Inequitable density: the place of lower-income and disadvantaged residents in the compact city
Author or co-authors: Hazel Easthope, Laura Crommelin, Laurence Troy
Published: Crommelin, L., Troy, L. & Easthope, H. (2017) ‘Inequitable Density: The place of lower-income and disadvantaged residents in the compact city’, State of Australian Cities Conference, Adelaide 27-30 November
This paper has been peer reviewed
Funders: Shelter NSW
Keywords: Development, Environment, Equity, Planning,
Summary:
Compact city policies have become planning orthodoxy over the past three decades. But compact city development takes many forms, and the compact city concept often obscures a diverse range of social, economic and environmental outcomes of urban densification. This paper identifies (i) how high density living is different; and (ii) how the current compact city model makes lower-income and disadvantaged residents especially vulnerable.Supporting encounters and casual social ties in large apartment complexes and their surroundings: The role of people, planning, design and management
Author or co-authors: Sian Thompson
Published: Thompson, S. (2019). Supporting encounters and casual social ties in large apartment complexes and their surroundings: The role of people, planning, design and management. (Doctoral thesis, UNSW Sydney).
This paper has been peer reviewed
Funders: Australian University Postgraduate Award
Keywords: Architecture, Building management, Community, Design, Liveability, Planning, Qualitative research/interviews,
Summary:
Driven by policy, demographic and market factors, increasing numbers of people are living in apartment buildings. Especially where populations are heterogeneous and highly mobile, this presents major challenges for social connection, and consequently for social cohesion and individual wellbeing. There is a need to better understand how positive social connection might be facilitated amongst apartment residents, and what role building design and management can play. This thesis presents case study research into relationships in four large Sydney apartment complexes and their surroundings.An Examination of Building Defects in Multi-owned Properties
Author or co-authors: Nicole Johnston, Sacha Reid
Funders: PICA Group
Keywords: Construction, Defects, Development, Dispute resolution / courts / tribunals, Law, Qualitative research/interviews,
Summary:
The research aims to identify the types of building defects impacting residential buildings, the effects that building defects have on buildings and residents, the impact of the regulatory environment and how defects are managed by the owners corporation. The study identified the prevalence of building defects based on construction systems. Defects were most prevalent in following systems (in order): building fabric and cladding, fire protection, roof and rainwater disposal, waterproofing and structural.Impact of shared battery energy storage systems on photovoltaic self-consumption and electricity bills in apartment buildings
Author or co-authors: Mike Roberts, Anna Bruce, Iain MacGill
Published: Applied Energy 245, 78-95, DOI 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.04.001
Funders: Energy Consumers Australia, CRC for Low Carbon Living
Keywords: Building improvements, Environment, Sustainability, Utilities / networks,
Summary:
Apartment buildings offer an opportunity to apply central battery storage and shared solar generation to aggregated apartment and common loads through an embedded network or microgrid. We present a study of energy and financial flows in five Australian apartment buildings with photovoltaics and battery storage using real apartment interval-metered load profiles and simulated solar generation profiles, modelled using an open source tool developed for the purpose.Opportunities and barriers for photovoltaics on multi-unit residential buildings: reviewing the Australian experience
Author or co-authors: Mike Roberts, Anna Bruce, Iain MacGill
Published: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 104, 2019, Pages 95-110, doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2018.12.013
Funders: Energy Consumers Australia, CRC for Low Carbon Living
Keywords: Building improvements, Environment, Sustainability, Utilities / networks,
Summary:
This paper reviews opportunities for, and barriers to, increasing photovoltaic (PV) deployment on apartment buildings. We undertook a review of the academic literature and of specific Australian regulatory arrangements, as well as conducting interviews with relevant stakeholders. Barriers identified include the huge variety amongst apartment building stock, demographic factors and knowledge issues. However, the Australian regulatory context – including governance of apartment buildings, regulation of the energy market, and electricity tariff policies – also impacts on the options available.Photovoltaics on Apartment Buildings
Author or co-authors: Mike Roberts, Anna Bruce, Iain MacGill, Jessie Copper, Navid Haghdadi
Funders: Energy Consumers Australia
Keywords: Building improvements, Environment, Sustainability, Utilities / networks,
Summary:
Although Australia has over 2 million solar households, the 10% of Australians who live in apartments are still missing out on cheap, clean energy. This final report from CEEM's three-year research project includes an assessment of the scale and nature of the solar opportunity and analysis of the costs and benefits of different technical configurations and financial arrangements. It also identifies some of the challenges preventing apartment residents from installing solar PV and suggest some policy reforms that could help overcome the key regulatory barriers.Experiencing Density: The implications of strata titling for urban renewal in Australian cities
Author or co-authors: Hazel Easthope, Bill Randolph
Published: In K. Ruming (ed) Urban Regeneration and Australian Cities: Policies, processes and projects of contemporary change, London: Ashgate.
Keywords: Construction, Defects, Design, Development, Disputes/conflict, Governance, Law, Planning, Policy, Redevelopment / termination, Repairs and maintenance,
Summary:
In the 21st century Australian city, urban renewal has become synonymous with higher residential densities. This chapter discusses: the potential for conflict; problems of building design, build quality and defects and ongoing problems with major repairs and maintenance; strata ownership as a formidable barrier to further renewal in areas that otherwise would be prime sites for redevelopment. We draw on a series of interlinked and on-going research projects undertaken by the authors and colleagues over the last decade looking at aspects of the emerging strata title sector in Australia.Collective responsibility in Strata Apartments
Author or co-authors: Hazel Easthope, Bill Randolph
Published: In E. Altmann & M. Gabriel (eds) Multi-Owned Property in the Asia-Pacific Region: Rights, Restrictions and Responsibilities, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Keywords: Building management, By-laws/rules/CC&Rs, Disputes/conflict, Governance, Information available to owners and residents, Law, Qualitative research/interviews,
Summary:
All multi-owned developments are, by definition, owned collectively by multiple individual owners. While for some shared ownership can be part of the attraction, for others it is a necessary evil. This chapter focuses on the experience of strata title in NSW, Australia. Based on consultation with strata owners, this chapter highlights the mismatch that can occur between the responsibilities of owners as members of an owners corporation (body corporate) as enshrined in legislation and people’s knowledge and acceptance of those responsibilities, and discusses why this mismatch occurs.Postproduced: How Adaptive Redesign and Participatory Approaches can Transform Ageing Housing
Author or co-authors: Hazel Easthope, Sandra Loschke
Published: In G. Cairns, G. Artopoulos and K. Day (eds) From Conflict to Inclusion in Housing: Interaction of communities, residents and activists, London: UCL Press, pp. 71-86.
This paper has been peer reviewed
Keywords: Architecture, Building improvements, Design, Development, Redevelopment / termination, Sustainability,
Summary:
Cities around the world are struggling to provide adequate housing for growing populations. Concurrently, the significant amount of housing stock built during the post-war housing boom (1950–80) is now ageing and in need of repair. To date, the discussion surrounding both issues – growth and redevelopment – has primarily focused on the provision of new housing, predominantly multiunit apartments for medium-to high-density living. However, much existing housing stock offers rich opportunities for creating more liveable, affordable and sustainable solutions.Rethinking Housing Solutions: Adaptive Redesign Approaches for Ageing Apartment Buildings
Author or co-authors: Hazel Easthope, Sandra Loschke
Published: CONFERENCE: FUTURE HOUSING: GLOBAL CITIES AND REGIONAL PROBLEMS Architecture_MPS; Swinburne University of Technology Melbourne: 09—10 June, 2016
Keywords: Architecture, Building improvements, Design, Development, Redevelopment / termination, Sustainability,
Summary:
A raft of challenges face multi-unit residential housing design, at the forefront of which is a triad of interrelated needs – to make dwellings more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. To date, this discussion has primarily focused on the provision of high quality new housing. However, the existing housing stock offers rich opportunities for creating more liveable, affordable, and environmentally-friendly solutions, which remain largely underexplored in Australia. In this paper we explore the opportunities of what we term “adaptive redesign” of existing multi-owned housing.