Providing a unique alternative to traditional Disability Housing, our Greendragon crescent project is a model for a new type of low-cost communal accommodation. This project came into fruition following the identification of an Affordable housing Market Gap in delivering effective disability housing. Through consultation with support providers we decided to undertake this project to provide appropriate accommodation that minimised their concerns such as: •    Adaptable Design •    Quality locations •    Balanced independence with support •    Maximising community funding for both support providers and Housing providers; and •    Affordable for tenants and for support groups.

The smaller, communal feel of each home, and its residential design, means that supported accommodation can be delivered within the community, rather than separated from it in institutional settings and residents can then be encouraged to mix with other tenants, promoting a social atmosphere in a safe supportive environment.

By adopting these design features, and because of the easily modifiable design, the co-housing model has the potential to be used for many different applications, including aged care and student accommodation. In developing this property, We believe we have provided an innovative response to a housing need for those with disabilities and who need affordable accommodation. Receiving this award demonstrates that quality affordable housing can be a reality in any market – it’s all about choosing strategic locations, seeking support from government and private parties and building compact dwellings that fit the needs of the community.

We have built 16 other similar properties across the Gold Coast, funded by the Nation Building and Economic Stimulus: Social Housing Initiative, providing 68 units of accommodation for those with disabilities.

We would like to thank our project team who have worked extremely hard to make this project a success. It has been their concepts; drive and initiative that has made it possible for us to deliver so many quality homes for those on low to moderate incomes. Thank-you all.

Consultants

Koho Affordable Housing: Architects for the project and the developers of the Koho Model. Horizon and Koho have collaborated previously on other projects. Koho are innovative designers, who measure their success using a triple bottom line of social, environmental and financial outcomes. To date, Koho has successfully delivered over 100 affordable housing outcomes for single people in 22 locations.

Sandsky Developments: Sandsky were selected as the builders for the project due to their previous track record working for the company, delivering stock quickly, affordably and at a consistently high quality. Sandsky have been operating since 2000, and aim to offer a new benchmark in the industry.