07 // PRINCIPLE 3: INCLUSIVITY

07 //

PRINCIPLE 3 // INCLUSIVITY

PRINCIPLE 3 // INCLUSIVITY

STRATEGY 3.1 //

UNIVERSAL DESIGN

Built environment will be accessible for people of all needs Action 3.1.1 // The built environment, including PT, abides by Accessibility Act 2006 Action 3.1.2 // In addition to the regulatory standards set in action 3.1.1, all development outcomes will require thorough consultation with various disability groups to ensure universal design is current and adaptive to specific community needs

STRATEGY 3.2 //

SUSTAINABLE & ADAPTABLE

Site design responds to climate challenges. Building designs must implement passive design, sustainable materials and consider whole building life and including how uses can be easily changed in the future Action 3.2.1 // Preference for load bearing frames rather than walls to allow easy floor plan changes in the future Action 3.2.2 // Sustainable building materials are to be used where possible. This is inclusive of carbon neutral bricks, sustainably sourced timber, and green thermal insulation Action 3.2.3 // Use Sponge City principles to mitigate urban heat island effect, localised flooding from stormwater and river flooding.

STRATEGY 3.3 // SAFETY

FACILITATING ACCESS

Develop a pedestrian environment which is safe for all types of people at any hour of the day or night Action 3.3.1 // All walking trails to be evenly lit with solar powered lightning Action 3.3.2 // Open spaces and buffers spaces have sensor lighting Action 3.3.3 // No dead ends for pedestrian access, all community spaces have multiple egress points

STRATEGY 3.4 // CULTURALLY

DIVERSE

Support multicultural living and open spaces; ensuring no one feels excluded based on their cultural background or beliefs

Action 3.4.1 // Information signs are written in multiple languages

Action 3.4.2 // Community centre for various cultural, health-related and knowledge-related campaigns

Action 3.4.3 // Engage a culturally diverse panel to review proposals for public space STRATEGY 3.5 // AFFORDABLE

Providing a mix of affordable rent and purchase options

Action 3.5.1 // 40% of the dwellings are delivered with affordable housing providers, 40% of dwellings are delivered through ‘build to rent’ and ‘build to rent to buy’ and, 20% is ‘built to sell’

Action 3.5.2 // 5-10% of the affordable housing to be delivered as crisis accommodation within the site

Action 3.5.3 // Dwelling affordability should not come at the cost of material quality which results in reduced durability

Figure 6.0 xxx

Figure 7.0 Universal house

Figure 7.1 Vertical Forest Tower in Switzerland

STRATEGY 3.1 // Universal housing //

Universal design offers a wide range of benefits to people of all backgrounds and abilities by creating an environment where people can feel more comfortable at home. It has become a common approach in building design and construction. A universally designed home allows to easily adapt and convert a home to meet the changing needs of its owner or renter over time (Authority, n.d.). The 7 principles of Universal design will be followed: ● Equitable Use: The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. ● Flexibility in Use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. ● Simple and Intuitive Use: Use of the design is easy to understand ● Perceptible Information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user ● Tolerance for Error: The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. ● Low Physical Effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue. ● Size and Space for Approach and Use: Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user's body size, posture, or mobility.

STRATEGY 3.2 // Sustainable and adaptable //

Sustainable design refers to the ability of a buildings and urbans forms to be energy efficient and to provide physical comfort. Adaptability refers to buildings and urban forms being able to easily adjust to changing demands and lifestyle with minimal disruption and costs. This allows people to ‘age into place’ as they are less often required to move home. An example of a sustainable design is shown in figure 7.1. The tower is covered with evergreen plants and trees. The predominantly residential 117 metre tall building contains apartments ranging in size from two to five bedrooms, as well as offices, a gym and a panoramic restaurant on its top floor. The initial renderings of the design showed that the facades projecting terraces are faced with reinforced concrete panels. The plants accomodated in these boxes are mainly coniferous trees. The trees help to trap fine dust, carbon dioxide and produce oxygen to improve air quality. Alongside 100 cedar trees, 6,000 shrubs and 18,000 plants will also contribute to green surfaces totalling approximately 3,000 square metres. Cedar was chosen because of its longevity and ability to withstand severe climatic conditions (Wang, 2015). The aim is to replicate these ideas of sustainable and adaptable design methods within the Sybil Craig Quarter.

Figure 7.2 Sponge City Principles in practice

STRATEGY 3.2 // Sustainable and adaptable // Action 3.2.3. // Sponge City Principles //

Building the Sybil Craig Quarter will significantly alter natural water flow patterns on the site as the extensive permeable surfaces will be transformed into hard impermeable surfaces. Extensive impermeable surfaces will reduce the amount of runoff absorbed by the ground during rain and increase the ambient temperature due to the Urban Heat Island phenomenon. Extensive impermeable surfaces are also associated with increased flash flooding risk because the lack of absorptive surfaces means cities are entirely dependent on stormwater drains, which in heavy rain events can reach capacity causing them to stop draining (Myers, 2019).

To prevent this from happening in the Sybil Craig Quarter we propose using Sponge City principles to increase the amount of permeable surfaces available to absorb water which will reduce the Quarters reliance on stormwater drainage. There are two core principles to Sponge Cities. Firstly, maximise permeable surfaces for water filtration to occur and second, provide space for water bodies to expand and contract with the weather.

Permeable surfaces come in a variety of forms including gruss gutters (swales), green roofs and walls, and even paving stones with ground cover vegetation growing between them. These strategies are easily incorporated into buildings and streetscapes and have the benefit slowing the movement of runoff into stormwater, increasing the amount of water absorbed by the ground and filtering out contaminants before water reaches any rivers.

Providing space for water bodies to expand is tricker. We have purposely avoided building along the river bank in an attempt to maintain the Maribyrnong River floodplain. However, the north area of the site sits very closely, in height, to the floodplain and thus is mostly likely to be damaged by river floods. To mitigate this we propose building a wetland system across the site. The earth removed as part of this process will be used to raise the northern region of the site, with a key aim of ensuring the tram line is above the floodplain. During river floods the new wetland will compensate for the small amount of floodplain lost as part of constructing the northern area of the Quarter. During heavy rain the wetland will act as a natural filter and retention basin for stormwater to prevent flash flooding in the Quarter.

Figure 7.5 Lighting design proposal facilitating safety

Figure 7.6 Bunjil Place in Narre Warren

STRATEGY 3.3 // Safety Facilitating Access //

The role of lighting is immense in supporting an active and safe streetscape after sunset. It helps changing the perception of space. It plays a vital role in all our lives and does symbolize the way lights are used in personal lives like our cultural, social and economic aspects (ARUP, 2020). Various factors are taken into consideration for providing street safety, such as ensuring an interface between the pedestrians and buildings that support the safety and amenity of the space, the scale of the surrounding buildings, managing the pedestrian path as an active public space and by maintaining clean and attractive spaces. The lighting fixtures, collection poles, and urban furniture shape pathways and open spaces, with attention to the liveability of the area and the visual comfort of pedestrian lighting.

STRATEGY 3.4 // Culturally Diverse //

A system that recognizes and respects the presence of all groups in a society, acknowledges and values socio-cultural differences. It encourages and enables their continued contribution within an inclusive and cultural context which empowers everyone within the society. Bunjil Place (figure 7.6) is an example of a building that enhances community identity and values. The precinct encourages an egalitarian and democratic use by all community members, and reflects the history and diversity of the area promoting civic pride. Inclusivity is considered with the open spaces to congregate and dwell, active and passive thoroughfares and the encouragement of public gathering (González, 2017). Likewise, this proposal aims to:

Access to services should not be hindered by country of birth, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or language The demographics have helped in identifying diverse backgrounds to ensure services are targeted to the community Addressing language barriers will be of significant importance, for instance signs within Sybil Craig Quarter will be multilingual Facilitate cultural programs within the community centre. We are proposing to make people aware of the different backgrounds within the Quarter, and in turn develop programs that will bring the community together

Figure 7.7 Vincent Care social housing

STRATEGY 3.5 // Affordable //

A quarter of Maribyrnong’s residents experience rental stress. Rental stress is the 40% lowest income households that pay more than 30% of their income on rent (Maribyrnong City Council, 2011). People experiencing rental stress are less likely to spend money on important goods and services such as healthy food, education and employment (Troy & Martin, 2017). Some people are extra at risk of becoming homeless, such as eldery, single parent households and people living with physical or mental disability. These people are also less mobile and therefore more dependent on social connections and services in the neighbourhood.

This proposal provides several strategies to supply affordable housing. One of the options is the ‘rent to buy’ model, developed by Kris Daff. This targets low to medium income earners who aspire to own a house close to their employment (Assemble, 2019). The tenant has the option to buy the dwelling after a few years. This option is part of the proposed 40:40:20 rule, which is inspired by a similar model used in the City of Amsterdam. In this model, 40% of the dwellings are affordable, 40% of the dwelling are built to rent to buy, and the rest 20% are built to sell (NG, n.d.).

Ideas such as social uplift have been common in providing housing options that are affordable and inclusive to people. MGS Architects has designed a model where there is a natural progression and a variety of health and allied services on the ground floor (see figure 7.7). This helps people cruise through their journey from crisis support to securing an apartment either for short, medium, or long term benefits (Wright, 2016). A similar approach is taken in this project, where 10% of the affordable housing is provided as crisis housing.