Housing Choices, Drouin
Type: Multi-residential, Social housing
Location: Drouin, Mt Baw Baw Shire
Client: Housing Choices Australia
Status: DA Approved
HCA Drouin is a social housing development of 45 dwellings for Housing Choices Australia, comprising a mix of apartment buildings and townhouses for a diverse community of one, two, and three-bedroom households.
The brief called for a scheme that could sit comfortably within a prevailing suburban, low-rise context while remaining highly efficient and durable. The design response is shaped by the specific conditions of the site, anchored by a row of significant heritage trees to the east and transitioning to lower-scale residential fabric to the west and south.
The massing is organised as a series of east–west oriented linear bands, maximising outlook toward the tree-lined eastern boundary and the valley to the west, while maintaining appropriate setbacks to protect sensitive tree protection zones. Mirrored pairs of apartments are arranged around a central communal courtyard, while a western band of double-storey townhouses mediates the transition in scale to the surrounding neighbourhood.
The built form is broken into smaller volumes, allowing landscape to move between buildings. Over 45% of the site is landscaped as garden and communal space for residents, with planting that reinforces connections to the built form.
All dwellings are designed to meet Liveable Housing Design Guidelines, with dual-aspect apartments enabling cross ventilation. Building separations are calibrated to allow winter sunlight while maintaining privacy and outlook.
The architecture is led by robust, low-maintenance materials and a simple, repeatable interior kit of parts—practical, resilient housing that supports everyday life and connection to landscape.
More Information
- LHDG - Silver
- Average NatHERS rating: 7.93 stars
- Apartments: 8.0 stars average
- Townhouses: 7.4 stars average
- All dwellings fully cross-ventilated
- All-electric, efficient appliances
- Robust, low-maintenance materials
- Rooftop solar + rainwater harvesting
- Reduced operational costs through efficiency systems
- 22 bicycle spaces (cyclist-friendly facilities)
- Within 5-minute walk to Drouin town centre amenities
Collaborators:
TAUT Architects, Collaboration Architect
TRACT, Planning
Emergent Studio, Landscape
Wrap Engineering, Services / ESD
Edge Consulting Engineers, Structure
Traffix, Traffic / Waste