ABSTRACT
The design studies have pursued three radically different typologies for a medium density context, each of which scales up to a community in different ways. The Connected Courtyard is a systems of blocks of different scales, each of which has a sub-set of courtyards that perform different functions (water, amenity, agriculture, play, etc.) such that they collectively form a complex urban community with a dynamic social and economic mix. The Urban Villa is a contemporary version of a large townhouse, with 4–6 units sharing a big house with a shared courtyard and a south-facing solar system for energy generation, shading, and vegetation growth. The Loft-Block is a concept for a paired urban block sharing an elevated landscape garden, using through loft units combined with a front end that has an elevator, thereby enabling the block to achieve a larger urban scale and presence. Each prototype incorporates solar energy production, shading systems, ecological constructions techniques, water recycling, and low carbon mobility vehicles.
