D.I.Y Density: F. Gordon Wilson Fellowship Recipients, Spacecraft

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If you’ve ever wondered why New Zealand can’t seem to build medium density housing that feels calm, green, and genuinely liveable, this conversation puts a spotlight on the real blockers and the real opportunities. This episode we’re joined by Wellington architects Tim Gittos and Caro Robertson from Spacecraft Architects, fresh off winning the F. Gordon Wilson Fellowship for their research project DIY Density. 

We get specific about what “DIY” actually means here: not people building their own houses with their hands, but everyday owners and small groups having the tools to lead development decisions, rather than settling for developer-led products. Tim and Caro explain why the three-storey walk-up is such a powerful missing-middle typology, how it can replace “sausage flat” backyard infill, and why facing the street while going up can preserve light, privacy, and neighbourhood character. We also talk about what matters beyond the dwelling: arrival, shared outdoor space, fewer driveways, stronger streetscapes, and keeping trees and permeable ground so our suburbs don’t bake and flood. 

The big theme is certainty. We unpack why risk and unknowability around consenting, cost, and process stops good housing before it starts, and how replicable models, precedents, and even pre-consented pathways could make affordable housing more achievable. Tim and Caro share insights from their work on the New South Wales Housing Pattern Book, including what it takes to make pattern books useful in the real world, and who might administer something similar here as planning rules evolve. 

If you care about urban design, housing affordability, walkable neighbourhoods, and building better cities in Aotearoa New Zealand, hit play, share it with a mate, and subscribe so you don’t miss what comes next. After listening, what would convince you that medium density could be a better way to live?

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