Display House: Concept Home Remodelled
Western Australia, 2009
Developers of a kit house system aimed at Australian mining settlements springing up for FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) workers, wanted quick-build units to satisfy the demand for housing in Perth. Conceived as a 'sustainable' alternative for brick and tile buildings, the system aimed to produce a cost-effective starter home. The design brief included interiors and exteriors, turning the units into display homes that would attract a demographic likely to be recipients of the Government's First Home Owner Grant.
Taking on the project meant extending research far beyond analyzing existing market data and proposing layouts and aesthetic treatments to a budget, although it included these in the deliverables. The anthro-design investigation sought a deeper understanding of display home representation, perceptions and visiblility of sustainability, target user aspirations and needs, and implications of restrictions resulting from fixing a range of layouts. Tools used included field observations, a Participatory Innovation Charrette (PIC), and the cross-comparative analysis of layered data.
Together with the completion of fast-turnaround display houses, the core project generated further research on the influence of compact house layout and styling on anticipated future patterns of living, and the implications of FIFO work on both social and environmental sustainability.