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Representation and the lived experience voice is so important to successful housing outcomes that support people to thrive. Most often social housing projects are speculative as future residents are unknown at the time of design and construction. That is why this design guide is so important as it brings the lived experience voice into the design process.

This comprehensive design guide is a practical, targeted, sixty-eight page illustrated document that translates our post occupancy research findings (interviews with older women living in social housing and community housing providers developing projects) into design responses. It provides the construction industry, from consultant to government, with best practice strategies for the design and construction of housing for older women.

The Australian Good Design Awards is the country’s oldest and most prestigious international awards for design and innovation with a proud history dating back to 1958. The Good Design Awards Jury commented on our gold award:
“This was a thoughtful and well-illustrated research project that focuses on an often-neglected demographic – older women at risk of homelessness. The Design Guide is a practical document that translates research findings into best-practice strategies for the design of older women’s housing. As such, we hope that this guide will be used as a resource by community housing providers, policy makers and development sectors. We hope that us acknowledging this work will help raise further awareness to this issue.”

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The guide illustrates key elements for each main living area in a home.



Download the Report >
This supplementary best practice report details our research methodology and the different social housing types for women at risk of homelessness in Melbourne.