An Irish architectural firm has unveiled a new housing design it believes could help address the ongoing housing crisis.
The proposal, described as a “compact green city”, is designed to deliver affordable, high quality homes built around shared public spaces, while also supporting local communities and businesses.
The three storey, medium density model would deliver up to four times more homes than traditional semi detached housing estates, which currently dominate much of Ireland’s housing landscape.
The design is also expected to reduce apartment building costs by up to 30 per cent. It minimises the need for roads, with cars parked around the edges of developments or underneath homes.
“Solving the housing crisis is not just about delivering units, it is about creating communities. Great public spaces are just as important as high quality houses,” said Claire McManus of Dublin based JFOC Architects, and housing spokesperson for the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.
“Streets of houses are cheaper to build than apartments, but they don’t deliver sustainable densities which allow businesses and communities to flourish.
“Apartments are expensive to produce, less popular than houses and their communal landing and stairwell spaces can feel uncomfortable.
“We have designed a living suburban community plan, which complies with all building and planning regulations, a place where people can interact and one that sustains local businesses.”
Each home in the design includes its own balcony or private terrace, along with a front door that leads to shared garden spaces.
Ms McManus said the proposed layout would achieve a density of 100 dwellings per hectare, similar to areas such as Portobello or Stoneybatter in Dublin, helping to support local shops and services.
“You cannot achieve this sustainable density by building streets of semi detached houses.
“Apartment buildings help to avoid suburban sprawl, but they are expensive to build and not as desirable.
“Estate roads take up a large percentage of a typical site’s area, as well as a considerable proportion of the site development costs.
“The compact green city eliminates much of the road provision in favour of delivering 30 per cent public green space and pocket parks within the plans.
“These are cheaper to produce than roads and act as a quality amenity.”
The development includes two types of housing layouts built around shared gardens.
The first consists of smaller apartment blocks arranged in a checkerboard pattern, with semi private gardens between them. Eight homes have direct access to these shared spaces, in addition to their own balcony or garden.
The second layout is based on a perimeter block design, with two storey apartments arranged around a raised shared garden and parking located underneath. Some homes are accessed through the garden, while others are entered from the street.
“Good housing is a win for all. It improves the neighbourhood for the people already living nearby,” said McManus.
“With the compact green city, people have a network of safe green spaces to use, as well as people to support existing and new facilities.”
