26 Townhouses Development
Architecture on a diet
Considering some of the constraints implemented by clients, such as the limitation of façade material, I decided to adopt a minimalistic approach toward design. Returning to some old research in minimalist architecture, dusting it off and developing the knowledge of the history, the influential characters and their minimal works provided me with a vehicle for designing the project. Setting the main principles of minimal architecture as follows enabled me to assess and adjust the design process to achieve the goals of the project from a financial perspective without compromising aesthetics.
Location: Lidgate Ave. Rowville, VIC, Australia
Category: Resi- Townhouse
Area: 4000m2
Software: Revit, 3D Lumion and Photoshop
• Pure geometric forms.
• Simple, limited and plain materials.
• Neat and straight components.
• Repetition to give a sense of order and unification.
• Simple, open spaces.
• ‘Clean’ lines.
The outcome was satisfactory for all stockholders. Council approved the design without any RFIs, the client (developer) sold the townhouses in record time and as the following images demonstrate, the constructed building is almost identical with the design.
The site sloped almost 4,000mm from one end to another, makes it difficult to construct the access ways to the car parks. I decided to divide the site into two parts and provide them with a separated cross-over to make the access way possible. However, I maintained the pedestrian flow inside the common areas by providing steps and common greenery to create communities. Restricted to using fewer façade materials, I tried to achieve more with the spatial arrangement, providing interesting common areas and the ability to socialise inside the site.
