23 homes, shaped by the neighbourhood around them.
Coraki Street is a medium-density social housing development on a hilltop site in Chigwell, in Hobart's northern suburbs. The project delivers 23 one- and two-bedroom homes for Tasmanians on the Housing Register - a net increase of 21 dwellings on what was previously vacant land purchased by Homes Tasmania from the Glenorchy City Council.
Our design responds directly to the existing neighbourhood. The surrounding streets are characterised by single-storey cottages with heavy brick plinths, lightweight cladding and pitched roof forms. Rather than imposing a new language on the site, we drew from these elements to create a contemporary architectural response that sits comfortably alongside what is already there. Building heights vary across the development, transitioning from the scale of Coraki Street's cottages to a more compact form at the centre of the site.
A courtyard at the heart.
The building mass was sculpted to maximise solar access during winter and allow natural cross-ventilation throughout. The form that emerged from this process created space for a deep-soil communal courtyard at the centre of the development - a shared green space designed around community interaction, with landscaping that layers subtly from public to private to give residents a sense of ownership over the spaces closest to their homes.
The homes are built to Homes Tasmania's Design Policy for Social Housing, incorporating principles of environmental sustainability, ageing in place and liveable housing design. Our sustainability approach prioritised low embodied-energy materials, high-performance insulation, water-efficient fixtures, rainwater collection, and solar capture - with the roof forms designed to support optimal solar panel placement. The project targets a minimum 7-star NatHERS rating.
Construction began in November 2025 and is expected to be completed in late 2026.
