Placed 2nd for this NaSCBA National Design competition to design and build an affordable starter home. The project reconsiders the value of the traditional ‘back-to-back’ housing model as a sustainable approach to living through spatial optimisation and proximities. When constructing the ‘Half – a – House’, the developer stops after providing the essentials, at which point the owner takes over; adding customisable rooms to the house builder standard.

The Half – a – House takes its inspiration from the traditional terraced house; a formal front elevation with good rooms behind. At the back of the house is a covered steel frame, with the same footprint as the house, with potential for modular increase in space and customisation through materiality.