Adapt old stock to create new homes

Adapt or poverty will take over in our challenging times. Families, couples and individuals need to look at different housing  alternatives to the conventional large house and mortgage.

Adaptive reuse involves the conversion of new spaces within old ones. An existing building is recycled by integrating a new set of functions into the existing skin to suit the needs of new inhabitants.

This is not a new concept — think of the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, originally a mosque, then church, now museum. Or Paddington Reservoir in Sydney, originally infrastructure, then petrol station, then ruin, now urban performance space.

The solution to the problem of homelessness

The solution to the problem of homelessness lies not in our obsession with new housing models or new development, but perhaps, if we look hard enough, in our existing urban fabric. Right under our noses, existing buildings offer opportunities ripe for adaptation.

Adaptive reuse works on a triple-bottom-line approach: economic, environmental and socio-cultural.

Adapt an existing building

Recycling an existing building is cheaper, better for the environment and ensures the collective memory of a place is not erased.  A large surburban house block example in Greenmount will become available to younger people in mid-2021 – see https://www.facebook.com/SustainableCohousingLifestyle/posts/

For buildings as for older women, respect for age, connection to place and care for the environment are important.

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Other larger scale examples adapt Chinese wisdom to Australia’s context

The name “siheyuan” translates into quadrangle courtyard housing. This type of housing comes from traditional Confucian ideas of the extended family unit, arranged around a courtyard or series of courtyards with graduated levels of privacy.

However, non-family who choose this lifestyle can sometimes work better in Australia.

The interesting thing about the siheyuan arrangement is the highly ordered series of rooms with private units organised around open spaces and communal halls for gatherings. In Beijing today, an estimated 400,000 courtyard houses remain. About 500 have been preserved as historic sites.

The hierarchical order of the siheyuan presents a great opportunity for adapting it to suit the needs of older women. It’s a type of co-housing arrangement: people live independently but together, sharing some facilities like open space and areas to come together for occasional meals.  The siheyuan arrangement typically involves an ordered series of rooms with private units organised around open spaces and communal halls.(Supplied: Hugo Chan)

This model could form part of the rise in shared housing configurations.

The courtyards meet the needs of older women to maintain a strong connection to a garden space, with potential for them to be active in maintaining this area.

The courtyards promote social contact and exercise, as well as space for quiet contemplation. This interior-landscape connection is important to the well-being of older women.

The hall serves as a social connector. It’s a place for communal activities, connecting with family or friends, creative projects or listening. Women retain their sense of independence; they decide when they participate.

Another important requirement for older women is to have the space to welcome family and friends, so they maintain their social connections to the world. The hall is an efficient way to share space that everyone needs, but only some of the time.

The private units ensure the independence, safety and sense of belonging that older women need. Cultural and social needs are met easily within one’s personal domain.

The small luxury of having a room of one’s own should not be underestimated. Many older women have rarely had this luxury. For them, it provides much-needed dignity.

The Adapt mindset

This sort of adaptive reuse is not just about what we do with existing buildings. It’s also about adapting cultural wisdom, and ideas from the past, to develop alternative ways of living together.

Many currently underutilised or vacant buildings in Australia could be adapted to courtyard housing.

It will need a radical shift in policy and developer-driven economics. But this opportunity would meet so many current needs of older women, be good environmental practice and provide social housing.

As Confucius said, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

The financial burden on taxpayers and service providers is dramatically reduced by providing secure affordable housing in the first place.

The solution to the problem of homelessness lies not in our obsession with new housing models or new development, but perhaps, if we look hard enough, in our existing urban fabric. Right under our noses, existing buildings offer opportunities ripe for adaptation.

 This is an extract, slightly modified from the ABC article originally appeared on The Conversation.

Samantha Donnelly is a lecturer in the School of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney. Hugo Chan is a sessional academic at UNSW Built Environment, UNSW.