HEIMAT
-- Older Women Housing --
100% ACCESSIBLE • 60% ENERGY SAVING • 27 WOMEN • 1 HOME
Heimat is a vibrant mixed-use development that combines residential and commercial spaces in Redfern. At its heart is a lively café—more than just a café, it serves as a vital meeting place where women gather to restore dignity to the community through daily exchanges of ideas. Driven by the need to provide a safe platform for sharing stories and experiences, Heimat creates a home and refuge, offering a healing haven for the community.
A-
home | a place to share | to be heard | to be seen | to be safe
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
architecture that breathes, connects, and gives
CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT
“In the quiet of her twilight years,
She found a place that quelled her fears.
A sanctuary, a sacred space,
Where time and solace could embrace.
The walls would listen to her tales,
Of loves lost and ships that set sail.
Of dreams she dreamt but never told,
And secrets buried deep, untold.
The creaking floors and shadows cast,
A comforting presence from the past.
In every corner, she could see,
Reflections of who she used to be.
With every word that left her tongue,
The walls would whisper, old and young.
They heard her joys, her cries, her laughter,
And kept them safe ever after.
For in that place, she was not alone,
But surrounded by the love she’d known.
And through the years had come and gone,
She found in it, where she belonged.”
Finding Home
-- Lang Leav
01. THERMAL CONTROL
Install louvre screens as an additional layer of protection against afternoon sunlight, ensuring both privacy and comfort for residents.
02. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY MATERIALS
Using Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) as the primary material offers several advantages.
03. CROSS VENTILATION
Install opposing openings to facilitate cross ventilation and create a comfortable living environment during summer conditions.
04. QUALITIES OF COMMUNITY SPACE
Establishing a mixed development featuring a café that not only creates job opportunities for residents and locals but also serves as a therapeutic space.
05. ZERO ENERGY BUILDING
Optimise the utilisation of renewable energy by installing PV panels for electricity and implementing a rainwater harvesting system to provide clean water for the residents.
06. COST - EFFECTIVE
Ensure fair distribution of resources among different units while maintaining accessibility and compliance.
07. EFFICIENT USE OF LAND
Elevate the floor to optimise land usage while ensuring the development does not exceed a height of 15 meters.
08. SUNNY SPACE
Offer private terraces for each unit to maximise sunlight exposure, benefiting the mental and physical health of residents.
Exploded Diagram
TYPOLOGIES & AS1428
AS1428 - Australian Standard - Design for Access & Mobility
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All residential layouts have been carefully designed in accordance with AS1428 principles, ensuring that every resident can move independently and comfortably throughout the space. The design embodies inclusivity, enabling women to navigate their daily lives freely, with dignity, and without reliance on assistance.
Shared spaces—such as the living room, kitchen, dining area, and terrace—are introduced to foster connection, conversation, and a sense of quiet support among residents. These communal zones foster a sense of togetherness, creating an environment where residents feel they have one another to lean on, while still honouring each person’s need for privacy, autonomy, and personal space.
The balance between independence and companionship lies at the heart of the typology, offering both the freedom to be oneself and the comfort of a supportive community.
Illustrative Concepts
sketching the soul of Heimat
COMMUNITY GARDEN
The Community Garden is designed as a gentle meeting point—where residents can come together, tend to the earth, and connect over shared rituals of care. More than just a green space, it becomes a place of conversation, collaboration, and quiet companionship.
Here, gardening is not only an act of cultivation but also a way to nurture relationships. The space fosters a sense of belonging and softens the boundary between public and private life. As residents plant and grow together, they also enrich the spirit and visual identity of Heimat, making it not just a place to live, but a place where they can grow together.
COMMUNITY CAFÉ
The Community Café sits at the threshold of Heimat, resolving a 2-metre slope with purpose and grace. More than just a topographical solution, the café becomes a welcoming face to the neighbourhood, softening the transition between private and public, and offering a warm invitation to locals and passersby.
Run entirely by residents and powered by clean, renewable energy, the café provides meaningful work opportunities and helps restore a sense of pride, purpose, and independence within the community. It is a place where conversations happen naturally, over coffee and shared stories, bridging the lives of those within Heimat and those beyond its walls.
Through both its function and presence, the Community Café enhances the identity of Heimat, making it not only more connected to its surroundings but also more visually engaging, open, and alive.
SOFTWARE
Mentorship & Guidance
SketchUp
Rhino
Grasshopper
AutoCAD
Enscape
Adobe Creative Suite
Architecture Studio 2B
Bachelor of Design in Architecture | The University of Sydney
Studio Lead: Michael Muir
Tutor: Isabel Gabaldón Pérez