In 2006 antarctica director Simon Whibley initiated and co-convened the ReHousing International housing conference. This conference and exhibition examined contemporary housing in Australia and the opportunities for architects to contribute the design of market housing, in which the vast majority of Australians live.
Following the conference Simon co-edited and wrote for this book that compiles and summarises the key ideas and projects presented at the conference.
reHousing:24 housing projects, is a catalogue of projects and essays, providing framing commentary and project examples that respond to the challenge of Australia’s housing demand.
The book provides comment on the role of housing in inner city, regional, suburban, and remote contexts. Projects are grouped according to the context to which they relate, and are redrawn to be compared across these different housing scenarios.
This book also frames the role of architectural design in the production of housing, and provides a catalogue of exemplar projects that illustrate how that contribution can be made. It shows how these contributions can address specific social and environmental issues associated with housing demand, such as household diversity, urban consolidation, and environmental sustainability. It provides examples of collective as well as detached housing, and engages with design techniques of flexibility and re-configurability.