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Pattern Books to Address Housing Needs? Historical Background and Potential Applications
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Pattern Books to Address Housing Needs? Historical Background and Potential Applications

Pattern Books to Address Housing Needs? Historical Background and Potential Applications

On demand
1 Formal CPD Points  

Overview

This CPD session explores the role of pattern books in housing design, past and present. It begins with a historical overview of how pattern books shaped residential development, using accessible, replicable designs that supported rapid urban growth and architectural consistency. The talk will examine who used them, how they operated within planning frameworks, and what kinds of housing they enabled. Moving to the present, the session will consider renewed interest in pattern books as a response to current housing challenges. Can these tools offer a solution to the growing demand for affordable, well-designed, and sustainable homes? We will critically reflect on their potential application within today’s planning systems, as well as the risks, constraints, and lessons from history. This session will be of interest to architects, planners, and policymakers considering innovative approaches to housing provision. 

This session is developed and delivered in collaboration with Arch_Manu, the ARC Centre for Next-Gen Architectural Manufacturing.

 

NSCA 2021 Performance Criteria

This session will deliver outcomes related to the following Competencies from the 2021 National Standard of Competency for Architects:  

PROJECT INITIATION AND CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
PC 25 Be able to draw on knowledge from the history and theory of architecture as part of preliminary design research and when developing the conceptual design.
PC 26 Be able to undertake site, cultural and contextual analysis as part of preliminary design research.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this session participants should be able to:

  • Understand the historical use of pattern books in residential development, and be able to draw on this knowledge to inform conceptual design thinking and early-stage design for housing and urban contexts
  • Apply knowledge of historical pattern book responses to cultural, contextual, and site-specific conditions to contemporary site and contextual analysis
  • Critically evaluate the potential and limitations of using pattern books today, particularly in relation to heritage, community values, and current housing and planning needs.

Speakers

 


David Kroll
Senior Lecturer in Architecture, University of Adelaide

David has a background in architectural practice, academic teaching and research. He obtained his PhD in 2014 from the University of London with a focus on the history of housing design. Since 2013, David has lectured full-time in architectural design and construction in the UK and since 2015 in Australia. In 2017-2018, he also worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sydney. David has published in academic and professional journals in the areas of architectural history, design and science. He is the co-editor of the book Mobilising Housing Histories: Learning from London’s Past (RIBA Publishing, 2017), as well as the lead author of the forthcoming book Good Houses: Environmental Design and Evaluation (Routledge, 2025). 

 

Price

Members: $49
Non-Members: $98

 
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