competition brief [design]ability · [design]ability competition brief 1 26 may 2015 introduction a...

competition brief

[design]ability

affordable housing design competition

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1

STRATEGIC OUTCOMES ............................................................................................................. 1

PROJECT OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................ 2

SUBJECT SITE ................................................................................................................................ 3

COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS................................................................................................ 4

COMPETITION EVALUATION ...................................................................................................... 6

TERMS AND CONDITIONS ........................................................................................................... 7

ATTACHMENTS............................................................................................................................. 11

[design]ability competition brief 1 26 May 2015

INTRODUCTION

A common misconception about ‘affordable housing’ is that it must always be low quality,

“cheap and nasty”, with a low level of attention paid to the quality of design and construction.

The [design]ability affordable housing design competition is an initiative of the Department

of Housing and seeks to challenge this view. [design]ability is a platform for teams of

students to explore how high quality design and innovative construction techniques might

redefine the opportunity that ‘affordable housing’ presents.

The [design]ability affordable housing design competition is about design innovation and

creativity, and interdisciplinary collaboration. It is looking for ideas that can redefine the

affordable housing paradigm; ideas that are ‘game changers’. It is seeking to investigate

ways that design can transform and enrich lives.

The [design]ability affordable housing design competition is open to teams of students from

WA tertiary institutions, and offers an exciting incentive of a $10,000 first prize with a number

of other major prizes.

Teams will be guided by this Competition Brief. The Brief will outline:

Strategic outcomes

Subject Site

Project Objectives

Submission Requirements

Terms and conditions

Supporting documents to assist teams

STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

The provision of affordable housing within metropolitan Perth faces a number of key issues.

1. Lack of available, appropriate and diverse housing options

2. Access to essential physical and social infrastructure within a reasonable distance

3. Holistic consideration of ‘actual’ living cost

4. The need for responsive and appropriate residential density in the right locations

5. Lack of alternative options in terms of building materials and construction methods to

facilitate diverse housing options

6. Unmet demand for affordable housing, and a need for a range of accessible and

affordable housing at various price points.


These issues form the context of the strategic outcomes sought by the Department from the

Competition:

Strategic Outcome 1: Maximisation of housing outcome in an appropriate manner

Strategic Outcome 2: Affordable price points for appropriate types of housing

Strategic Outcome 3: Availability of housing options for appropriate market

segment(s).

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The Department of Housing is seeking new ideas for medium and high density housing that

are innovative and creative, and explore the use of design as a tool to make high quality,

affordable housing a reality.

The key issues and strategic outcomes outlined above have generated a number of project

objectives:

1. Affordability

2. Constructability

3. Housing diversity

4. Design Excellence

5. Sustainability

These project objectives are key to [design]ability.

[design]ability requires teams of students to develop a design approach to a strategic site

owned by the Department. The design approach should optimise the housing yield for the

site, with “optimise” meaning to maximise the housing yield in a manner that is appropriate

for it’s context.

The proposition should address its context at all scales, from streetscape, massing and

relationship to the surrounding environment, through to internal communal spaces within the

complex, and then spatial arrangement of dwellings with respect to each other and in their

own right.

The design approach should take advantage of the attributes of its location to create an

interesting and engaging proposition that is aligned to facilitate the project objectives. It

should be developed to the resolution required, and communicated in a manner that is

sufficient to demonstrate how it facilitates the project objectives and contributes to the

strategic outcomes.


SUBJECT SITE

The subject site (Site) is situated in the Local Government Authority (LGA) of the City of

Fremantle (City). The City has a population of 26,582 (ABS 2011 Census) with a population

growth forecast of 33,100 (Band C) by 2024 or 24.5% growth according to the 2012 WA

Tomorrow report.

The Western Australian Planning Commission’s Directions 2031 strategic spatial plan

recognises Fremantle as a ‘Strategic Metropolitan Activity Centre’ within the urban and

spatial fabric of the Perth Metropolitan Region – ranking second on the hierarchy of ‘activity

centres’ to the Perth CBD.

Fremantle’s position is underpinned by its role as a key hub of public transport, business,

commerce and cultural activity making it an ideal location for the accommodation of

population growth through urban densification. Directions 2031 has allocated an infill target

of 3,500 for the City.

Fremantle is also an attractive residential and lifestyle location due to its rich and colourful

heritage as a historic port, lending a unique and identifiable character to the LGA.

The site location in an area of land owned by the Department at 169 (lot 252) Holland Street

Fremantle and 386 High Street (lot 1483), near the corner of Carrington Street. The site is

approximately 7529sqm in area and is currently the site of three apartment complexes

accessed from Holland Street as well as a complex of four detached dwellings accessed

from High Street.


COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS

Submission format

Each competition entry must comprise:

1. 2 x A1 vertical format graphic boards, to be submitted electronically as PDF files

2. A written design statement (maximum length 1500 words) as a PDF file or Microsoft

Word file

The A1 graphic boards must be adequate to communicate the design proposal and articulate

its performance against the project objectives. Entrants are encouraged to consider their

design proposal at a number of scales from the broader urban scale through to the detailed

design. Accordingly, entrants may choose to consider the following as elements of their

graphic presentation:

Site layout to illustrate:

Response to context and site opportunities and constraints

Pedestrian and vehicular movement and access

Delineation of land use including open space

Formation, location, and arrangement of building form

Proposed subdivision if that is part of the scheme.

A building design which illustrates:

The parti, or underlying architectural/organising idea

Dwelling yield, size and typology

Internal arrangements of units/dwellings that address orientation, cross ventilation,

internal functional zoning, adaptability and architectural formal and spatial qualities.

Building constructional details, illustrating:

Building materials including their technical and architectural qualities as they

contribute to the design

Construction techniques including building fabric constructability, assembly

methodology, modularisation or prefabrication and lifecycle

maintenance/management.

The written design statement should be limited to 1500 words (not including footnotes or

references where used) and should be presented as single sided, vertical orientation A4

format 1.5 spaced and in 11 point Times New Roman typeface. The purpose of the written

design statement is to further articulate:

The manner in which the proposal meets the project objectives

The parti, or underlying architectural/organising idea, and any underlying theoretical

or ideological position

Innovative approaches in relation to design constructability, materials or detailing

The level of compliance of the proposal with local planning framework requirements


Any other aspects of the design that are not adequately communicated by the A1

graphic boards.

Anonymity of submissions

All submission materials must be made in such a way that the teams, team members and

tertiary institutions are not identifiable to the evaluation panel.

No submission graphic boards or written design statement may be marked with the name of

any individual team member or team name, or the name of the tertiary institutions of the

team members.

All submissions may only be identified by team name as follows:

The A1 graphic boards must have the PDF file named by team name, but the team

name must not appear on the actual graphic board;

The written design statement must have the PDF or Microsoft Word file named by

team name, but the team name must not appear within the actual design statement.

Submission of entries

Entries shall be submitted either as a CD/DVD or USB drive in a sealed envelope marked

“DESIGNABILITY COMPETITION ENTRY”.

All entries must be submitted by 2:30pm (Perth Time) Friday August 14th 2015, to the:

Department of Housing, Tenders Office

Ground floor, 99 Plain Street

East Perth.

No late entries will be accepted under any circumstance.

Submissions and media upon which they are submitted are non returnable and will remain

the property of the Department of Housing.


COMPETITION EVALUATION

Competition entries will be evaluated against criteria that relate directly to the project

objectives. An evaluation panel will be convened that will consist of representatives from the

Department of Housing, the City of Fremantle, and high profile independent representatives.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

1. Design Excellence (linked to strategic outcome 3) 50% weighting

Design excellence is sought at a range of scales and resolutions from the forming of

buildings from a parti to the architectural qualities of interior spaces, the composition

and materiality of building elements and the relationship between the proposition and

its broader urban context.

A building serves not only a function as a container of activity, of a program, but also

as defining and containing the public realm.

The interface condition between the public realm, the semi-public, the semi-private

and the private is something which must be taken into account. This interface should

be considered as spatial (edges), visual (vistas) and cultural (local character), but

also in terms of hierarchies and sequences of movement/entry into and through the

site.

2. Affordability (linked to strategic outcome 1) 20% weighting

Affordability is a key objective for the Department of Housing generally, both in terms

of capital and lifecycle cost of the building but also in terms of “affordable living”.

Affordable Living is a concept that encapsulates the costs of living in and operating a

house.

The affordability objective may be met by a design which demonstrates an economy

of means, is efficient and considered in regards to its planning, three dimensional

resolution, and construction materials and methodologies, and considers how a

household may use the dwelling in different ways or how the dwelling might be used

by successive generations of successive households.

3. Constructability (linked to strategic outcome 1) 10% weighting

A successful proposal is one in which constructability is well considered.

Constructability includes structural and cladding systems, materials and spans,

module sizes, site access, construction methodology, and a realistic understanding of

available skills, reasonable tolerances, and availability of materials.

Decisions relating to materials and construction should be made such that they

contribute to an excellent design in the broadest sense, but also such that they

facilitate the achievement of the other project objectives.

4. Housing Diversity (linked to strategic outcomes 2 and 3) 10% weighting


Perth is a notoriously non-diverse housing environment, and this project seeks to

contribute to increasing the diversity of housing that is considered by developers.

Perth households are increasingly changing in composition and size. This

necessitates the availability of housing options to accommodate diverse needs.

5. Sustainability (linked to strategic outcomes 1, 2 and 3) 10% weighting

Sustainability relates to the contribution that a proposition makes to meeting current

generation needs without prejudicing the needs of future generations. It is about

intergenerational equity, and hence about the long term performance of a

proposition.

Sustainability incorporates concepts such as housing and living affordability and

housing diversity, and these are addressed in other criteria. However a successful

proposition will need to demonstrate a considered approach to environmental

sustainability, including:

Passive solar design, cross ventilation and building performance in terms of

thermal comfort

Embedded carbon and embedded energy

Incorporation of recycled and recyclable material

Construction waste minimisation

Life cycle maintenance minimisation.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. Agreement

a. By agreeing to participate in this Competition, Participants agree to be bound

by these terms and conditions and the Competition Brief.

b. If there is any inconsistency between the Competition Brief and these terms

and conditions, these terms and conditions will prevail to the extent of any

inconsistency.

2. Eligibility - Individuals

a. Entry into this Competition is available to students enrolled at a Western

Australian tertiary institution.

b. Participants must be:

i. enrolled in an undergraduate or post-graduate degree or other tertiary

course (full-time or part-time); and

ii. not be employed more than 20 hours in an industry relating to land

and housing development. Please note that if students find full-time

employment within the duration of the Competition, they are eligible to

compete.

c. Participants who are employed on a casual basis or who are undertaking

work experience (paid or unpaid), an internship or volunteer on a part-time


basis in an industry relating to land and housing development may enter the

Competition.

d. Employees of the Housing Authority or City of Fremantle or any of their direct

family members are ineligible to enter the Competition.

3. Eligibility – Team

Entries must be submitted by a team which complies with the following requirements:

a. The team must consist of no less than 4 and no more than 6 Participants;

b. Participants in each team must be drawn from at least two different tertiary

institutions; and

c. Participants in each team must be drawn from at least two different areas of

study or disciplines.

4. Costs

Entry into the Competition and all other costs associated with the Competition will be

the sole responsibility of the Participants and the Housing Authority accepts no

responsibility for any costs or expenses incurred by Participants.

5. Assessment

a. Entries into the Competition will be assessed against the evaluation criteria

set out in the Competition Brief by an evaluation panel which will include

representatives from the Housing Authority and the City of Fremantle.

b. Notwithstanding any other provision of these terms and conditions, while the

Housing Authority is committed to run the Competition it may, at its absolute

discretion elect not to select a winner if it considers the Competition cannot

continue or the submissions are not of a standard acceptable to the Housing

Authority (acting reasonably).

c. The decision of the evaluation panel will be at its absolute discretion and will

be final, binding and no objections will be considered.

d. Subject to these terms and conditions, the Housing Authority intends to award

the following:

i. $10,000 to the winning entry;

ii. $5,000 to the second place entry; and

iii. $2,500 to the third place entry.

6. Cancellation and variation

a. The Housing Authority reserves the right, at any time to cancel, vary,

supplement or replace any aspect of the Competition, including the amount

and number of any prizes offered, these terms and conditions, the site the

subject of the Competition or the submission requirements.

b. If the Housing Authority cancels, varies, supplements or replaces any aspect

of the Competition, then:

i. The Housing Authority will advise each Team of the cancellation,

variation, supplement or replacement; and

ii. Participants will not have any recourse against the Housing Authority

whatsoever including for claims for any costs or expenses incurred up


to and including the date of the cancellation, variation, supplement or

replacement.

7. Acknowledgements and warranties

a. By entering into the Competition, each Participant warrants that:

i. they satisfy the eligibility requirements set out in clause 2 and clause 3

above; and

ii. any work submitted as part of the Competition is their own work, has

not previously been used for any other purpose (whether for

commercial benefit or otherwise) and has not been plagiarised in any

way;

b. By entering into the Competition, each Participant acknowledges and agrees

that the site the subject of the Competition is presently being used for

residential purposes and as such must only visit the site on visits organised

by the Housing Authority and comply with any direction given by the Housing

Authority representative.

8. Intellectual property

a. The Teams and each individual Participant of the Teams that are awarded a

prize for finishing first, second or third grant, and must ensure that any other

owner of any Intellectual Property Rights grant, to the Housing Authority an

irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to exercise any or

all of the rights of an owner of the Intellectual Property Rights in any material

submitted by those Teams or the Participants of those Teams as part of the

Competition.

b. For the avoidance of any doubt, the licence granted under sub-clause (a)

above, permits the Housing Authority to (but it is not required to) use (in

whole or part) any of the material submitted by the Teams or Participants

referred to in sub-clause (a) above as part of the Competition for the

purposes of building a housing development on the Competition site;

c. Each Team and each Participant indemnifies and will keep indemnified the

Housing Authority and all its employees and agents from and against all

costs, losses, expenses, actions, suits, demands, claims, damages and other

liabilities resulting from the Participants failure to comply with this clause 8 or

clause 9 or otherwise resulting from the actual or alleged infringement of the

Intellectual Property Rights or Moral Rights of any third party by the

Participant.

9. Advertising

a. The Teams and each individual Participant grant, and must ensure that any

other owner of any Intellectual Property Rights grant, to the Housing Authority

an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence in any material

submitted by the Team or the Participants as part of the Competition to use

and display all or any information, ideas and designs submitted by the Team

or Participant including (without limitation) the right to display all or any

information, ideas and designs submitted by a Participant on the Housing

Authority’s website and other websites relating to the Competition and in any


exhibition and to use all or any information, ideas and designs in Housing

Authority promotional materials.

b. The Participants agree that the Housing Authority may use the identity of

Participants and details of their designs for publicity, marketing and any other

purposes.

c. All Participants must promptly inform the Housing Authority if, as a result of

the Competition, material submitted as part of the Competition is used (in

whole or part) in any proposed development or if the Participant received any

commercial benefit from any design or idea submitted as part of the

Competition.

d. The Participants of all Teams that receive an award as part of the

Competition must be available for publicity opportunities as required by the

Housing Authority for a period of 12 months following the announcement of

the winning entry.

10. Disclosure of information

a. The Participants agree and acknowledge that the information and material

submitted as part of the Competition is subject to the Freedom of Information

Act 1992 (WA) and may also be disclosed by the Housing Authority under a

court order or upon request of Parliament or any committee of Parliament or if

otherwise required by law.

b. By submitting an entry into the Competition, each Participant releases the

Housing Authority from all liability whatsoever for any loss, injury, damage,

liability, costs, or expense resulting from the disclosure of information or

material under this clause by the Housing Authority.

c. Subject to this clause, any personal information collected by the Housing

Authority as part of this Competition will be used in accordance with its

Privacy, Confidentiality and Duty of Care Policy.

11. Release and Indemnity

12. To the maximum extent permitted by law, all Participants indemnify and release the

Housing Authority against all liability, cost, loss or expense arising out of participation

in the Competition or the acceptance of any of the prizes including without limitation

loss of income, loss of opportunity, personal injury, damage to property, whether

direct or consequential, foreseeable, due to some negligent act or omission or

otherwise.

13. Definitions

In these terms and conditions:

Competition means the ‘[design]ability’ competition as outlined in these terms and

conditions and the Competition Brief.

Competition Brief means the ‘[design]ability’ Competition Brief.

Intellectual Property Rights means:


patents, copyright, registered designs, trade marks and the right to have confidential

information (being information which is capable of being protected by way of an

action for breach of confidence) kept confidential; and

any application or right to apply for registration of any of those rights,

but does not include Moral Rights.

Moral Rights has the same meaning as in the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).

Participant means each participant who submits an entry to the Competition.

Team means each team that submits an entry to the Competition.

ATTACHMENTS

The following supporting documents are provided as background information:

Cadastral Information (DWG format)

Topographic mapping, relief and planimetry (DWG format)

Market Analysis (DOC format)

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