University of Sydney and Leichhardt Council have sponsored a design competition to encourage new models for inner city living

TOKYO-STYLE architecture with multi-family living is being considered as part of Sydney’s housing mix instead of apartment buildings and students are leading the way with innovative designs.

TOKYO-STYLE architecture which allows multi-family living could be considered as part of the housing mix in the inner west as an alternative to high density apartment living.

A groundbreaking design competition to solve the squeeze on space in the Leichhardt local government area could lead to granny flats and small terraces replacing unit blocks.

Sydney University and Leichhardt Council joined forces to challenge students to come up with innovative designs for sites within Leichhardt Municipality which would accommodate more people without resorting to blocks of apartments.

Postgraduate winner Weijie Shen has won an inner city design competition.

Weijie Shen’s winning entry focused on a central communal space to allow a number of interconnected residences to occupy a small block.

Mr Shen said people living in areas such as Balmain were used to compact living and this influenced his design approach.

“I used the Japanese-minimalist approach to designing for small spaces, looking at increasing density while maintaining life quality and privacy issues,” he said.

Mayor Darcy Byrne said 74 per cent of all new housing in the Leichhardt local government area was being provided through apartments.

“There are more and more people wanting to live in multi-generational groups, extended family and friends,” Cr Byrne said.

“It’s a style popular in other cities like Tokyo, and one that could certainly work well here.”

Designing for high density living in the inner city means a new housing mix.

Leichhardt Council will build on the designs and fund a study into ways to develop smaller lots with new housing types.

“People love terrace housing and so many locals feel like apartment blocks are destroying the character of our neighbourhoods,” he said.

“We are going to take a close look at our planning controls because at the moment we’ve made it far too difficult to subdivide and build terrace housing or granny flats as an alternative on an existing property.”

Mr Shen and the winning undergraduate team of James Feng and Minh Au were recognised at a recent council meeting and received $1,500 in prize money.