Medium density housing (MDH) explained, NZ’s history of MDH, and how MDH can provide solutions to NZ’s housing affordability issues.

The biggest issues facing architects when it comes to designing MDH, what residents most value, and key issues raised by housing specialists (including site planning, security, defensible space and privacy).

How we can design better, more liveable medium density housing, why we need a low carbon future, how high MDH cities can be, what exactly is the missing middle and what types of MDH there are.

How boundaries and circulation, recreation and social spaces shape MDH living, how to make the most of landscape, typography, hydrology and vegetation in MDH design, what roles carparks and public transport play and how to avoid low quality outcomes for MDH design.

The importance of planning and orientation to the sun, designing entrance lobbies, accessways, stairs, lifts and corridors, and considering flexibility of spaces, storage and garage design for MDH.

Performance
Traditional or cutting edge? Discussing structure, prefabrication, inter-tenancy floors and inter-tenancy walls.

Materiality
Building materials including timber frame, steel frame, brick, block, precast concrete, cross-laminated timber and autoclaved aerated concrete.

Performance
Acoustics, the science of sound, muffling and isolation.

Materiality
Inter-tenancy floors using timber framing, cross laminated timber, concrete and multi-layered construction systems.

Performance
Acoustic success and failure

Materiality
Twin wall timber or steel framing, concrete panels, cross laminated timber, multi-layered construction systems and prefabricated structural systems.

Performance
Cladding systems and structure. Windows, insulation, weathertightness, cavities, control layers and underlays.

Materiality
SIPS and other systems.

Performance
Cold vs warm roofs, skillion, flat and membrane roofs.

Materiality
Roof gutters, waterproof decks, roof penetrations and party wall junctions.

Lighting, sprinklers, plumbing and drainage (with Peter Downey, HSCNZ), HVAC (with Patrick Arnold, eCubed) and ventilation (featuring Simon Hoyle of Ventüer).

An Ockham development in Hobsonville Point that features five blocks of apartments assembled around a pleasant courtyard.

An NZ Living development in Onehunga, Auckland, with strong design features including one big long simple roof and long life material selection.

An infill project in Newtown, Wellington, with several small blocks of townhouses, woven around two small green courtyards.

A quality townhouse development on the edge of the East Frame in central Christchurch.

A summary of Medium by the author