The Queensland government has launched a single-stage ideas competition for medium-density housing.
Similar to the NSW government’s Missing Middle Design Competition, which concluded in April, the Queensland government’s Density and Diversity Done Well competition seeks ideas for affordable and achievable medium-density housing options. Like the competition in the NSW, the goal of the competition is to identify ways to increase housing density, without sacrificing livability, in Australia’s large, low-density cities.
Queensland planning minister Jackie Trad said the competition is about “challenging the status quo and investigating out-of-the-box ideas about how we can do density well and deliver the ‘missing middle.’
“We are looking for innovative and affordable ideas that will create both exciting places to live now and build great, sustainable neighbourhoods into the future. It is about thinking creatively about how our housing interacts with the world around us and about how we can address growth in our urban areas while preserving the things that make living in Queensland great.”
Queensland government architect Malcolm Middleton added, “This is not a unique challenge and I would like to acknowledge the good work of Peter Poulet and the New South Wales Office of the Government Architect in advancing the ‘missing middle’ in NSW and for assisting my office in the preparation of this competition brief.”
Brighton Twin Set by Push received the Job and Froud Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing at the 2016 Queensland Architecture Awards.
The competition is open to nationally and internationally registered architects, as well as students, graduates and building designers.
The competition seeks proposals for either one to two-storey buildings in suburban areas or for four to six-storey designs in places with more amenities, like the areas around train stations or clusters of shops.
It is hoped that entries will demonstrate a diverse range of housing typologies, including small-scale infill housing, townhouses and triplexes, and row and terrace housing. The competition also seeks proposals for homes that are climactically responsive, accommodating of joint living and working arrangements and adaptable for intergenerational living.
A $50,000 prize pool will be shared between up to 10 winners. The jury may also award commendations but these will not receive a cash prize.
The jury comprises Malcolm Middleton (Queensland government architect, chair), Marina Vit (Urban development Institute of Australia Qld), Brit Andresen (representing the Australian Institute of Architects Queensland chapter), John Byrne (representing the Planning Institute of Australia Queensland chapter), Kerry Riethmuller (Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning) and Malcolm Holz (Economic Development Queensland).
Density done well is a core theme of the South East Queensland Regional Plan released in October 2016. The plan covers 12 local government areas around Brisbane, stretching from the Gold Coast in the south, north to Noosa and west to the Lockyer Valley.
The competition is a joint initiative of the Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning and the Urban Development Institute of Australia Queensland. It closes at 5pm on Tuesday 4 July. Winners will be announced in mid- to late-August. To enter the competition, click here.
