THE EMBRACE

Pressing issues in modern society result from mankind’s shortsight in terms of underestimating population growth. Examples include widespread food shortage in Less Economically Developed Countries, unsustainable usage of resources, increased manmade waste accumulation and difficulty in providing adequate housing and buildings of other programs to accommodate the growing population.

Scaling down then subsequently applying these issues to the context of suburbs such as Waterloo and its neighbors Zetland and Alexandria, the apparent seriousness is diminished. However, relatively speaking, Waterloo has witnessed a massive and unprecedented increase in population growth, even though it appears insignificant when compared to major cities.

Statistics show a net positive of 4,000 residents per five years, which has caused Waterloo’s population to increase from approximately 10,657 to 14,616 between years 2011 to 2016. That is more than a 37% increase in population, justifying the use of “massive and unprecedented growth” as the phrase of choice to describe the phenomenon.

Between the Green Square development to the south and Waterloo to the north, the government’s projected residential development plans are inadequate to meet the housing demands of the increasing population. In addition, other issues in year 2030 include the lessening of public green spaces and unfriendly street corners.

This project’s urban response is a mixeduse development that, rather than trying to solve the housing crisis, instead acts as inspiration to encourage similar future projects in this area of lower activity which is sandwiched between the two major developments.

The project responds to waterloo’s changing environment by providing interactive green spaces, activating street corners, protecting spaces from traffic noise and doing what it can to lessen the strain from population growth.