SQ Transp 2048

Bill McKay, Piet Ubels and Maria Hosking - Smart Thinking: Exploring Answers to the Housing Crisis

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To build enough dwellings and sort out this crisis we need a multi-pronged approach, unleashing everything we have. One size won’t fit all in our diverse society  – but we must maintain quality. Here are some smart ideas. Piet Ubels of BuildUpNZ is prototyping ‘tiny houses’ for the homeless on Council land or marae: https://www.facebook.com/BuildUpNZ

Another design niche could be the back yard. Maria Hosking’s architectural thesis examined small houses in the back yard as hybrid infill. Since then she has been helped run an SGA / Architecture + Women NZ project that tested off-site prefabrication and remote delivery: http://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/the-final-push-sga-and-arch-and-women-nz-motu-kaikoura-building-workshop/

These are creative options that can assist Council with emergency housing, iwi to build on their land or mum and dad to house a young couple in the back yard. But how do we ensure quality and avoid the cheap and nasty? How do we maintain a quality environment for everyone, including the neighbours and not undermine public confidence in a built environment?

Bill McKay is an architecture and urban design critic, author and lecturer at the University of Auckland. He has a regular urban issues commentary slot on RNZ’s Nine to Noon programme.

Piet Ubels is a Project Manager with industry experience across a range of roles in Architecture, Engineering and Sustainable development. With a group of housing activists he formed Build Up Emergency Housing as a demonstration project to show how innovative design and civic action can help create affordable housing solutions.

Maria Hosking is an Architectural Graduate at Strachan Group Architects where she is involved in a range of housing typologies and innovative projects utilising the benefits of prefabrication. Her thesis, Hybrid Infill - An Affordable Housing Solution, examined issues and solutions surrounding the provision of affordable housing in Auckland and was awarded Distinction in Architectural Design, the Sir Miles Warren Top Student Award 2014 and the Unitec Excellence in Research Award.

When
June 26th, 2018 from  6:30 PM to  8:00 PM
Location
1 McDonald Street
Auckland Polish Society
Morningside
Auckland, AUK 1025
New Zealand