Cornerstone Bowden Village
Location
Kaurna Country | Bowden SA
Status
Designed 2023
Client
Cornerstone Housing
Collaborators
Pomeroy Pacific, Rider Levett Bucknall
Visuals
Das Studio
Scope
Feasibility, Concept Design, Bid Submission
On behalf of Cornerstone Housing, Das Studio curated a project team across design, construction and finance disciplines, to deliver a 109-dwelling community and affordable housing development proposal for the South Australian Housing Authority and RenewalSA.
Cornerstone Bowden Village reflects the spirit of a tenacious working-class community, exceedingly generous for a thriving and inclusive housing environment.
Place
Once South Australia’s oldest manufacturing hub, Bowden was built on small-scale industry and tight-knit community life. Local residents worked hard, often from their own backyards, resisting the push of large-scale industrialisation. It is in this spirit that Cornerstone Bowden would gift back the village to the community it once held.
Colour hues pick up mottled qualities of clay and reclaimed brickwork, whilst utilitarian and robust finishes speak to Bowden’s ‘Backyard Manufacturers’.
Proposition
Das Studio was invited by Cornerstone Housing to lead the bid submission within an intensive 6-week program. Working with the design consultants, contractor and financier, the team achieved a balance between commercial outcomes and the delivery of 109 high-quality dwellings—73 of which are affordable, far exceeding briefed yield benchmarks.
Through a faceted facade reminiscent of Bowden’s iconic sawtooth roofs, the design pays homage to all the skilled workers and craftspeople that came before.
Make Better
Cornerstone Bowden returns the rhythms of village life that once filled its industrial streets. All-electric systems, natural ventilation and high-quality daylighting keep dwellings efficient and comfortable, whilst stacked verges and a landscaped ground plane give back what’s green.
Connection to the neighbouring train line, and inclusion of secure bike storage and end of trip facilities, promote a sustainable lifestyle, with minimised carparking provisions. Activating the ground floor with retail reintroduces the kind of everyday connections that defined a time gone by.
