Holmesglen Concrete Housing Project

HOLMESGLEN CONCRETE HOUSING PROJECT

MELBOURNE VIC | 1946-1962

Housing Commission Victoria panel of architect consultants (Arthur Leith, Frank Heath and Best Overend)

Housing Commission of Victoria used the Holmesglen munitions and tank factory to dramatically increase new housing supply with minimal materials, producing 20 detached houses a week by 1950. A factory assembly line cast concrete wall sections, complete with doors and window openings, whole chimneys and stairs on an elevated flat metal table. These would then be transported to the site to be bolted together. The standardisation of factory production also enabled roof trusses and whole plumbing sections to be precut and assembled.

The Commission partnered with the Commonwealth Experimental Building Station to progress new construction materials, including light weight, highstrength concrete for flat house roofs that were aesthetically regarded as highly
progressive and modern.

During this time, the Commission became engineer solution driven at some expense to placemaking. Mass producing a limited set of standardised house plans resulted in large monotonous estates, with design input and visual variety
limited to alternating concrete finishes and street layouts. Vegetation was also a low priority, with the Commission planting 1,319 street trees for the 1,785 homes built towards the end of the development construction.