services and are known for delivering solutions for projects of many different types and sizes. Nick James was able to talk to us about their Nightingale Village building which is based on the Baugruppen model.

breathe architecture

Breathe Architecture is a design firm based in Brunswick founded by Nightingale creator Jeremy McLeod. Their office is located in The Commons, the prototype Nightingale project across the street from Nightingale 1. Breathe work on a broad range of projects in residential, commercial and the hospitality sectors. Director Bonnie Herring, who is also a Nightingale 1 resident, agreed to meet us and discuss what life is like living in a Nightingale development.

assemble communities

Nightingale is not the only alternative housing model that currently has projects underway. Assemble Communities is a venture that is dedicated to creating better housing and 'shaping the culture of living closer together'. Their Assemble Model provides a pathway to home ownership for people entering the market for the first time. After contacting Assemble, they were excited to be able to talk to us about what they do, having only launched the model the week before.

PROJECT ANALYSIS

As part of the study tour, we have been able to visit several projects in Melbourne. We plan to present in-depth analysis of these in terms of their common/shared spaces (and resident desire for), social interaction/sustainability, urban/neighbourhood relationship of the project, affordability, density, sustainability and adaptability and architect/client relationship. Through this we hope to achieve a better understanding of how alternative housing models are initiated and implemented for future use in practice.

research

All research that is undertaken during the Melbourne Study Tour will be presented across the three platforms that BUILDgruppe is active on; this website, Instagram and Facebook. So stay tuned in the coming weeks for further updates.

references

“Nightingale WOW.” 2018. WOWOWA Architecture.http://www.wowowa.com.au/portfolio/nightingale-wow/.

“Little Oxford.” 2018. Kennedy Nolan. http://www.kennedynolan.com.au/little-oxford.

“Yorkshire Brewery Apartments.” 2018. Hayball. https://www.hayball.com.au/projects/yorkshire-brewery-apartments/.

“Nightingale Housing.” 2018. Austin Maynard Architects. https://maynardarchitects.com/#/944612688034/.

“Rail House.” 2018. Clare Cousins Architects. http://clarecousins.com.au/projects/rail-house/.

“Hip & Gable.” 2018. Architecture Architecture. http://architecturearchitecture.com.au/#/hipgable/.

“393 Macaulay Rd. Kensington.” 2018. Assemble Communities. https://assemblecommunities.com/portfolio/393-macaulay-rd-kensington/.