Returning to Australia with refreshing new perspectives from a recent European study tour, Plus Architecture Director Patric Przeradzki identifies four key takeaways from the Scandinavian housing model that can be applied in Australia to work towards healthier, safer and more cohesive residential communities.
As we observed in Copenhagen and Oslo on a recent study tour, Scandinavian countries punch above their weight when it comes to urban design and housing innovation. Both of these remarkable cities have transformed rapidly in the past decade and are responding to current challenges in their own unique way, creating enhanced quality of life and community connections for residents across a broad range of social and cultural demographics.
Across ten days, some of Plus Architecture’s directors toured standout examples of the Scandinavian housing model, which represents a new generation of adaptable design thinking, capturing radical and innovative ideas like new approaches to master planning, permeable public space, research-led design, and responses to climate change.
As Australian cities tackle their own challenges, this model offers a number of learnings we as designers can adopt on our own shores. It embodies a future direction of a holistic housing design model based on sociological and anthropological considerations and not just architectural rigour – showing us how community-driven, liveable and sustainable design can help us build more connected communities and a healthier future for all Australians.
Director Patric Przeradkzi was joined by Plus Architecture Directors Ian Briggs and Danny Juric on a tour of Copenhagen and Oslo in February 2023.
1. Incorporating design into project master planning
We met with designers from a group of leading Danish and Norwegian design firms including Nordic, CF Moller, Arkitema, Cobe and ADEPT, who reflected on the importance of incorporating design into the development and master planning stages of a housing or community project, as opposed to after the brief has already been set.
Touring the community developments designed by these firms across Copenhagen and Oslo, we observed that they had all been designed as part of an integrated master planning vision to ‘create communities’ with a full scope of amenities promoting liveability and connection between residents, rather than simply creating buildings. This also allows us to have conversations at a policy level that enable more bolder outcomes such as giving land back for public use like large shared parks and activated laneway spaces.
Plus Architecture’s vision for a 13,000 sqm site in West Leederville, West Perth, was master planned in line with some of the key principles we observed in the Scandinavian design model, which includes a new activated pedestrian public laneway to the local train station. Submitted to the planning commission in February, this unique project saw three landowners collaborate on an integrated master plan across three adjoining sites. Incorporating community benefit initiatives frequently seen in Danish and Norwegian projects, plans for the site include an activated shared streetscape supporting a diversity of uses; traffic calming zones for enhanced pedestrian accessibility and safety; and strategically located ground floor tenancies and balconies that support passive community surveillance.
Representing a new direction for Perth’s growing suburbs, this planning and design approach allows us to better unlock the potential of urban sites by considering the wider impact on quality of life for residents first and foremost.
2. Designing for ‘inside-out’ permeability
One of the most interesting observations from our time in Copenhagen was the idea of reclaiming the street as a communal space. Unlike the Australian housing design model which relies on fenced lot boundaries and gates to provide privacy and security for residents, the Scandinavian model is based on permeability – the freedom to move within urban spaces without barriers.
This absence of physical ‘security’ in the Scandinavian housing model actually serves to provide a security of its own through the creation of community. Take away the fences, and relationships between community members start to strengthen. With these relationships comes a renewed sense of social security and responsibility. This is what Scandinavian designers reflected on as achieving ‘active security’ through design.
When you walk down a residential street or area in Copenhagen you can see straight into people’s dining rooms, living rooms and kitchens. The footpath is almost claimed by local residents and creates a strong sense of passive surveillance. Quite often you are even walking on a ‘footpath’ that is actually part of their front yard. The same goes for schools and community facilities, which are accessible by anyone. This means that children grow up with a far more tangible sense of community and social safety in both the home and learning environments.
While Copenhagen is not a car-free city, there is certainly a shift away from individual vehicles per family, and designers are considering ways to help minimise the presence of cars on streets. This includes solutions like creating more underground carparks in proximity to both dense residential areas and community facilities and amenities. Riding a bicycle is more convenient than driving in most cases, which is why cycling is the dominant form of transport.
In Copenhagen the street is a place for the family. This certainly a key learning we can apply in some part to Australia’s housing and community design model in working to achieve a safer and more connected way of life for people of all ages.
3. An anthropology-focussed design lens
The Scandinavian housing design model also considers the importance of designing for diverse family types across different social and cultural demographics, as informed by anthropological research. We can observe another lesson in this inclusive approach, which ultimately leads to the creation of more vibrant and cohesive communities.
How can we ensure that the housing we design is just as diverse as the community it serves? We discovered very bespoke apartments and retirement living typologies that currently do not exist in Australia.
Part of our responsibility as designers is to consider how we can maximise opportunities for social and cultural connection and interaction across a residential site or community. We were inspired by the volume of social and cultural research that was undertaken by Scandinavian design firms before commencing a design and planning journey, which explored ways to enrich the experience of community members as they go about daily life.
Plus Architecture is currently applying a similar social and culturally-informed research approach in planning in the design of both medium-density and apartment buildings in Perth. It was critical to research the diverse cultural heritage and social demographics of families living in the area. Following our research, we considered how our planning and design efforts could nurture community interaction through things like inviting civic spaces, shared leisure amenities and community programs, which aimed to celebrate the vibrancy of people and cultures across the precinct.
4. Lifecycle assessments in design and construction
The global industry continues to prioritise sustainable approaches to community design and planning, and it was a primary topic of discussion among the sector-leading Scandinavian firms we visited. Innovative solutions for the efficient resourcing of materials, reducing embodied carbon levels, recycling stormwater and the creation of more environmentally-conscious construction sites were key objectives in every Scandinavian housing and community design project we explored. All apartment buildings we viewed on site used modern methods of construction (MMC)– also known as modular manufacturing - which included off-site manufacturing of pre-cast concrete components that were craned into place, helping to reduce construction times and minimise build costs.
While we do of course consider these elements when designing housing and community projects across Australia, we need to keep pushing the envelope in these lifecycle assessments and construction methodologies to ensure we keep up with European standards of innovation.
We understand that it is our responsibility as designers to prioritise these environmental considerations part of the design journey.
There are a number of inspiring learnings we can adopt from the Scandinavian housing design model. While these ideas might not be new in the industry, our study tour in Copenhagen showcased their impact ‘in practice,’ revealing the positive impact they have in creating healthier, safer and more connected communities.