
COTTON TREE PILOT HOUSING PROJECT
Cotton Tree (address confirmed when booking secured)
Type:
Residential
Precinct:
Maroochydore / Buderim
Built:
1992
Architect:
Clare Design
Awards:
1996 - Qld Multiple Housing Award - Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA)
1996 - National Environment Citation - Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA)
In 1992 three forums were held to investigate socially, environmentally and aesthetically appropriate housing for the Sunshine Coast region. The Cotton Tree Pilot Housing Project was one of the outcomes. It was designed to provide a flexible alternative for medium density subtropical housing in older suburban and urban areas on the coast.
The commission came from the owners of adjoining sites: the Department of Housing and the Beecham family. The land, in close proximity to public facilities, shopping, employment and recreational areas – was considered ideal for a pilot project. Both clients wanted to build affordable housing.
The development consists of a series of attached and detached dwellings, stepping from one to three storeys to optimise summer cooling from the prevailing sea breezes and northern winter sun. Shared boundaries were adjusted to preserve a stand of paperbark trees. Subsequent environmental studies by the University of Queensland have found a substantial reduction in ‘heat island effect’, owing to the siting, permeability, shading, rientation and landscape strategies in the design.
The private development component is a series of townhouses made of lightweight timber- framed construction. The public housing component is a combination of lightweight reverse masonry veneer construction whereby the masonry is weatherproofed and shaded by a skin of corrugated iron or fibre cement board. Apart from the insulating qualities of reverse veneer, this construction technique also allowed the language of materials and the aesthetics of assembly to be used across the whole site.
Booking:
Bookings open on Wednesday 10 October at 9am. To secure your booking visit this building page, click on the "BOOK NOW" button and follow the prompts through the Eventbrite website. To ensure a fair allocation there will be a limited ticket allocation per person. Bookings will be taken on a first come, first served basis. Pre-booked tours will book out quickly. There will be no waitlists, so if you miss out, please check back in case others cancel.