Rapley

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Social Housing

The project was funded through the State Government’s $394 million METRONET Social and Affordable Housing and Jobs Package.

“A timber-frame construction method was utilised to deliver the housing as quickly as possible”

“All apartments are spacious, functional and designed to reduce energy use for thermal comfort”

“The aim is create a sense of community and belonging to ensure that the common spaces are well used and maintained, day to day”

“We tried to create opportunities for residents and visitors to cross paths in welcoming spaces” A small but significant part of a major State Government housing initiative was recently completed on an unassuming residential street in suburban Perth. Where once stood a modest

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Phone: 9537 6205 www.rapley.com.au brick home able to accommodate only a single family, there is now a purpose-built social housing complex consisting of eight modern apartments carefully considered to meld good design with comfort, functionality and dignified living.

The three-storey development at 11 Windell Street, Innaloo, was a collaboration between the Department of Communities and a private sector architect and building company to deliver high-quality social housing.

The project was funded through the State Government’s $394 million METRONET Social and Affordable Housing and Jobs Package – a major investment in housing aimed at building liveable and connected communities close to transport infrastructure. It is also part of the State Government’s WA Housing Strategy 2020-2030 which plans to connect 150,000 West Australian households to safe, stable and sustainable homes within the decade.

Developed, managed and constructed by veteran Perth builder and developer Rapley Wilkinson, the Windell Street project supported more than 70 jobs, including trade subcontractors and building suppliers. Rapley led the design team of two award-winning Perth architects, Leanhaus and Whitehaus, the latter engaged post-design to provide documentation and construction support.

Housing diversity boosted The development, which is managed by the Department of Communities, has increased housing diversity in the area and is intended to help address the shortage of smaller homes in Perth.

A Department spokesperson said the housing program aims to meet the demand for social housing in Western Australia by providing people with comfortable, well-designed and well-located homes.

“The complex is close to shops, parks, public transport and schools, ensuring the individuals and families living there will be able to connect with the local community,” the spokesperson says.

Carefully balanced design The three-storey timber and brick apartment building comprises eight modern one and two-bedroom apartments constructed around a central light well and circulation core. The pinwheel floor plan is designed to make the most of the compact footprint by providing residents with the maximum area of open space and outdoor living. The seemingly simple floor plan belies a sophisticated design solution to balance the necessities of cost efficiency with complex planning and amenity requirements.

The design was informed by the site's orientation and dimensions as well as planning constraints. Leanhaus architect Ben Caine says State Government apartment design codes and Local Government precinct design guidelines required a carefully balanced approach to achieve a feasible number of apartments with a high level of amenity.

“This being the first multi-storey infill development on Windell Street, we sought to provide a benchmark project that imagines its place in the future development of the street among projects of similar scale,” he says. “The journey through the common spaces from the front gate through to the main stairs is well connected to landscaped communal open spaces. We tried to create opportunities for residents and visitors to cross paths in welcoming spaces. “Windell Street is a great example of affordable infill multiresidential development. The aim is create a sense of community and belonging to ensure that the common spaces are well used and maintained, day to day.”

Sustainable living The ground floor is constructed of insulated double brick walls with an overhead suspended concrete slab cast in situ to form the floor of the second level. The fully timber-framed first and second floors provide a low carbon, fully recyclable building solution with enhanced thermal performance.

The upper storey is roofed in Colorbond steel, the skillion roofs giving the second floor units up to 4.5 metres in ceiling height.

All apartments are spacious, functional and designed to reduce energy use for thermal comfort. Sustainable attributes also include the double-glazed windows which bring in good natural light, LED lighting throughout, instant electric hot water units and durable compressed fibre cement cladding.

Saffioti Steel Fabricators were responsible for the supply, fabrication and installation of the aluminum fixed louvre window awnings and staircase support steel.

The complex was built to an elevated level of finish, with quality interior fittings including engineered stone bench tops, stainless

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steel appliances, custom bathroom vanities, built-in wardrobes and reverse-cycle air conditioning. Each apartment has its own private balcony with powder-coated aluminium balustrade and its own allocated storeroom.

Timber frame speeds project A measure of the social housing program’s importance is the extensive use of timber framing, which expedited completion of the project to help meet housing demand.

“A timber-frame construction method was utilised in the project to deliver the housing as quickly as possible,” the Department spokesperson says.

Extensive usage of timber in construction is highly unusual for apartment projects in Perth, and acoustic and fire standards for apartments in Western Australia generally favour mass construction using brick or concrete.

According to Rapley managing director Michael Brockbank, the complex is one of Western Australia’s first timber-framed projects. “We believe that this was only the second wood-framed apartment building built in Perth,” he says.

The design required a high level of collaboration between the Department of Communities, architect, builder, fabricator and consultants to ensure structural, acoustic, fire, thermal and functional requirements were met or exceeded. Special consideration was given to developing a wall system that performed as expected, but was also cost effective and slender to reduce loss of plot ratio.

The timber-framed wall panels were entirely prefabricated by construction specialist company Offsite and erected in place on site. “This included the insulation, drywall, cladding, building paper and windows,” Mr Brockbank says.

Housing safety net The Department of Communities says one of the key principles in the WA Housing Strategy 2020-2030 is to maintain and grow the social housing safety net.

“The Department will continue to provide more social housing across Perth and Western Australia where there is sufficient demand and the opportunity to construct or purchase it. This includes suburbs like Innaloo,” the spokesperson says.

The most recent State Budget included a record $875 million injection towards social housing, including the Windell Street properties, boosting the Government’s overall investment for the coming four years to $2.1 billion. The investment will include the delivery of 3,300 new social homes.

“This includes $168.8 million to rapidly boost social housing by retaining approximately 500 properties for social housing, which would otherwise be sold through the Department’s affordable housing program over the next two years.”

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