A Dignified Lived Experience – Queens Walk Housing by Cumulus Studio

The iconic Queens Walk social housing complex in northern Hobart will soon be reimagined and expanded by local practice Cumulus Studio. Two new structures will nod to the original international style architecture of the existing heritage-listed buildings through a lens that is both refreshing and sympathetic.

Developed for Housing Choices Tasmania in partnership with the Tasmanian State Government under the Community Housing Growth Program, the project – which encompasses 65 one and two-bedroom apartments – aims to provide stable and affordable accommodation for vulnerable Tasmanians. Fuelled by its experience in the social housing sector, Cumulus Studio has focused on creating homes that offer residents a sense of identity and individuality.

Fuelled by its experience in the social housing sector, Cumulus Studio has focused on creating homes that offer residents a sense of identity and individuality.

Within the apartments, elements such as joinery and doors are coat-ed in bright and playful colours, which alternate across the various floors. The remainder of the palette is minimal and robust, keeping the baseline flexible for residents and allowing for expressions of individuality. As project lead Rosalyn Bermudez explains, other aspects of the design also lean heavily into this concept. “We constantly looked to add elements to each apartment that could provide flexibility in the way they are enjoyed,” she says, adding, “in the larger dwellings, for example, we add-ed sliding doors to the second bedroom, allowing it to become a study or larger dining room seamlessly connected to the living space.” There are also small niches at the front door to each apartment with space for indoor plants or personal touches, bringing a neighbourly nod to the hallway and common spaces.

As well as thoughtfully conceived dwellings, Cumulus Studio will create a reinvigorated communal green space. Designed in collaboration with local landscape architects REALMstudios, the new accessible green areas include natural playgrounds made from repurposed trees, gravel paths lined with native flora and productive community gardens. As an open green space, it naturally encourages interaction and enhances the idea of community; doorsteps, stairs and garden edges cleverly double as bench seats, creating relaxed areas to stop and enjoy a sense of place.

Cumulus Studio and Housing Choices Tasmania believe in providing good housing for everyone, no matter the circumstance, and the reinvigorated Queens Walk complex promises to deliver a dignified, lived experience bound by the residents themselves.