Stacking Urban Density: Volumetric Design for a new Kiwi Section

Housing affordability has become a growing concern in New Zealand. Urban intensification has been raised as a way to address this, but its contribution has been limited by poor uptake and continued resistance to higher density housing. In response this thesis looks at a way to increase the appeal of higher density housing for more Kiwis and how it can be made more comparable to traditional detached housing.

Exploring what the Kiwi section looks like if it is not a ¼ acre section, this thesis researches stackable volumetric design as an innovative delivery process to provide an artificial land supply of stackable ‘sections’, as opposed to reliance on greenfield development to accommodate new homeowners. The research develops and evaluates a stackable volumetric design to address an inflexible housing market straining to respond to housing needs, and identifies important practical considerations of stackable buildings.

To address the multi-segmented nature of the housing market affecting housing choice (which has challenged existing research to deliver meaningful recommendations and outcomes) a consumer driven design approach was developed. Two primary stackable design iterations where developed and tested using a mock data pool of homeowners to generate layouts for each dwelling.

The outcome of the design process formed a proof of concept for a stackable volumetric design and identifies that one of the major challenges of higher density housing is addressing consumer expectations. Opportunities for economic gains through increases in density, and flexible/customizable stackable ‘sections’ tested by a mock data pool, demonstrate strategies for responding to the high expectations of a Kiwi home. Additionally, some important aspects were recognized by the design process in developing an artificial Kiwi ‘section’, including the identity and delineation of individual household units and the inclusion and capability to personalize thresholds – design considerations that show potential for continued development in higher density design.