A HOUSE THAT GROWS ON THE INSIDE

With house prices rising so rapidly, many New Zealand families find the stretch to homeownership beyond them. It is now customary to hear of people unable to purchase a property for their needs, in relation to the size of the house, its location or both and the idea of homeownership is fast becoming a pipeline dream for most people. With large upfront costs and large mortgage repayments, the cost of purchasing or building a house is unaffordable for a growing number of the population (Aravena & Lacobelli, 2012; Michael Bassett, 2013). Affordability is a broad notion but in essence, this research portfolio addresses it as the concern for accessibility of New Zealanders to put a roof over their heads. The crux of this issue is the relatively high cost to purchase a place to call home, making housing a commodity to enrich a few. An alternative solution to building and financing a home is needed. This research portfolio questions how flexible design and incremental construction approaches can be applied to a range of sites typical to the New Zealand context, providing an alternative housing solution that addresses housing affordability. This alternative housing solution demonstrates flexible design and incremental construction tactics derived from the comparative and critical analysis of literature and precedence. These tactics are demonstrated through the design of four typologies that accommodate the users changing needs and financial circumstances. Housing affordability has been addressed by the consideration of these flexible design and incremental construction tactics to allow for incremental investment. As the users, financial circumstances increase or change, the design and construction of their dwelling allows them to make changes easily. This reduces the need for major construction work in order to change the layout and use and it easily allows for the opportunity to expand when the money becomes available. It also averts the necessity to move which in the current property market is costly in terms of finances and time. To address the aims of this research portfolio, this alternative housing solution inverts the typical process of building and financing a home. It responds effortlessly to the occupant’s requirements, however varied. Incorporating flexible design and incremental construction tactics allows for incremental change and incremental investment over the lifetime of the building. At times when a lack of supply has resulted in rampant price increases, we need to question why, would one build a house that takes a great amount of time, money and effort to construct but so quickly becomes redundant? A dwelling, therefore, shouldn’t be a product. A dwelling should be an ongoing process.