DC8 Studio receive award in national competition for Canberra's Northbourne Flats

DC8 Studio recently entered a national competition for the remodelling a major public housing complex on the important axial Northbourne Avenue in Canberra.

We were awarded second place - well done to all the crew at DC8 Studio.

Our proposal was based on achieving 3 key visions:

1. To create interesting and engaging spaces to connect for a happy community. We believe this offers long term resilience; 
2. Develop principles of carbon positive interventions over the long term; and, 
3. Respond to the Garden City axis of Northbourne Avenue. 

View from Northbourne Avenue looking towards the interior of the site. Ground floor home offices, retail, workshops, studios and incubators.

Our response evolved through the following methodology.

Matryoshka: Russian dolls 

Firstly, we are interested in the gradation of spaces withinin and between structures in order to create a diversity of interactions supporting the notion of community connection. This is the story of the Russian Dolls, where there exists a series of interconnected layers being of the same family, but with particular characteristics borne of each reduction in scale. There are 2 constructs to the Russian dolls - being packed and unpacked.

The main purpose of pursuing this metaphor is to place a high value on the commodity of social currency as adding resilience and joy to the inhabiting community through a framework which fosters interaction and ultimately spreads their ownership wider than the containment of the smallest cell at Level 1. This encourages connection and ideally compassion. The duality of packed and unpacked formats offers the key to connection.

Our dream - Matryoshka layers of interaction represented by the homes within homes in packed form and inversion of living spaces in the unpacked external setting. The human Matryoshka reflects this relationship. The inversion of air balloons and fire place ask us to consider inversion of outputs.

Carbon 

Secondly, we are encouraged to keep evolving our behaviour as our impact on the planet and each other presents new challenges over an ever-accelerating period. As our consumption, technology and population all grow, so too does the consequence of our actions. While ceasing all activity might be one way of preventing further pollution, this is an unlikely outcome with the inertia behind development. On this basis, our focus was to examine three key areas: 

1. the life span of the materials; 
2. the capacity of the materials to act in a manner having a positive impact on the environment; and 
3. passive design approaches offering inherently sensible energy efficiencies. 

Competition Board - external views

Repacked 

So now we come to the resultant shapes and spaces proposed. In responding to our vision of the Matryoshka principle, as well as generating thermal and social access we have also referenced the Raumplan theory as demonstrated in the works of Adolf Loos. 

In this regard, the approach is firstly about creating spaces rather than buildings. We felt that this was the critical area in an environment like this where large groups of people need to live in close proximity. Carving voids from the solid, based on orientation, access and connection is an iterative study requiring constant testing between plan and section, solid and void. All surfaces both internal and external become part of the investigation - roof for example is another active part of the townscape rather than simply a surface to keep the elements out. 

 Competition board - Living principles

Competition board - Master planning principles

Summary

Ultimately in order to create something that has a long life it needs to be treasured and have an understood value. This is the primary goal of our Matryoshka principle. If we create homes on this site which are valued because of their design and atmosphere, the community will treasure them and an inherent value will remain. This is true not only for this particular project, but also for the greater city. Looking at Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 as an example - accommodation in this development is still sought after today with long waiting lists. This is because of what it is and represents. It is not simply another set of high rises, but lives somewhere between village, house(s), townhouse(s) and apartment(s). It is not defined by the horizontal or vertical forms and economies, but rather by people and the spaces in which they connect. 

This is our vision for Canberra 2011 

Following the announcement made on the 8th of November 2011, DC8 Studio wish to congratulate the winner of this competition John Wardle Architects for its design titled “Weave”.

Comments

[Vivian Kendricks]

Congratulations! :) Is that how the building will look like? The design is very extraordinary.