Kelly Hui

Home(s) in Hawthorn

In a time where housing demands overwhelms supply, in a place (Melbourne) that was once deemed the most liveable city, housing insecurity invades our society, and the dream of suburban living becomes ever more intangible. Detached houses, sizeable allotments, private yards, a connection to the wider neighbourhood seem to be beyond one’s imagination.

Thus, the Home(s) in Hawthorn proposes a necessity in redefining the essence of a house, a yard, and a community in suburbia, within the framework of social housing.

Here, the conventional suburban domesticity is re-mediated, stripping spaces down to their fundamental simplicity, allows a boundless array of domestic possibilities through the exploration of ‘soft boundaries’ that liberate living spaces from traditional constraints. The architectural language is follows a light and transparent logic continuing to blur and harmonise the relationship between the dwelling, the landscape, and the community.