Row of modern wooden houses with front porches, surrounded by landscaped gardens and trees, under a clear blue sky, during sunset.

Big Ideas, Real Impact.

A different way to use land, design homes and create small-scale communities.

The RotoSpace Micro-Community explores how the same efficient, flexible home design system can be applied across an entire site.

Instead of dividing land into large individual sections, a small number of well-designed homes are arranged around shared green space — with each household still having its own home, privacy and private outdoor area.

The aim is not to create a “tiny house village”.

It is to explore how thoughtful site planning, compact homes and shared land can create a better balance between affordability, independence and community.

The Concept

Each home has its own identity, private outdoor living and sense of ownership, while larger areas of land and amenity can be shared.

This creates a balance between connection and independence — shared space when you want it, and your own space when you don’t.

The approach allows for:

  • Better use of land without making the site feel crowded

  • Smaller, well-designed homes rather than unnecessary floor area

  • Generous shared green space

  • Private outdoor areas for each household

  • A mix of household sizes and stages of life

  • Opportunities for shared facilities and infrastructure

The result is not about squeezing more houses onto a site.

It is about using the whole site more intelligently.

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  • Modern backyard view with two houses, one white and one black, connected by a deck, with a pathway and landscaped garden in front.
  • Modern residential buildings with well-maintained front yards, featuring lush green grass, small trees, and blooming purple flowers, under a partly cloudy sky, with a person walking a dog along the paved sidewalk.
  • Modern single-story house with white exterior, black window frames, and a small deck with outdoor furniture
  • Modern single-story house with white exterior, black trim, black windows, and a small front garden with bushes, surrounded by a metal fence, under a blue sky.
  • Modern single-story house with a black metal roof, white exterior walls, large windows, a small porch with wooden steps, and a landscaped yard with green grass and purple flowers.
  • Modern white houses with black accents, surrounded by greenery and flower gardens, at sunset.
  • White modern house with a small front porch, large windows, black roof, and a well-maintained lawn.
  • A residential outdoor area with modern houses, a bench, a walkway, and people walking with children in a landscaped garden during sunset.
  • Modern small house with white siding, black roof, and a covered porch with a picnic table, surrounded by a landscaped yard.
  • Modern house with wooden exterior, outdoor patio with dining furniture, landscaped garden, and stone pathway
  • Modern residential buildings with dark gray and white siding, landscaped front yard, paved walkway, and solar panels on the roof, under a partly cloudy sky.
  • Modern residential houses with landscaped yards and a paved road, under a partly cloudy sky.
  • Modern residential buildings with white and dark exterior, surrounded by garden beds, paved walkways, and a green lawn, during sunset.
  • Residential outdoor scene with modern houses, a grassy lawn, a pathway, benches, and trees under a partly cloudy sky
  • Modern residential buildings with landscaped surroundings, trees, and a paved walkway.
  • Contemporary garden with small building, benches, flowers, and pathways in an outdoor setting during daytime.
  • Modern house with a sloped roof, white and dark gray exterior, and a wooden deck with a slatted privacy screen, surrounded by a green lawn and landscaped garden.
  • Modern gray house with black accents and a covered porch, surrounded by a manicured lawn and shrubs, under a partly cloudy sky.
  • A modern house with a black and white exterior, large windows, and a small wooden porch with outdoor dining furniture, surrounded by a manicured lawn and garden.
  • Modern single-story house with white exterior, black roof, and front porch with seating, surrounded by a well-maintained lawn and garden.

Designed around the site

There is no single site shape or size that defines a RotoSpace Micro-Community.

The number of homes, their arrangement and the amount of shared space would be developed in response to:

  • Planning rules

  • Site shape and orientation

  • Vehicle access

  • Infrastructure and servicing

  • Topography

  • Privacy and outlook

  • The mix of households

  • The amount and type of shared space desired

A typical concept may include around 8–12 homes, but the model is intended to be adaptable rather than prescriptive.

A different approach to affordability

The concept explores affordability by looking at where money is actually being spent.

Rather than relying on very small houses or lower-quality construction, potential savings can come from:

  • Sharing the cost of land across more households

  • Building only the floor area each household needs

  • Using simple, repeatable building forms

  • Sharing some infrastructure and amenities

  • Planning homes efficiently from the outset

  • Allowing homes to grow over time where appropriate

The aim is not simply to make housing cheaper.

It is to create better value from the land, the building and every square metre of the home.

Different homes for different lives

A micro-community works best when it can accommodate different types of households rather than repeating the same house across the site.

A RotoSpace community could include a mix of:

  • Compact 1-bedroom homes

  • 2-bedroom homes

  • Flexible 2-to-3-bedroom homes

  • 3-bedroom family homes

  • Larger 4-bedroom homes

The same underlying design principles can be applied across the range — efficient layouts, minimal wasted circulation, good indoor-outdoor connection and the ability to adapt homes as needs change.

The homes can share a common design language without all looking the same.

Design Approach

The homes are designed using compact planning principles:

  • efficient layouts with minimal wasted space

  • shared or overlapping functions where appropriate

  • simple building forms to reduce construction cost

  • indoor-outdoor connection

Typical Community Layout

  • Approx. 8–12 homes per site

  • Homes arranged around a shared central green space

  • Simple access and infrastructure layout

This creates a balance between:

  • individual ownership

  • and shared amenity

Start with what you need now

Not every household needs to build its maximum-sized home on day one.

Where the site allows, homes can be planned with future expansion in mind — allowing a household to begin with a smaller footprint and add space later as family needs or finances change.

That could mean starting with two bedrooms and adding a third in the future, rather than paying for space before it is needed.

Planning for that possibility from the beginning makes future change much easier.

The bigger goal

To create a repeatable small-scale housing model that can be adapted to different sites, communities and household needs.

A model where:

  • Land is used more intelligently

  • Homes are thoughtfully designed rather than unnecessarily large

  • People can retain privacy and independence

  • Shared space actually adds value

  • Homes can adapt as lives change

  • Good design contributes to affordability rather than being treated as a luxury

Where the project is now

The RotoSpace Micro-Community is currently at concept and partnership stage.

Work completed to date includes:

  • Development of the overall housing model

  • A range of compact and flexible home layouts

  • Multi-home site planning studies

  • Shared-space and circulation concepts

  • Investigation into alternative ownership and development models

The next step is to identify the right site and delivery partners for a pilot project.

From design concept to delivery model

The design framework is established. The next challenge is finding the right pathway to deliver it.

RotoSpace is currently exploring:

  • Partnerships with landowners and developers

  • Small-scale pilot developments

  • Alternative ownership and co-ownership structures

  • Prefabricated or panelised construction systems

  • Staged development

  • Collaboration with housing organisations and community housing providers

The exact model will depend on the site, project partners and feasibility.

Interested in helping make it real?

RotoSpace is looking to connect with people and organisations interested in exploring a pilot micro-community.

That could include:

  • Landowners with a potentially suitable site

  • Developers interested in alternative small-scale housing

  • Housing organisations and community housing providers

  • Consultants and construction partners

  • Investors or project collaborators

  • People interested in eventually living in a RotoSpace community

If the idea aligns with something you're working on, I’d love to hear from you.

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Interested in the RotoSpace Micro-Community?

If you'd like to be involved, collaborate on a pilot project, or simply stay in the loop as the concept develops, leave your details below.