In Loco - Forrest is a collaboration between the landowner, his architect and his builder. The landowner has lived at 38 Empire Circuit for many decades but his house is old, in need of renovation and no longer fits his needs. He wants to stay in the neighbourhood that he has called home for so long but has struggled to find something that truly suits him in Forrest. He would like a well-designed smaller home that needs less maintenance, is more environmentally sustainable, has a small garden and is accessible as he ages. 

Many other empty-nesters in Canberra face a similar dilemma – they want to downsize and simplify their lives but live on large blocks in suburbs with few other housing options for their stage of life. 

What is the Demonstration Housing Project?

The Demonstration Housing Project is testing innovative forms of housing to make for a more sustainable and inclusive future for Canberra and encourage greater housing choice to better meet individual needs. The project seeks to build and test a handful of housing models that, if successful can be delivered across in Canberra in the future. 

Some of the other Demonstration Housing projects chosen by the ACT Government include small-scale co-housing, multi-generational homes, and a manor house development. All projects went through a rigorous two-stage process where they were assessed against the Demonstration Housing Project criteria of excellence in design, excellence in build quality, stakeholder and community engagement, as well as landscaping and Garden City principles. All projects were also required to present to the National Capital Design Review Panel. 

What will the homes look like?

In Loco - Forrest focuses on the ‘missing middle’ of Canberra’s housing market – that is, low rise, medium density housing types that fall in between smaller apartments and larger freestanding homes. The block will see three homes where one now stands with the total build area of the site being the same. All mature trees and large hedge will be retained.

To proceed, the proposal needs a change in planning rules which currently only permit one dwelling on this 2000 square metre block.