Manor Homes 01 - NSW Housing Pattern Book
Studio Johnston low-rise solution to the “Missing Middle”
Manor Homes 01- is an elegant new housing model developed by Studio Johnston for the Government Architect NSW's Housing Pattern Book. Designed to bridge the gap between single dwellings and larger apartment buildings, the Manor House typology offers a refined, sustainable and flexible approach to increasing urban density without sacrificing neighbourhood character.
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“The Manor House is a typology that’s been part of Sydney’s DNA for over a century, yet it’s all but disappeared from our streets,” explains Conrad Johnston, Director of Studio Johnston. “Our design reimagines the classic ‘four- or six-pack’ apartment buildings of the Interwar period with modern living standards and sustainability.”
Manor Homes 01 is designed as a two-storey dwelling that reads as a single elegant home, blending brick, concrete and fibre-cement materials to sit comfortably within existing streetscapes. The architectural form is stepped and finely articulated to avoid excessive bulk, allowing the building to integrate seamlessly into established neighbourhoods.
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“The Manor House offers a lifestyle between a house and an apartment,” says Johnston. “It’s a solution that respects the scale of existing suburbs while providing much-needed housing diversity.”
Each Manor House contains four apartments, with ground-floor residences enjoying generous corner gardens and dual aspects for light and ventilation. The upper-level apartments feature raked ceilings, deep balconies and a strong connection to landscape, delivering a sense of spaciousness rarely found in low-rise multi-residential housing.
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Floorplans are highly adaptable, catering to a range of households—from young families and single parents to downsizers, co-living groups and residents seeking to age in place. All apartments are designed to at least Silver ABCB Livable Housing Standard, with ground-floor dwellings capable of upgrading to Gold level accessibility.
In line with the Government Architect NSW’s vision, Manor Homes 01 prioritises sustainability through passive solar design, cross-ventilation, daylight access, sun-shading and the potential for rooftop solar panels. Efficient planning and simple construction systems help to contain costs, ensuring the design remains an achievable solution for diverse sites and developers.
As part of the Housing Pattern Book, Manor Homes 01 is eligible for fast-tracked planning pathways, significantly reducing approval times for developers and local councils. However, the design also allows flexibility in material choices, colour palettes, and dwelling mixes, ensuring projects can respond to local character and market needs.
- Architecture & Interiors Studio Johnston
- Landscape Hassell
- Structures ACOR
- CGI Choi Render