Description

Double Brick: Reflections on Housing with EmAGN explores the architectural and urban design legacy of mid-century multi-residential housing in inner-urban Melbourne. 

Set against the backdrop of rapid urban change, many of Melbourne’s most reputable post-war architects were tasked with the modernisation of inner-urban Melbourne. Some of these early housing projects have stood the test of time and are now examples of best practice multi-residential housing.

This tour offers a rare opportunity to step inside these apartments, thoughtfully refurbished by their occupants, and uncover some of the stories behind them. From their practical and adaptable floor plans and generous, shared communal spaces to distinctive architectural characteristics, we will explore the simple yet clever design approaches which made these apartment buildings so successful.

These projects demonstrate how prioritising cost effective intervention, reuse and upgrade can be more effective than extensive demolition—an approach applicable to many of Melbourne’s buildings. They present alternative models for Melbourne's housing amidst the pressing challenges of housing affordability in the twenty-first century.

What's On

Guided by architects and urban designers, this walking tour will explore an array of distinctive architectural housing projects in Melbourne’s inner north, allowing a peek behind the double brick façades and into the stories that continue to shape these distinctive buildings.