Chandler Pyke

The Young Hustlers

Designed for young entrepreneurs aged 18-34, the project caters for young creatives who are working or studying full-time and have side hustles that they dream will become a legitimate start-up.

The project provides a viable alternative for young entrepreneurs at different stages of their business development, who are seeking an affordable renting option both for work and home. The resulting architecture offers refined living options whilst marketing the small business incubator. Redefining what it means to work from home, the shared creative workspace promotes collaboration amongst like-minded residents, cultivating an internal creative community. Diversity comes from this collective of entrepreneurial pursuits, all from different backgrounds and at different stages of their business development. To support all stages of a young entrepreneurs growth, the project provides two living typologies to cater for varied financial situations. Supporting a live/work balance, it was important the resulting architecture clearly defined space to work and space to live.

The final design features two residential buildings (composed of two living typologies) and centralised circulation, where public space and workspace exist. The site’s architectural typology allows residents to gradually participate in open space activities and retreat to their own intimate space. The western street-facing façade acts as an urban buffer to the neighbourhood and local community. The final material palette is a modern take on suburbia, with a subtle light coloured brick wrapping the form of the buildings. The use of timber and green walls on the street-facing buildings have been implemented to soften the articulation of the façade. The site’s landscaping is entirely native to encourage minimal water usage on vegetation. Promoting decarbonisation there is no allowance for on-site carparking.

The project’s communal workspace supports this idea of a small business incubator. Residents can collaborate, seek advice and share knowledge with each other across a variety of spaces. Longer stay residents in “growth” units can act as mentors for newer residents in “begin” units. The workspace can be accessed 24/7, and includes meeting rooms, collaborative and private workspaces, bathrooms, a terrace and break-out space with kitchen facilities. A key feature of the project, and an idea that I brought through the semester, is that residents are provided with vast storage facilities, as so often you hear of young entrepreneurs with too much inventory and not enough space. At a civic scale, the communal workspace not only fosters collaboration between residents, but the roof terrace and break-out space seconds as a gallery, presentation and event space for residents and wider community activities.