The Age: on one of arch-peace probono project

Photo: Roger Cummins
Carlton uni squat talks stall

Annie Lawson (The Age)
October 9, 2008

"NEGOTIATIONS have stalled between the University of Melbourne and students squatting in terrace houses the university owns in Carlton.

Fifteen homeless students moved into the Faraday Street properties two months ago, frustrated by soaring rents and a shortage of suitable properties.

Although vice-chancellor Glyn Davis has publicly lamented the student housing shortage, nothing has been done, according to the squatters.

The rental vacancy rate in inner Melbourne is 1.1% and the university's residential colleges, which house about 2300 students, are full.

According to the university's Student Housing Services, students are spending up to 40% of their income on rent.

The student squatters have installed fire alarms, repaired holes in the floors, patched leaking pipes and draped banners over the balconies promoting SHAC - the Student Housing Action Collective. The not-for-profit organisation Architects for Peace has agreed to plan a renovation so the terraces can accommodate 40 students. The Melbourne body wants to follow the lead of the University of Sydney co-operative STUCCO, which charges rents as low as $70 a week. The Melbourne collective's spokeswoman, Allegra Reinalda, said: "It's a public statement about what students want in terms of housing - they want the co-operative model that enables a community atmosphere."

But the university refuses to negotiate until the students move out. Student Housing Services manager Adrian Burrage said the university was exploring co-operative housing but declined to comment on whether it would consider the Faraday Street terraces.

The squatters get most of their food from supermarket rubbish skips."

Find this article here: http://www.theage.com.au/national/carlton-uni-squat-talks-stall-20081008-4wqz.html

SHAC Housing Co-operative

272-278 Faraday Street, in Carlton, Melbourne, is the site of a proposed housing co-operative. The terrace house is owned by the University of Melbourne and was recently occupied by Student Housing Action Collective (SHAC), who noticed that the buildings had been empty for 3 years. The group is seeking an architect through the Architects for Peace Pro Bono Referral Service to assist with a feasibility study for an upgrade of the terrace houses to suit a co-op. The study will be presented to University Council in late October.

Contact Arch-Peace Pro Bono if you are interested in helping SHAC.

SHAC's description: Student Housing Action Collective (SHAC) is a project aimed at providing student-run affordable student housing. Our pilot proposal is the conversion of the property at 278 Faraday Street, Carlton, into a student managed housing co-operative. SHAC arose in response to the current housing crisis which has seen a decline in the quantity of affordable student housing combined with an increase in rental costs. Recognising that the University is increasingly worried about the plight of local and international students both with regards to financial viability and the housing crisis, SHAC sees itself as one of numerous possible responses by providing dynamic and equitable student housing. The strength of the SHAC process is that it provides a model for active local and international student participation in the search for solutions around affordable student housing.


SHAC's request:
We require a feasibility study and costing for renovation of the site which is in line with the aims and principles of SHAC (including shower facilities, a back exit, solar power, a sprinkler system, hard-wired smoke detectors etc). We wish to present such a study to University Council on OCTOBER 20th to show the feasibility of our project.

arch-peace news and articles: Review of last month's words @ bldg50...

Review of last month's words @ bldg50...
Mel Bright and Tarryn Boden from emerging Melbourne practice MAKE architecture studio presented the Bird Hide design project that they are currently developing for Friends of Westgate Park on Thursday 7 August.

http://archpeace.blogspot.com/2008/08/review-of-last-months-words-bldg50.html