Retain Repair Reinvest Publication: Ascot Vale

This book is the first in a series of three books about the proposed demolition of public housing, the people who live in these estates, and the environmental, social and economic case for retaining these sites.

This first publication features Ascot Vale Estate in Melbourne which was slated for demolition under the government’s Public Housing Renewal Program. The book expands on the Retain, Repair, Reinvest feasibility and design proposal for the estate by non-for-profit architecture and design firm OFFICE. The book features interviews with an Ascot Vale resident, photos of the estate by architectural photographer Ben Hosking, and commissioned essays and interviews with academics, an architect and economist about the value of public housing. 

In a time where all 44 high-rise towers in Melbourne are set to be demolished, displacing 10,000 residents, this book will help to tell the story of the environmental, social and economic cost of this destruction - and highlight the opportunities for investing in the public housing assets we already have. 

Background

This book is based on OFFICE’s feasibility study and design proposal for the refurbishment of Ascot Vale Estate. After consultation and collaboration with the Save Ascot Vale Estate (S.A.V.E) group, OFFICE developed  a strategy to assess the feasibility of retaining existing public housing and upgrading the homes for improved resident comfort and environmental efficiency standards. While the government had deemed renovating the site ‘unviable’, there was no publicly available feasibility study into this approach to improving the homes of residents. 

The Retain, Repair, Reinvest (RRR) approach includes three key objectives:

• Retain existing communities by not relocating residents,

• Repair existing buildings to reduce carbon emissions,

• Reinvest savings to improve comfort and upgrade public housing.

RRR assesses the economic, social and environmental value of refurbishment, as well as the uncaptured costs associated with the demolition approach including:

• The relocation of existing tenants and disruption of communities

• The demolition of existing buildings,

• The transfer of highly valuable public land title to private ownership.

The RRR research and findings have been covered by The Age, The Guardian, ABC Radio. 

This publication translates the report findings into a more accessible book, featuring new photographs, resident stories and interviews with public housing experts. 

Features

Foreword by Dr Kate Shaw 

Photography by Ben Hosking 

Interviews with Clare Hanson, Libby Porter, David Kelly, Priya Kunjan, Paul Karakusevic and Richard Denniss 

About OFFICE

OFFICE is a not-for-profit multidisciplinary design and research practice based in Melbourne. Their projects span the intersections of built form, research, discourse and education. As a registered charity, the studio’s operations, processes and outputs are bound by a constitution to pmake rojects for the public good.

Publication Specifications

200mm (w) x 260 mm (h)

115 Pages

Editors

OFFICE 

Miriam McGarry

Tom Muratore 

Book Design

Samson Ossedryver 

Budget Overview 

Sponsorship

To fund the production and printing costs OFFICE are accepting sponsorship. As a registered charity OFFICE relies on generous support to cover the upfront cost of producing this publication. OFFICE has completed the initial editorial process alongside the generous support of the public housing experts who donated their time and effort into supplying the content. 

OFFICE have DGR status, meaning any donations above the cost of the publication are deductible from the donor’s income tax. 

Budget Overview

Production: $10, 550

Printing: $7920

Crowdfunding goal 

$18,470