Cluster housing catching on

Press, 14 December 1977, Page 18

Cluster housing catching on

As land, building, and energy costs climb and sprawling subdivisions threaten productive farmland throughout New Zealand, the Housing Corporation is experimenting with a new style of housing that offers an alternative to the suburban quar-ter-acre.

A new “cluster housing” complex officially opened in Mount Albert, Auckland. is one of the most sophisticated of the corporation’s medium-density housing developments. It is also likely to be a prototype for future State housing throughout the country, writes the corporation. The complex includes four single-storey, onebedroom units, each of 600 square feet (55 square

metres); eight two-storey, two-bedroom units of 80 square metres; and eight two-storey, three-bedroom units of 100 square metres. For many of the tenants of the new estate, cluster housing will mean a dramatic change from the house-and-section life-style that is the norm for most New Zealanders. However, it offers solid attractions in the form of less property maintenanace, easier access to city amenities, and a more community-oriented way of life. The corporation’s architects, and pianners who pioneered cluster' housing in New Zealand have designed the complex at .Taylors Road. Mount Albert, to combine the benefits of village-type living with the more efficient use of existing urban land and services such as transport, drainage, shops and schools. The 20 units of the new complex have been built on 1 3/4 acres at an average cost of just under $31,000 per unit, which includes the total land cost. The development allows for a density of 13 to 14 perches (about 335 square metres) per unit compared to the conventional single family dwelling which occupies an average of 700 square metres. In contrast to the bland “sameness” of much surburban housing, each

home is architecturally designed to give it its own distinctive identity.

Each unit has its own small but private, screened courtyard and service area.

Vehicle courtyards divide the units and provide community living space for residents as well as car parking for each household and for visitors. Children will have their own enclosed playground within the complex. Trees, shrubs, and gardens will be used in the landscaping of the new complex.

The architect of the Taylors Road development (Mr Douglas Kaill) said: “In essence, we have worked to retain the best features of single-unit family housing, which still appears to be the goal of most people, but have translated this into higherdensity living to make more efficient use of land.”

The Housing Corporation sees this type of housing not only as an answer to the rising cost of developing and servicing outlying subdivisions, but as a solution to the social problems created by the growth of large new suburbs isolated from community services. The Taylors Road complex, for example, is well sited to take advantage of existing services such as the St Lukes shopping centre, a Post Office, a library and two schools.