A government panel of senior architects has given support to the small cohousing development proposed by Stellulata. They also made some suggestions to improve the design.
The National Capital Design Review Panel was established by the ACT Government and the National Capital Authority as an advisory and independent panel to assist design teams to realise the full potential of development proposals. The panel is chaired by the ACT Government Architect, Catherine Townsend.
As part of the ACT Government's Demonstration Housing program, the Stellulata team presented to the Design Review Panel on 12 June 2019. Ian Ross, a future resident of the cohousing community opened the presentation by briefly outlining the proposal’s underlying design philosophy.
Brett Lowe, Stellulata's architect presented the preliminary sketch plans for the proposal and explained how the design was developed from the characteristics of the block and the needs of the resident community. Key design elements included the main house layout and purpose, sustainability measures such as cross-ventilation, stormwater and solar harvesting, materials selection, landscaping and site circulation.
In their 4-page report, the National Capital Design Review Panel “congratulates the proponent and design team for presenting a development proposal that is sensitive to the surrounding suburban character and context.” The report is also supportive of "a highly successful residential floor layout, appropriate building scale and architectural expression and a successful streetscape response".
The panel made a number of suggestions about the design.
"In the next iteration of the design development, the panel encourages the proponent to explore how circulation within the site could be further resolved, notably the location of the main entrance through the communal building to the residential houses to the rear. In this regard, further consideration and refinement of the internal layout of the communal building (Sallee House) could be made to improve visitor wayfinding and its overall functional role to the development proposal."
The Stellulata team has carefully considered all of the suggestions from the Design Review Panel and is preparing a detailed design ready for the Development Application process. It will include a clearer entry point to the community, easier wayfinding within the site and an improved layout for the common house.